Best of England tour - sandals or too cold?

I'm cold-natured-to me 65 is chlly. On 8 trips to England(some in JuneJ), I have never been hot there, taken sandals, or wished I had them.

Well, I’m in London right now. I am cold tolerant but yesterday when I left my hotel for the day the “feels like” temp was 32F. I have no idea where that was measured! Just came up on my phone. It did feel pretty chilly! I’ve worn my puffy vest every day. I’m not a sandal wearer but I’d just say no to open toes!! 🩴

Pack 2nd pair of walking shoes. Helps on the cobblestones, dirt paths, etc.

You’ll be glad you did. Also, if prone to blisters, moleskin is helpful.

Have a great tour!!!

At this time of year your feet could be not only chilly but also wet--not fun.

We’re also in London now and it’s been a bit too chilly for sandals for us. But, i have seen women wearing them. Would you wear socks your sandals? We saw young women in Paris last week wearing sandals with socks.

It is not warm in England at the moment. There’s no way I would wear sandals. I have seen a couple of people brave it but I think it’s just because it’s nearly May so they think they should!

Pack your second pair of walking shoes instead.
No sandals needed this time of year in England.
A couple of years ago, we were on the Best of England tour at this very time....last week of April plus first week of May.
It was cold the whole time.

What you will need very much is a wool sock hat. It will be cold and windy at Hadrian's Wall this time of year.
I wore a ski parka type jacket with a hood when I was there, and still wished I'd brought a sock cap to wear underneath the hood!
Under the jacket, I had on a turtleneck sweater and a fleece jacket.
It felt as though it was below freezing when we were there.

In York, it rained the whole time we were there.
Take a waterproof rain jacket with a hood.
A "water resistant" rain jacket is not good enough.
Your #1 pair of walking shoes may be totally soaked after the first day in York.
(Or....it may be dry while you're there....you never know about the English weather....unpredictable.)

Take an umbrella that folds up into a small and manageable size, so it can be tucked into your day bag.
The lucky ones on our tour each had one of these in York.

By the time you arrive in London at the end of your tour, it will be warmer there than anywhere else you've been.

IMHO, sandals will be useless on this tour.

This is a great tour.
I hope you have a great time!

Thank you all for the feedback, it's helped a lot. Rebecca, THANK YOU for the advice about packing for Hadrian's Wall and York. I'm taking lots of layers and yes, a sock type hat and a waterproof jacket that just barely fits over my fleece, lol. Maybe I'll add some gloves.

------Would you wear socks with your sandals?

No, because others have warned that it could be wet, and that would be far too uncomfortable.

Thanks again, I think I'll make my final pack tonight.

When we were leaving for London last Monday rain was predicted for every day. It did rain Monday when we arrived late evening, but we haven’t seen a drop of rain since then. I only mentioned the socks in case your sandals were more comfortable for long walking days then your second pair of shoes.
I have a winter jacket with me and discovered a pair of gloves in the pocket. Yea! I wore them when we went to the ceremony of the Keys tour and one afternoon. I’ll probably use them when we do our evening walking tours.
So far they say rain tomorrow afternoon, then cloudy for the rest of our stay. Keeping our fingers crossed the rain holds off.

Thanks Barbara. I hope the rain holds off for you!

I have learned the hard way over very many visits to London (and several to points north) that a weather forecast not mentioning rain is no guarantee there will be none. And vice versa, of course. If I'm heading out from my hotel and don't anticipate being back there until the end of the day (which is the way it virtually always is for me), my collapsible umbrella goes in my purse. Most of the time I have my hooded rain jacket with me as well. I tie it around my waist (it's quite the look) when I'm not wearing it, which is better than getting drenched. Even on what will turn out to be a nice day, it can be quite cool early in the morning. A fleece jacket may be adequate then, but if it starts to rain...

The replies above are spot on. I've been to England many times in May and most definitely have not experienced sandals weather.

I live in England and don’t even own an umbrella. It’s usually too windy to be useful, or too busy to be able to put it up, or too inconvenient to carry when you get to your destination and it’s all wet. Just bring a proper waterproof coat.