My wife and I have made half a dozen trips to Britain in May due to my teaching schedule. Britain in May is spectacular but now, thanks to retirement, we have the chance of visiting Britain in the fall. We spend very little time in London and prefer the country side, smaller towns, touring historical sites, and gardens in Wessex, Thames Valley, York, and Yorkshire. When in the fall is our best chance of having drier sunnier weather and avoiding the crowds of tourists? Many thanks for any help you can offer!
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
1446 posts
I haven't looked at a chart to check on this - perhaps we've been lucky? We have traveled the last half of September several times and encountered very nice weather. It was sunny and still nice flowers.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
The schools usually go back in the first or second week of September - that's the only thing that affects how crowded attractions are over September.
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
Although weather can always be different than the averages, you can get some hints from Weatherbase. Go to the Vacation Finder at the bottom of the opening page. Click on a month and follow your nose to the cities list for a particular country. Of course, the UK is at the bottom of the list of countries in Europe, and York is the last town listed in England. Click on a city for the details. You might find some surprises in those averages. Being from the Inland Empire, you may also find that the average humidity or number of days with precipitation or number of rainy days is more important than the average temperatures or number of inches of wetness. What Weatherbase doesn't tell is where you might find the best fall color and when.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Earlier is drier, later is less crowded. A good bet might be second half of September or first half of October. Gardens in fall are probably still beautiful but maybe not as spectacular as in May.
Posted by
Arlington, WA
993 posts
A lot of my trips to the UK have been started in latish September and into October. I can only remember a few days of soft weather..never enuf to keep me indoors. Maybe I've been lucky. I may be lucky too, in that, for the most part I am not bothered by crowds of tourists. Mostly I'm just so glad to be in England that I'll put up with nearly anything.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1526 posts
We had a variety of weather when we traveled in the UK in the Fall...but it was actually warmer than when we traveled in the Spring. You can have an "Indian Summer". It was wet in Wales ...but we still enjoyed climbing up the Castles...just wear a raincoat. We found the gardens in England to be in full bloom in early September...think of Seattle. Some more remote sites start to close in Scotland starting in October...but we found Edinburgh to have Bright Skies with a cool Breeze. Just wear a wool sweater. Don't forget the Great Estates such as Chatsworth in the Midlands...they have wonderful gardens and greenhouses all year. Bon Voyage
Posted by
Bromley, Kent,, UK
1829 posts
Many historic houses are put into hibernation or have limited opening hours and/or days during October. It does vary so check on their sites to avoid disappointment.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
september is better then october.. its not that october can;t be nice, it can of course but the later you go the chance of cool and rain increase.. and as pointed out some places may start to restrict hours in later fall.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
september is better then october.. its not that october can;t be nice, it can of course but the later you go the chance of cool and rain increase.. and as pointed out some places may start to restrict hours in later fall.