I was planning to travel to London for five days then head north to the coast and finally Scotland for a week. I had planned to do so the 2 nd week in May but now there is the coronation. My time is flexible so I can travel earlier or later. My question is shall I travel in April. I love to walk so will be outdoors a lot . Or shall I travel in May but a little after the coronation. Will I find accommodations during the week of the coronation. The bottom line is will the weather be nice enough in April to travel or does it rain a lot. I do not mind it being somewhat cold
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
940 posts
I can only relate my experience from a few decades ago, and my first trip to Britain in mid April in 1981. We left from Vancouver where it was snowing, something it rarely does here in normal times. We landed in London to beautiful sunny weather, and for the next two weeks it remained that way. The day after we returned home, it snowed in Britain. A similar thing happened to me in Ireland almost 20 years ago when the weather went from almost needing a pair of shorts, to having to buy a pair of mitts to keep my hands warm. I think April is just too unpredictable to say., but I love to travel in April because I like to walk far and fast so prefer it to be a bit cooler. Just pack clothes that layer.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2600 posts
no one can predict the weather in April or May - it might rain or be dry and sunny. You can expect longer hours of daylight in May so go for May.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
Scotland tends to be rainy, especially on the western side. You can find monthly-average weather statistics in the Wikipedia entries for quite a few Scottish cities and towns. Here's Oban, for example, where it appears there might not be too much difference in the amount of precipitation between late April and May--it's likely to rain practically every day. However, one guaranteed difference is the length of the days. Scotland is quite far north; you'd have more daylight hours in May.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
No way to be sure, of course, but May seems a better bet because of daylight and higher average temperatures. We had a pretty wet visit to northern England and Edinburgh in May 2011, but anything is possible. I'm reminded of something Nigel (?) contributed here a few years ago: "I missed spring last year; I was in the bathroom."
I'd love to be in London on an occasion like the coronation. Certain streets will be crowded at certain times, for good reason, but joining the crowds would be a worthwhile experience. Museums and other attractions (other than Westminster Abbey) would likely be open as usual. Hotels would probably jack up their rates, though, in fact probably have already.