Sunday, or Whitsun (the seventh Sunday after Easter), the Chelsea Flower Show takes place. This is the focal point of the gardening year and spurs on the nation’s gardeners to prepare their summer displays. Outside the capital, many music and arts festivals mark the middle months of the year.
APRIL
Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter), the Queen gives money to pensioners.
St George’s Day (23 April), English patron saint’s day.
Antiques for Everyone (last week), National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
MARCH
Ideal Home Exhibition (second week), Earl’s Court, London. New products and ideas for the home.
Crufts Dog Show, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
International Book Fair (third week), Olympia, London.
St Patrick’s Day (17 March).
Musical events in major cities celebrate the feast day of Ireland’s patron saint.
Bluebells in spring in Angrove woodland, Wiltshire
SPRING
As the days get longer and warmer, the countryside starts to come alive. At Easter many stately homes and gardens open their gates to visitors for the first time, and during the week before Whit
Water garden exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show
MAY
Furry Dancing Festival (8 May), Helston, Cornwall.
Spring celebration (see p280).
Well-dressing festivals (Ascension Day), Tissington, Derbyshire (see p337).
Chelsea Flower Show (May), Royal Hospital, London.
Brighton Festival (last three weeks). Performing arts.
Glyndebourne Festival Opera Season (mid-May–
end Aug), near Lewes, East Sussex. Opera productions.
International Highland Games (last weekend), Blair Atholl, Scotland.
Yeomen of the Guard conducting the Maundy money ceremony Film festival sign
G R E A T B R I T A I N T H R O U G H T H E Y E A R 6 3
Assessment of sheep at the Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells
Reveller in bright costume at the Notting Hill Carnival Henry Wood Promenade Concerts (mid-Jul–mid-Sep), Royal Albert Hall, London.
Famous concert series popu- larly known as the Proms.
Edinburgh International Festival (mid-Aug–mid-Sep).
The largest festival of theatre, dance and music in the world (see p481).
Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Alongside the festival, there are 400 shows a day.
Brecon Jazz (mid-Aug), jazz festival in Brecon, Wales.
Beatles Festival (last week- end), Liverpool. Music and entertainment related to the Fab Four (see p377).
Notting Hill Carnival (last weekend), London. West Indian street carnival with floats, bands and stalls.
JULY
Royal Show (first week), near Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
National agricultural show.
International Eisteddfod (first week), Llangollen, North Wales. International music and dance competition (see p450).
Hampton Court Flower Show (early July), Hampton Court Palace, Surrey.
Summer Music Festival (third weekend), Stourhead, Wiltshire.
International Henley Royal Regatta (first week), Henley-on-Thames. Rowing regatta on the Thames.
Cambridge Folk Festival (last weekend). Music festival with top international artists.
Royal Welsh Show (last weekend), Builth Wells, Wales. Agricultural show.
International Festival of Folk Arts (late Jul–early Aug), Sidmouth, Devon (see p289).
JUNE
Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions (Jun–Aug). Large and varied London show of new work by many artists.
Bath International Festival (late May–early Jun), various venues. Arts events.
Beaumaris Festival (27 May–4 Jun), various venues.
Concerts, craft fairs plus fringe activities.
Trooping the Colour (Sat closest to 10 Jun), Whitehall, SUMMER
Life moves outdoors in the summer months. Cafés and restaurants place tables on the pavements and pub customers take their drinks outside. The Queen holds garden parties for privileged guests at Buckingham Palace while, more modestly, village fêtes – which include tradi- tional games and local stalls – are organized. Beaches and swimming pools become crowded and office workers picnic in city parks at lunch.
The rose, England’s national flower, bursts into bloom in millions of gardens.
Cultural treats include open-air theatre per- formances, outdoor concerts, the Proms in London, the National Eisteddfod in Wales, Glyndebourne’s opera festival, and Edin- burgh’s festival of the
performing arts. Deck chair at Brighton
London. The Queen’s official birthday parade.
Glastonbury Festival (late June), Somerset.
Aldeburgh Festival (second and third weeks), Suffolk. Arts festival with concerts
and opera.
Royal Highland Show (third week), Ingliston, near Edin- burgh. Scotland’s agricultural show.
Leeds Castle (last week). Open-air concerts.
Glasgow International Jazz Festival (last weekend).
Various venues.
AUGUST
Royal National Eisteddfod (early in month). Traditional arts competitions, in Welsh (see p435). Various locations.
Glastonbury music festival, a major event attracting thousands of people
Boxes of apples from the autumn harvest
are heavy with apples and other autumn fruits. In churches throughout the country, thanksgiving festivals mark the harvest.
The shops stock up for the run-up to Christmas, their busiest time of the year.
SEPTEMBER Blackpool Illuminations (beg Sep–end Oct). A 5 mile (8 km) spectacle of lighting along Blackpool’s seafront.
Royal Highland Gathering (first Sat), Braemar, Scotland. Kilted clansmen from all over the country toss cabers, shot putt, dance and play the bagpipes. The royal family usually attends.
International Sheepdog Trials (14 –16 Sep), all over Britain, with venues changing from year to year.
Great Autumn Flower Show (third weekend), Harrogate, N Yorks. Displays by nurserymen and national flower organizations.
Oyster Festival (Sat at beginning of oyster
season), Colchester.
Lunch hosted by the mayor to celebrate the beginning of the much awaited oyster season.
OCTOBER
Harvest Festivals (whole month), all over Britain especially in farming areas.
Horse of the Year Show (6–
10 Oct), NEC, Birmingham.
Nottingham Goose Fair (second weekend). One of Britain’s oldest traditional fairs now has a funfair.
Canterbury Festival (second and third weeks).
Music, drama and the arts.
Aldeburgh Britten Festival (third weekend). Concerts with music by Britten (see p201) and other composers.
AUTUMN
After the heady escapism of summer, the start of the new season is marked by the various party political conferences held in October and the royal opening of Parliament. All over the country on 5 November, bon- fires are lit and fireworks let off to celebrate the foiling of an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament by Guy Fawkes and his co- conspirators in 1605.
Cornfields become golden, trees turn fiery yellow through to russet and orchards
Shot putting at Braemar
Procession leading to the state opening of Parliament
NOVEMBER Opening of Parliament (Oct or Nov). The Queen goes from Buckingham Palace to Westminster in a state coach, to open the new parliamentary session.
London Film Festival (end Oct–beg Nov). Forum for new films, various venues.
Lord Mayor’s Procession and Show (second Sat).
Parade in the City, London.
Remembrance Day (second Sun). Services and parades at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, and all over Britain.
RAC London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally (first Sun).
A 7am start from Hyde Park, London to Brighton, East Sussex.
Guy Fawkes Night (5 Nov), fireworks and bonfires all over the country.
Regent Street Christmas Lights (mid-Nov), London.
Fireworks over Edinburgh on Guy Fawkes Night
G R E A T B R I T A I N T H R O U G H T H E Y E A R 6 5
Winter landscape in the Scottish Highlands, near Glencoe
WINTER
Brightly coloured fairy lights and Christmas trees decorate Britain’s principal shopping streets as shoppers rush to buy their seasonal gifts. Carol services are held in churches across the country, and pantomime, a traditional entertainment for children deriving from the Victorian music hall, fills theatres in major towns.
people of Norway and is lit by the Mayor of Oslo; this is followed by carol singing.
Carol concerts (whole month), all over Britain.
Grand Christmas Parade (beg Dec), London. Parade with floats to celebrate myth of Santa Claus.
Midnight Mass (24 Dec), in churches everywhere around Britain.
Allendale Tarbaal Festival (31 Dec), Northumberland.
Parade by villagers with burn- ing tar barrels on their heads to celebrate the New Year.
JANUARY
Hogmanay and New Year (31 Dec,1 Jan), Scottish cele- brations. Burns Night (25
Jan). Scots everywhere celebrate poet
Robert Burns’ birth with poetry, feast- ing and drinking.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS New Year’s Day (1 Jan).
2 Jan (Scotland only).
Easter weekend (March or April). In England it begins on Good Friday and ends on Easter Monday; in Scotland there is no Easter Monday holiday.
May Day (usually first Mon in May).
Late Spring Bank Holiday (last Mon in May).
Bank Holiday (first Mon in August, Scotland only).
August Bank Holiday (last Mon in August, except Scotland).
Christmas and Boxing Day (25– 26 December).
Morris dancing on May Day in Midhurst, Sussex
Brightly lit Christmas tree at the centre of Trafalgar Square
Many offices close between Christmas and the New Year.
Shops reopen for the January sales on 27 December – a paradise for bargain-hunters.
DECEMBER
Christmas Tree (first Thu), Trafalgar Square, London.
The tree is donated by the
FEBRUARY Chinese New Year (late Jan or early Feb). Lion dances, fire- crackers and processions in Chinatown, London.
Sprig of holly
Many of the world’s major competitive sports, including soccer, cricket and tennis, were
invented in Britain. Originally devised as recreation for the wealthy, they have since entered the arena of mass entertainment. Some, however, such as the Royal Ascot race meeting and Wimbledon tennis tournament, are still valued as much for their social prestige as for the sport itself.
Other delightful sporting events in Britain take place at a local level: village cricket, point-to-point racing and the Highland Games are all popular amateur events.
The Sporting Year
Kelly Holmes
Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, first held in 1829 at Henley, has become a national event, with the two university eights now battling it out between Putney and Mortlake on the Thames.
The FA Cup Final is the apex of the football season.
Royal Ascot is the four- day social highlight of the horse racing year. The high class of the thoroughbreds is matched by the high style of the fashions, with royalty attending.
Derby Day horse races, Epsom
Embassy World Snooker Championships, Sheffield
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Tournment
is the world’s most prestigious lawn tennis championship.
Rugby League Cup Final, Wembley Grand
National steeple-
chase, Aintree (see p376), Liverpool Cheltenham
Gold Cup steeplechase (see p328)
Six Nations Rugby Union is an annual contest between England, France, Italy, Ireland (left), Scotland (right) and Wales. This league-based competition runs through winter ending in March.
London Marathon attracts thousands of long-distance runners, from the world’s best to fancy-dressed fund raisers.
Henley Royal Regatta (see p234) is an international rowing event on the Thames (first held in 1839). It is also a glamorous social occasion.
June May
April March
February January
G R E A T B R I T A I N T H R O U G H T H E Y E A R 6 7
Cowes week (see p168), a yachting festival, covers all classes of racing.
The Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy is the final of a season of competition to find the year’s county cricket champions.
It takes place at Lord’s (see p155).
British Open Golf Championship, a major golf event, is held at one of several British courses. Here, Nick Faldo putts.
British Grand Prix, held at Silverstone, is Britain’s round of the Formula One World Champ- ionship.
TICKETS AND TOUTS
For many big sporting events, the only official source of tickets is the club concerned. Booking agencies may offer hard-to-get tickets – though often at high prices.
Unauthorized touts may lurk at popular events but their expensive tickets are not always valid.
Check carefully.
Tickets for the Grand Prix
Horse of the Year Show brings together top show- jumpers to compete on a tough indoor course (see p64).
Oxford versus Cambridge rugby union, Twickenham
Winmau World Masters Darts Champion-
ships Braemar High-
land Games (see p64) European
Show jumping Championships at Hickstead
Gold Cup Humber powerboat race, Hull
Cartier International Polo, at the Guards Club, Windsor (see p235), is one of the main events for this peculiarly British game, played mainly by royalty and army officers.
December November
October September
August July
KEY TO SPORT SEASONS Cricket
River fishing Football (soccer)
Hunting and shooting Rugby (union and league) Flat racing
Jump racing Athletics – track and field Road running and cross-country Polo
British Figure Skating and Ice Dance Champion- ships are a feast of
elegance on ice (various venues).
The Climate of Great Britain
Britain has a temperate climate. No region is far from the sea, which exerts a moderating influence on temperatures. Seldom are winter nights colder than -15°C, even in the far north, or summer days warmer than 30°C in the south and west: a much narrower range than in most European countries. Despite Britain’s reputation, the average annual rainfall is quite low – 108 cm (42 inches) – and heavy rain is rare. The Atlantic coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream, making the west slightly warmer, though wetter, than the east.
8JDL
*OWFSOFTT
$BFSOBSGPO
&YFUFS
#SJTUPM
$"3%*'' -JWFSQPPM
&%*/#63() (MBTHPX
Average monthly maximum temperature Average monthly minimum temperature Average daily hours of sunshine Average monthly rainfall
LANCASHIRE AND THE LAKES
°C /°F
12/54
5.5 hrs 53 mm
85 mm
104 mm
90 mm 6 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 19/66
5/41 8/46 6/43 2/36
THE HEART OF ENGLAND
°C /°F
12/54
4.5 hrs 53 mm
69 mm
69 mm
74 mm 5.5 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 20/68
5/41 8/46 6/43 2/36 13/55
SOUTH AND MID-WALES
13/55
5.5 hrs 65 mm
89 mm
109 mm
108 mm 6 hrs
3.5 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 20/68
5/41 8/46 7/45 2/36
°C /°F
14/57
NORTH WALES
°C /°F
11/52
3 hrs 144 mm
206 mm
261 mm
252 mm 3.5 hrs
2.5 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 11/52 17/63 5/41 8/46
6/43 1/34 14/57
DEVON AND CORNWALL
°C /°F 13/55
6 hrs 53 mm
70 mm
91 mm
99 mm 6.5 hrs
3.5 hrs
2 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 19/66 6/43 9/48 8/46
4/39 15/59
WEST COUNTRY
°C /°F 14/57
5.5 hrs 49 mm
65 mm
85 mm
74 mm 6.5 hrs
3.5 hrs
2 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 14/57 21/70
6/43 9/48 7/45 2/36 15/59
THAMES VALLEY
°C /°F 14/57
5.5 hrs 41 mm
55 mm
64 mm
61 mm 6 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 22/72
5/41 7/45 7/45 1/34 15/59
The Highlands and Islands
The Lowlands
Lancashire and the Lakes
North Wales
South and Mid-Wales
West Country
Devon and Cornwall
14/57
G R E A T B R I T A I N T H R O U G H T H E Y E A R 6 9
/PSXJDI
%PWFS :PSL
$BNCSJEHF
0YGPSE
1PSUTNPVUI .BODIFTUFS
#JSNJOHIBN /FXDBTUMF VQPO5ZOF
THE DOWNS AND CHANNEL COAST
°C /°F 14/57
5.8 hrs 38 mm
58 mm
56 mm
56 mm 7.3 hrs
4 hrs
2 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 12/54 22/72
4/39 6/43 6/43 0/32 14/57
LONDON
°C /°F 13/55
5 hrs 39 mm
45 mm
50 mm
44 mm 6 hrs
3.5 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 15/59 22/72
7/45
4/39 16/61 10/508/46
EAST ANGLIA
°C /°F 14/57
5 hrs 37 mm
58 mm
51 mm
49 mm 6 hrs
3.5 hrs
2 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 12/54 22/72
6/43 7/45 15/59 4/39
1/34
EAST MIDLANDS
°C /°F 13/55
5 hrs 38 mm
58 mm
56 mm
56 mm 5.5 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 12/54 21/70
6/43 6/43 14/57 4/39
0/32
NORTHUMBRIA
°C /°F
11/52
5 hrs 38 mm
64 mm
61 mm
62 mm 5.5 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 13/55 18/64
8/46 6/43 13/55 5/41
2/36
THE LOWLANDS
°C /°F
11/52
5 hrs 38 mm
69 mm
56 mm
47 mm 5.5 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 11/52 19/66
7/45 6/43 14/57
4/39 1/34
THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS
°C /°F
11/52
4.5 hrs 111 mm
137 mm
215 mm
200 mm 3.5 hrs
2 hrs
1 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 10/50 17/63
7/45 7/45 13/55
3/37 1/34
YORKSHIRE
°C /°F 13/55
5 hrs 41 mm
62 mm
56 mm
59 mm 5.5 hrs
3 hrs
1.5 hrs
month Apr Jul Oct Jan 12/54 21/70
7/45 6/43 14/57 5/41
1/34
Northumbria
Yorkshire
East Midlands
Heart of England
East Anglia Thames Valley
London Downs and Channel Coast