A Hot Long Weekend, in London or worldwide - where to go?

Baskin Robbins ice cream parlour in Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

If you are not keen on sugary ice cream, look for a frozen or iced yogurt.

Problem
It's hot in London, England. Predictions say that over the bank holiday weekend it will be hotter in London, England, than in Nice, in the South of France, than Lisbon, in Portugal, and hotter than Barcelona in Spain. Where can you go to cool off, or enjoy the sunshine?

Answer
If you like it hot (to adapt the title of the film starring Marilyn Monroe), a good time to be in London, England. The restaurants with pavement seating are enjoying a boom.

Let's Do Lunch! says the sign outside Izgara restaurant in Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

What do you need? What might you look for?

Air  Conditioned Car
An air conditioned car, to hire. Make sure when you collect it they show you how to turn on the car conditioning. If you have a car with a sliding roof, or a convertible, you will be popular.

Trip to the Seaside

But traffic was very heavy in London suburbs Friday 26th because everybody was heading home or out for the long weekend. It's the same every bank holiday. Long delays. Check before you travel.

Maybe you'd be better off taking the bus, which can use bus lanes, or the underground railway, or the overground. Or a bicycle, and head along the cooling canals and rivers.
the Thames goes through the middle of London.

Lido
Go north west to Ruislip and there's Ruislip Lido, a lake, an artificial sandy beach and on certain summer weekend you can pay to take a ride on a a miniature train. You can walk around the lake looking at swans and dog-walkers, and meander off through the forest. You might even see a cow in a field near the car park.

Ruislip Lido where you can watch the swans on the lake from the restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury, Copyright.

A cheap and cheerful carvery restaurant offers good value meals in an art deco building. My favourite.

Train
You can take the train from London to Brighton, if you are happy with a pebbly beach. Brighton is south of London, in East Sussex.

Beach
You will find beaches in England, Scotland and Wales. In Wales, a beach near Cardiff, costal areas like Tenby, more on the north. Cornwall and Devon are famous for their coastal resorts.

Lakes
Or you can drive to England's Lake District. Rival to new Zealand from a photographer's point of view. Wonderful reflections of green hills and green trees in water. If it's not too hot, but lots of rain, you'll get to see a waterfall or two, if that's what you want.

Going further north, more lakes are around Glasgow. Yes, not just little harbours. Scotland also has lakes. You will recall the Loch Ness Monster. No need to be afraid. Apart from a distant ripple nobody has actually seen it, although some pretty serious expeditions by scientists have hunted, as the museum will tell you.

Parks
Picnic in the park. Central London has parks with lakes. Outer London has many more. Famous parks include Green Park, Hyde Park. A map will show you parks, and which ones have lakes or mini zoos and playgrounds for children.

Garden Centres
Some garden centres have cafes with indoor and outdoor seating areas.

LAKES, RIVERS AND BOATS
Water Rides At Theme Parks

Boating on lakes
There is a boating lake in Regents Park.

RIVER TRIPS
Take a river trip down the Thames in London.

RIVERSIDE WALKS
Walk along the Thames past statues and landmarks, to end up at a waterside pub.

RIVERSIDE PUBS
Several historic pubs.

DRIVING TO THE RIVER
Take trips to riverside towns such as:
Maidenhead
Cambridge, where you can see people punting on the river Cam.

Go to south London to Greenwich to see the Cutty Sark, a restored ship. On England's south coast, at Portsmouth, learn about England's maritime history and Henry VIII's ill fated ship, the Mary Rose.

THE OPEN TOP BUS
Take on open top bus tour around London, other cities in Britain, and many cities worldwide.
The bigbustours.com in London at the World Travel Market gave me a bag saying they went to Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London, Miami, Muscat, New York Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Shanghai, Vienna and Washington DC.

I also saw an open top City Sightseeing bus tour in Singapore. For price comparisons and review of who does what, and who does it best, see TripAdvisor.

CitySightseeing open top bus in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

INDOOR SNOW SKIING
England and Singapore have artificial snow ski slopes.

The Snow Centre near Milton Keynes. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright. 

SWIM, SAUNA AND SPA
Find an outdoor swimming area.

Visit a spa or a hotel with a spa which is open to the public.

ICE FOOD AND DRINK
Go out for an ice cream.
Ice cream bars all over London.

Visit London's Ice Bar. That's a bar which is made of ice, and you drink icy drinks. Follow their instructions on clothing.

Choose a rooftop terrace and drink a cold alcoholic cocktail or non alcoholic m o c k t a i l. (I inserted s p a c e s because spell checker has already changed the m back to c once.)

Evenings
The evenings stay light longer at this time of year. Play floodlit evening tennis. Maps will show you the locations of public tennis courts, tennis clubs and golf clubs.

HOME OR AWAY
Organize an outdoor barbecue in a back garden. Look for events and festivals of food and drink in parks and attached to stately homes. Check out the National Trust website for what is near you.

Sit in a pub with a garden. Many around central London and also in the suburbs and out in the countryside.

INSECTS
Cover up against insects. Some are active by day, others at dawn and dusk, some attracted by flowers and picnics. Others by your perfume. Others fly in when you open windows and attract them with light. I just learned today that one of my neighbours in London, England, has been in hospital over a week because of a wasp sting.

Tips
Take with you:
Brimmed hat
Suncream
Insect repellent
Sting relief
Bottle of water
Clothes and scarves to cover up against insects and change in temperature.
Carry a fan or improvise one from stiff card.

Mural of skiers. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

ACTIVITY
Visit an ice rink. In London you have a choice of Queens, or Alexandra Palace.

Skiing
Go indoor skiing. I've been several times to S n o w z o n e near Milton Keynes. Non-skiers can sit by the window of the cafeteria and watch the skiers being pulled up the slope and skiing down. You need to book your hour's slot in advance. You can hire ski gear. Check what is available. Look for which days and times and deals are better bargains.

WALKING OR SITTING
Or just stay home and buy a motorised fan. Read a book about mountain climbing, drink iced water and suck on an ice lolly.

ESCAPE THE HEAT
If all else fails, and you can't stand the heat, take a trip to a cooler country such as Iceland or Greenland. Your holiday could be fly-drive, or a cruise. Alternatively travel down under to Australia or New Zealand where the seasons are reversed and you will have their cool winter.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-weather-temperatures-could-hit-30c-as-spring-heatwave-continues-before-thunderstorms-move-in-a3548681.html
http://eishaus.co.uk (Ice bar)
http://www.alexandrapalace.com/ice-rink/ice-skating-london/
www.queens.london/Ice_Rink/Ice_Skating‎
http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/infoandadvice/uksnowsports/ukslopesmap.aspx#.WSjaQjOZNo4
https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/lidos-and-outdoor-swimming-pools-in-london
https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/south-east-england/article/beaches-near-london
http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/attractions/london-s-best-fountains-9620460.html
www.bigbustours.com
https://city-sightseeing.com/en/home
https://www.theoriginaltour.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several other posts on London, England, taking a canal boat, indoor skiing, Europe, hot countries like Singapore with its river and breaches, and cool countries. Please share links to posts.