travel in fall versus spring

I know Bodnant and Hidcote Manor Gardens well,

Compare to what?

Daylight hours - in June, the days are at their longest, the 21st is the very longest day. In October the days are shorter. Until last week, for us in the East - in Wales everything is delayed a little as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west - it was dawn about 7:45 and sunset about 5:45. This week after our clocks changed (earlier than in North America) it is light at about 7:00 and dark between 4:30 and 4:45 depending on cloud cover of which there is plenty. There has been plenty of rain most days since July this year in my part of the country.

The days are now rapidly shortening. In another few weeks it will be pretty dark at 3:30 to 4:00 and light in the morning by 8:30.

If you’re specifically interested in gardens, definitely opt for June. That’s a beautiful time of year for flowers and greenery. Peak time for roses! September will still be green, but flowers will mostly be gone or on their way out. October is good for autumn foliage, but I don’t find it to be an especially enjoyable time for gardens.

Weather-wise, June will probably be best. Longer days, warm but not hot temps. September could be similar though with shorter days. Cool and rainy days are a possibility in either of those months, nothing you can do to avoid those in the UK :) October will be chillier (though certainly not what I would categorise as “cold”) and have more rain.

The times of sunset/sunrise and daylight times -- unlike weather -- are known ahead of time in detail: check your destinations in a sunrise/sunset calculator. As is the case throughout the Northern Hemisphere, days in Sep/Oct are shorter than in June and the farther away you get from the equator (and Great Britain is fairly far north!) the more dramatic the difference is.

What Andrew says is true. It is also important to know the weather, amount of overcast, etc., because the sun is weak in October and there is often heavy overcast so dark or fairly dark often is different to official sunset/sunrise.

A lot of the Major Flower Shows in the UK are usually in June. In the past you could schedule Garden Tours with transportation, accommodations and garden parties during that time. Maybe this will be reinstated after Covid, I have traveled in the Spring, Summer and Fall in the UK. April can be still cool. October is usually rainy. Weather changes frequently in the UK. It was rainy in September, but it was intermittent and not that cold when I was in Wales. There were still some autumn flowers. Wear layers anytime of year.

June 21 - London sunset 922PM

Sept 21- it's at 701PM

Dec 21 -at 354PM

For estimating purposes, figure 3 minutes per day decrease in daylight hours from the Summer max

Weather -- 'average' July temps- 75-57F // Oct 61-49F

thank You all for your quick responses. it is so nice to be able to get reliable answers from those of you that live and or have already traveled to these destinations. I would prefer to see the gardens when they are in bloom and colorful, and it sounds like the longer day light hours are great. Just disappointed because I'm not sure things will be open this june and may have to postpone another year. we are getting older and that weighs in as a factor too. what are your thoughts on when things may return to normal and reopen? from the news it sounds like a second wave is hitting Great Britain again!

We have been to Great Britain in early June, October and mid-March, as well as September.

The weather in Great Britain tends to be mild compared to the USA. There are fewer temperature extremes.

June was probably the best, but we did four weeks in England and Wales in October 2017 and it wasn't that chilly or rainy until the end of the month.