Would you consider moving, if future summers are this cloudy?

[Sunny76]

I was thinking about this the other day. 

As much as I like living in the UK, the constant onslaught of grey cloudy weather really is something I find depressing. I would consider relocating with my partner, if I have enough money and security to do it.

Our recent summers are becoming more cloudy and non-descript, and that usually comes on the back of a dull dreary winter, even a colder one. This does take a toll on ones well being.

Your thoughts?

[Azazel]

I don't think so.

 

What I am planning to do instead is go on more holiday's abroad (covid permitting). 

[Sunny76]

15 minutes ago, Azazel said:

I don't think so.

 

What I am planning to do instead is go on more holiday's abroad (covid permitting). 

You see, I don't mind having breaks in this country, but its always a gamble if you want warm sunny weather. 

Having to jet off somewhere is always a slog I find, but i do it as a necessity to get better weather. We've had a few dull cool days on our Spain holidays, which we usually take in September, but the hot days often outnumber the cooler ones. September however, is a bit of a gamble, even in the Med, as the temps gradually start to drop a little.

[interested & confused]

I lived on Zakynthos, the Greek island, for 5 years from 2004 and absolutely loved the sunshine  - but the mid-summer heat was too much for me. I ended up cooped up inside with the airconditioning on. 

In the UK I'm cooped up inside with the central heating on in the winter LOL. Nowhere's perfect I s'pose. 

This summer, though, the SE has had very few really sunny days, and I'm already beginning to suffer from S.A.D. whuch usually only appears in winter....

 

 

[Weather Enthusiast91]

If money wasn't an issue then I'd probably seriously consider it. Don't get me wrong, I generally like the maritime climate of the UK but I would like to experience more of a variety - we seem to be getting far more blockages these days than we used to. I think a continental climate would do me just fine. It means frigid winters and hot summers, but I will become accustomed to them.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Weather Enthusiast91

[Atmogenic]

I'm not sure, we've got another home in Florida that we rent out for other people to go in for holidays. In the past I would say definitely but as i've grown older i've thought about the bigger picture, not everything is about weather and there are lots of problems right now in America and especially Florida. For example healthcare, anti-vaxxers, climate change due to Florida being a flat land and extreme weather to name a few.

Going to Florida for a holiday say a month I would in a heartbeat but to literally move there is a big problem and one thing I would miss a lot in the UK would be the countryside which is one thing other countries can't beat.

[Scorcher]

I would certainly have a second home in another country, or if finances permitted it ideally I'd like to spend October to March in a warm country every year, possibly in the Southern Hemisphere. I despise winter that much that I would happily avoid it every year and then come back for the spring and summer in the UK. It just feels like such a long and hopeless slog at times between November and March.

Edited September 1, 2021 by Scorcher

[NEVES SCREAMER]

17 minutes ago, Scorcher said:

I would certainly have a second home in another country, or if finances permitted it ideally I'd like to spend October to March in a warm country every year, possibly in the Southern Hemisphere. I despise winter that much that I would happily avoid it every year and then come back for the spring and summer in the UK. It just feels like such a long and hopeless slog at times between November and March.

With you on that one. I too hate winter.i hate snow which just causes so much disruption. I hate ice and frost. I just dont like the cold at all. I have followed the England cricket team around on winter tours over the last 20 years to the southern hemisphere and it is an absolute joy to be sitting around in shorts and t shirts in December/January. Problem is 3 or 4 weeks later you have to come back to the winter here! So escape the winter longer term and return here Spring summer Autumn. Which I can cope with ! 

[stainesbloke]

Have to be a bit careful what I say, as when I suggested in the moans thread that heat-hating people move to an area of the country that has weather they prefer in summer (such as a coastal location or Scotland) I got jumped on by a number of people, with some very narky comments!

For me, moving to Central Europe has made such a huge difference to my general wellbeing and mental health. Although the weather isn’t drastically different to my home region of London/SE England, it’s all in the nuances. We get proper seasons here. Summers are sunny, warm, and thunderstorms plentiful and often severe (especially this summer). Autumn is often foggy and atmospheric. Winters are mixed with a bit of everything and snow is pretty much guaranteed on multiple occasions. Spring is variable, it can be cold (like this year) or warm (like last year).  What we don’t get much of here are the endless, grey skies of depressing nothingness that plague NW Europe so often and are just like Chinese water torture. I hope I never have to endure the UK climate for any length of time ever again.

Edited September 1, 2021 by stainesbloke

[Nick L]

43 minutes ago, stainesbloke said:

Have to be a bit careful what I say, as when I suggested in the moans thread that heat-hating people move to an area of the country that has weather they prefer in summer (such as a coastal location or Scotland) I got jumped on by a number of people, with some very narky comments!

For me, moving to Central Europe has made such a huge difference to my general wellbeing and mental health. Although the weather isn’t drastically different to my home region of London/SE England, it’s all in the nuances. We get proper seasons here. Summers are sunny, warm, and thunderstorms plentiful and often severe (especially this summer). Autumn is often foggy and atmospheric. Winters are mixed with a bit of everything and snow is pretty much guaranteed on multiple occasions. Spring is variable, it can be cold (like this year) or warm (like last year).  What we don’t get much of here are the endless, grey skies of depressing nothingness that plague NW Europe so often and are just like Chinese water torture. I hope I never have to endure the UK climate for any length of time ever again.

You weren't jumped on with narky comments. You were challenged for suggesting that it's piece of cake to move abroad. Perhaps the fact that "a number of people" challenged you suggests what you said was rather silly? Just a thought...

[Sunny76]

1 hour ago, Atmogenic said:

I'm not sure, we've got another home in Florida that we rent out for other people to go in for holidays. In the past I would say definitely but as i've grown older i've thought about the bigger picture, not everything is about weather and there are lots of problems right now in America and especially Florida. For example healthcare, anti-vaxxers, climate change due to Florida being a flat land and extreme weather to name a few.

Going to Florida for a holiday say a month I would in a heartbeat but to literally move there is a big problem and one thing I would miss a lot in the UK would be the countryside which is one thing other countries can't beat.

I agree with these points. Going away to experience the warmer weather or colder snowy weather would be nice, but setting up a new life elsewhere isn't all its cracked up to be.

[suffolk lady]

tried the sunny climate hated it cowering indoors with air con on while outside temps were high, at least here we can wear layers of clothes in cold weather and go out, while in hotter weather its usually, bearable in the shade. The grass is not always greener on the other side, as we live on a beautiful island that many others wish they could come here also to live.

[stainesbloke]

29 minutes ago, Nick L said:

You weren't jumped on with narky comments. You were challenged for suggesting that it's piece of cake to move abroad. Perhaps the fact that "a number of people" challenged you suggests what you said was rather silly? Just a thought...

But I never said it was a piece of cake to move, especially abroad. You’re putting words in my mouth and being a bit narky again lol  

[Cakie]

I lived in the Middle East for a few year. Yes it's lovely to know it's not going to rain for the next few months but you spend 99% of your time inside, be it at home or in the mall. Not opening your windows from April until October. 

I missed clouds, rain, wind. We had some spectacular storms but maybe twice a year, helped with some cloud seeding. Other than that it was just sun, sun, sun, rarely even a cloud. It gets boring after a while. 

I would like to have somewhere I could escape to for a few weeks at a time in the winter for a bit of sun in the Med 

[Scorcher]

1 hour ago, stainesbloke said:

Have to be a bit careful what I say, as when I suggested in the moans thread that heat-hating people move to an area of the country that has weather they prefer in summer (such as a coastal location or Scotland) I got jumped on by a number of people, with some very narky comments!

For me, moving to Central Europe has made such a huge difference to my general wellbeing and mental health. Although the weather isn’t drastically different to my home region of London/SE England, it’s all in the nuances. We get proper seasons here. Summers are sunny, warm, and thunderstorms plentiful and often severe (especially this summer). Autumn is often foggy and atmospheric. Winters are mixed with a bit of everything and snow is pretty much guaranteed on multiple occasions. Spring is variable, it can be cold (like this year) or warm (like last year).  What we don’t get much of here are the endless, grey skies of depressing nothingness that plague NW Europe so often and are just like Chinese water torture. I hope I never have to endure the UK climate for any length of time ever again.

If I was going to move it definitely wouldn't be to Central Europe. Ok there are more hot days in summer but I find the air quality noticeably poorer than in the UK.

I also don't like too many completely windless days and fog seems to be more common there in winter as a result.

The benefits over the UK are just not numerous enough in central Europe for me to consider moving there.

Each to their own but I feel uncomfortable in the middle of a continent for too long.

Southern Europe would be my choice I reckon as I hate the cold in winter.

[stainesbloke]

32 minutes ago, Scorcher said:

If I was going to move it definitely wouldn't be to Central Europe. Ok there are more hot days in summer but I find the air quality noticeably poorer than in the UK.

I also don't like too many completely windless days and fog seems to be more common there in winter as a result.

The benefits over the UK are just not numerous enough in central Europe for me to consider moving there.

Each to their own but I feel uncomfortable in the middle of a continent for too long.

Southern Europe would be my choice I reckon as I hate the cold in winter.

Central Europe really suits me. It’s not about heat for me in summer. I mean, I like it warm but temperatures ranging between 21-28°C are perfect, which covers the whole summer here. It’s the regular lack of sunshine in the UK that I really struggled with, especially in the warmer months. Otherwise, London wasn’t too bad. 

I was surprised at how windy it can be here! Have had some proper gales in winter and when the big summer supercells hit then it’s nuts. I get what you’re saying about air quality, since the pandemic started it has improved dramatically, thankfully.

Southern Europe would be lovely one day, maybe Spain. Though I think I’d get bored with their climate quite quickly. We’re all different, of course

[cheeky_monkey]

if i had the money i would split my time between where i am now and the UK..I would live here Mid April - Mid October and Mid October - Mid April in the UK

[MP-R]

In a good summer, or at worst a slightly better than average summer, I can't think of many better places to be than the UK - it's a unique feeling with the extra long days too.

I'd much rather have a permanent base here in the UK, and clear off for a few months between New Year and the end of March. Fortunately I have family and friends to visit who live in much more interesting climates but I think my repeated presence there would wear a bit thin after a while lol.

As has been said by many - it's the sunshine (or lack of) that gets me, and I live in one of the sunnier parts of the UK! I feel winters have become a bit sunnier over the years, but it's still a very depressing season in this country unless it's a snowy one. It's one thing I loved about living in Madrid - it was still sunny in winter, and as such, many of the days felt like autumn or early spring, despite chilly nights at times.

Edited September 1, 2021 by MP-R

[summer blizzard]

My loyalty to my country runs deeper than the level of sunshine so no, i would not leave the UK for the weather.

My advise is to move to the South West or the Isles Of Sicily.

[Nick L]

1 minute ago, summer blizzard said:

My loyalty to my country runs deeper than the level of sunshine so no, i would not leave the UK for the weather.

My advise is to move to the South West or the Isles Of Sicily.

Have we claimed Sicily as UK territory now? 

[summer blizzard]

Ha, Isles of Scilly of course.

[MP-R]

5 minutes ago, Nick L said:

Have we claimed Sicily as UK territory now? 

Bit of a jump from 38 degrees to 48 degrees! 

[stainesbloke]

33 minutes ago, summer blizzard said:

My loyalty to my country runs deeper than the level of sunshine so no, i would not leave the UK for the weather.

My advise is to move to the South West or the Isles Of Sicily.

Does living abroad mean you’re not ‘loyal to your country’ anymore?! What does that even mean (especially if you have dual nationality)?

Edited September 1, 2021 by stainesbloke

[Scorcher]

1 hour ago, stainesbloke said:

Central Europe really suits me. It’s not about heat for me in summer. I mean, I like it warm but temperatures ranging between 21-28°C are perfect, which covers the whole summer here. It’s the regular lack of sunshine in the UK that I really struggled with, especially in the warmer months. Otherwise, London wasn’t too bad. 

I was surprised at how windy it can be here! Have had some proper gales in winter and when the big summer supercells hit then it’s nuts. I get what you’re saying about air quality, since the pandemic started it has improved dramatically, thankfully.

Southern Europe would be lovely one day, maybe Spain. Though I think I’d get bored with their climate quite quickly. We’re all different, of course

It's telling that a continental flow almost always produces hazy skies in this country- there is almost always a lot of pollution and dust in the air in such a flow, with the air passing over regions such as the Ruhr in Germany and polluted areas of Poland for example. I always notice how much cleaner the air feels as soon as I land back in the UK from the continent.

[stainesbloke]

5 minutes ago, Scorcher said:

It's telling that a continental flow almost always produces hazy skies in this country- there is almost always a lot of pollution and dust in the air in such a flow, with the air passing over regions such as the Ruhr in Germany and polluted areas of Poland for example. I always notice how much cleaner the air feels as soon as I land back in the UK from the continent.

Yes, especially when the flow includes dusty air from Spain and North Africa, too. Atlantic air is clean. I don’t notice a difference between Prague and London, though. My hometown was often one of the most polluted places in the UK, sandwiched between central London to the E, the M25 to the W and Heathrow just to the N. I’m guessing Manchester is much cleaner?