Why You Should Ignore The Heat Wave And Head For The Sun

So at last the sun has made an appearance on this sceptred isle of ours. When first the rays broke through the clouds, whole towns stopped and stared. Old ladies were said to fait at the sight of sunshine pouring through their window panes. Everywhere, people abandoned their tops and outer clothing and merrily scampered through the nearest park or beach, a glass of Pimms in one hand and a bottle of sun cream in the other. It was rather wonderful, and rather British. OK, maybe this is a little bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly was a nice feeling last weekend to actually be able to say ‘I’m too hot!’ for a change.

Perhaps I’m getting old, or maybe I am old and I just hadn’t realised, but the conversations I tend to have with my friends now are along these lines: ‘Do you remember when we were young? The summer holidays were always hot, and it only rained for two or three days max in July and August’. We all bemoan the weather and long for those idyllic days, where we seemingly wandered around in a haze of sunshine, decked out in our flared jeans, Spice Girl t-shirts and tamagotchis. The fact is, however, that I think it never really was that hot in the first place.

Now that we are enjoying a heat wave, you may well be tempted to forgo any plans you had made for a summer holiday abroad. The searing heat of one weekend, a glass of something chilled, and we’re all ready to believe that England is the place to be in the summer.

Readers beware. Although it sounds hard to believe, there have in fact been many other occasions when a burst of heat has stopped potential holiday makers from enjoying their hard-earned time off. Sadly, although we all love the good weather, it tends not to last very long. You don’t want to look back at the end of August on two weeks’ spent huddled inside, thanks to the pouring rain and general gloom. Regardless of what the weather is doing, you should be booking your holiday to a place where there is guaranteed sun.

Can you even imagine that? Hot, all the time. Sunny, all the time. Smiley, happy people sunbathing and swimming in the sea. Beers on tap, chilled-out music playing in the background. It needn’t cost a fortune, either. A week in the sun can set you back as little as a couple of hundred pounds, if you choose your provider wisely. Whether you go for somewhere low-key, or you fancy something a little more vibrant, there’s a destination out there with your name on it.

And if you miss England whilst you’re away, you can always sit in the shower; half close the blinds and turn the dial to a lukewarm drizzle. That pretty much sums up the majority of our summer, after all.