The 10 Best Things About a British Summer

Finally, here in the UK we’re experiencing some sun during the summer season, rather than the usual rain. This brings about nostalgia for everyone who remembers hot sunny days all summer long in their childhood. But what are the real highlights of summer? What makes us all feel like excited children again?

Parliament Sunset, London, UK by Greg Knapp

1. Going out

The best thing for most of us the opportunity to do whatever you like, without the thought of ‘oh, it’s raining, we won’t go out today’. When it’s warm and sunny, it does literally feel like all options are open, and the world is your oyster. You can visit an attraction, take long walks, sit in garden pubs for as long as want, and there’s still the rest of the day to enjoy in the sun.

2. Long evenings

This leads us on to the next obvious advantage which is lovely long evenings. You don’t have to have all doors closed up by 4.30pm like in winter – in the summer, you can have doors and windows open until 10pm and it’s still warm and not completely dark yet. Milling around in the garden after work and eating outdoors are all part of the fun.

3. Bright mornings

Bright mornings are lovely, although it often means you don’t get as much sleep as the sun rises at 4am. But there’s still something nice about waking up early to know it’s a hot sunny day waiting to be enjoyed. You have a much happier sense of being, and a renewed optimism.

Yaverland Beach. Sandown Isle Of Wight, UK by Ronald Saunders

4. Summer fruit

Red berries are all wonderful fruit to be enjoyed during the summer months, such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries. And it’s not just the fruit, but the chance to go to fruit farms to pick your own! Everyone has fond memories of fruit picking when they were children.

5. Freshly cut grass

One of the most popular smells for the human race is freshly cut glass. Something about it is just so inviting. Smell is one of the strongest triggers for our brain of past events, and cut grass is strongly associated with summer.

6. Ice cream

What better way to cool off in the sun than by eating ice cream and devouring ice lollies? The sound of the ice cream van is one of the many pleasures of being out and about, knowing that a sweet and refreshing treat is just around the corner!

7. Fashion

Just being able to wear nice skirts and dresses makes a lovely change to the day-in, day-out fashion that we end up getting too used to. After all, a woman’s wardrobe is full of dresses that they rarely get to wear, so it’s good to finally be able to make use of them.

8. Barbeques

We Brits are in love with barbeques. It’s something about burning meat that we can’t seem to get enough of. The smell of grilled meats and vegetables outside does bring back the nostalgia of past summers and gives us the opportunity to catch up with old friends and family.

9. Cold beer

Or any cold drink – particularly fizzy ones, like lemonade and cola. There’s something wonderful about cracking open a fresh can or bottle of beer with the hot summer sun beating down. Nothing beats it!

10. Beaches

When it’s hot and sunny, everyone heads down to the beach. This can be a bit miserable when everyone packs down there at once as it can get extremely crowded. The secret is to find those gems which are more of an effort to get to, and involve lots of walking. Then you can enjoy a beach that isn’t heaving and you can properly absorb the scenery and paddle in the cool blue sea.

Rainbow’s End is a retailer of summer fashion such as Yaya clothing

Tags: 4am, cherries, fond memories, garden pubs, hot sunny day, ice lollies, long walks, raspberries, red berries, rest of the day, strawberries, sunny days

Category: Travel Tips, United Kingdom