BRITONS ENJOY THRILL OF THE GRILL IN THE SIZZLING 2024 SUMMER
By SHAMLAL PURI in London
Associate Publisher & Senior Editor – UK
shamlalpuri4@gmail.com
The weather has a nasty habit of playing hide and seek in the United Kingdom. When it is winter, people are knee-deep in snow and wearing their heavy coats with enough warmth to keep them from getting hypothermia, but when the sun shines, all those winter woollies are thrown back into their wardrobes and outcome crumpled t-shirts, shorts and the barest of thin cotton tops for ladies.
Men pull up their shorts, showing off their hairy legs, or if the temperature is higher than what the TV weathermen (and women) predicted, the t-shirts end up in the wardrobes; guys walk bare-chested, showing off their hairy chests.
Britain is now basking in a hot summer. In recent days, Britons look more cheerful as the sun shines on us and fruit trees and plants are in full bloom,
Summer, which is at its peak between June and August, is the best time to have lots of fun, food and this is what Britons were doing until the end of July when the British summer festivities were tragically interrupted on July 29 after the stabbing of three innocent little girls in Southport, Merseyside, and the race riots that followed in the following two weeks.
For many peace-loving Britons from all communities, the July-August riots ruined their best-laid summer holiday plans.
Some even cancelled their local holidays, believing they would be unsafe amid tensions.
That was a nasty jolt to an otherwise peaceful country where the locals and migrants from a rainbow of diaspora communities live side by side.
The riots are history, forever written in letters of blood.
The rioters were not the type who would enjoy the warm days lounging in the sun.
Sensible Brits have seen off the violent far-right rioters for now, who have hibernated until there is a new opportunity to strike and hit peace-loving Britons with a race hatred card.
The summer sun has meanwhile continued its journey, turning the skies blue, the sun rising at 4.21 am and setting at around 9.21 pm, giving many hours of daylight and shorter nights.
Ultimately, as the British summer heads off into the unknown, ushering winter blues, sleet, snow, and frozen rivers, our days will soon start getting shorter, and Brits will be in the arms of winter within a few weeks.
The 2024 summer brought a mixed bag of excitement and madness that culminated into riots that the country could do without as it struggled to survive in the already crippling problems of a wobbly economy, s people struggling for survival amidst a cost-of-living crisis, energy crisis, higher taxation the new Government is set to impose.
This year’s summer has been blessed with sizzling temperatures, though they are not as high as in Europe. Still, people want to take maximum advantage of the hot weather before being forced indoors on wintery days.
The highest recorded temperature in the UK has officially been recorded as 34.8 degrees Celsius, which feels like 37 degrees, enough to be branded a heat wave.
Britons who are not holidaying abroad head off to the beaches such as the popular hotspots, which include Brighton, Hastings, Torquay, Cornwall, Devon, Bournemouth, and Blackpool, among other British seaside towns.
People have avoided going to Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, where there was a sword fight on the main road between gangs during the riots.
Those who avoided travelling far away from their homes enjoyed local activities, picnics and, in the case of London, a cruise on the River Thames or a ride on the London Wheel.
Many are heading to their local pubs and beer gardens to enjoy refreshing drinks alone or with families sitting cosily under the parasol sipping cold beer or tucking into fast food burgers, pizzas or barbequed chicken while the sun shines above them.
Hit by the cost-of-living crisis, which hardly offers a solution in 2024, Britons are turning to staycations.— British English for taking a local holiday instead of heading to exotic foreign destinations.
There was a time when the annual vacation abroad to long-haul destinations in Africa, Asia, the Far East and the Americas topped the list for Britons. Not so in 2024.
Buoyed by the sizzling summer in the UK, with temperatures nudging 35 degrees Celsius and even hotter weather to come, sun worshippers have been enjoying a hefty dose of heat, encouraging them to forget the idea of an overseas holiday.
National statistics show that more than in the past five million Britons went abroad for holidays, mainly in July and August, in search of sun and sand, but this trend has been changing. Most prefer short-haul European destinations, such as Spain, Portugal and Italy. Only the wealthy ones venture even further.
Many British families plan a staycation this year, boosting the UK’s tourism earnings.
It will also help boost the UK tourist industry as many foreigners are taking precautions to stay away because of the fears of the racism rioters returning to the streets.
Britain’s image as a tourist destination took a battering during the riots when several countries, including the UAE, Australia, Nigeria, Indonesia, Kenya, India, Hong Kong and Malaysia, all advised their citizens to exercise caution and stay away from the riot areas.
This effectively meant Britain was unsafe as a holiday destination for foreign tourists.
Americans have one trend – they avoid any destination deemed to be unsafe, and the UK is no exception.
The consequences of the riots are that the hospitality sector will be hit hard as there are severe possibilities that foreigners will cancel their holidays to heed the warnings from their governments.
Local Britons would not be using hotel stays for several days or may go for a day out -= leaving in the morning and returning at sunset.
There may be fewer families who would want to stay in these hotels for a week, hitting the hospitality industry.
They will visit London, Edinburgh, the Lake District, Cornwall and the beaches on the British Isles. While Britain’s hot summer is the main reason for their decision, the other underlying cause is the credit crunch squeezing household budgets.
The UK economy has been in a plateau since the financial crisis hit in recent years, with spurts of growth and contraction leading to many worrying moments for the struggling population.
Carol Smith from Birmingham and her boyfriend, John, have visited several destinations in the past but not this year,
“We have decided to vacation locally because John’s business has suffered in the current economic climate.”
They will join thousands of other staycationers who are holidaying for short stays in beach towns.
Another reason Britons opt to spend their holidays at home is the high cost of airfares and package holidays.
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Brits prefer to head for Longleat Safari Park in Warminster, Wiltshire, the first drive-through safari park outside Africa. It is based on a 9,000-acre site where more than 500 animals, including lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras, roam around a princely estate.
A word of warning: local holidays can be bad for health; a study on behalf of a prominent maker of creams found that 66 per cent of UK holidaymakers were at risk from hidden holiday germs because of the bacteria levels in places where families stay.
Terrifyingly, results showed that 40% of UK hotel bathrooms are contaminated with E. Coli.
This could be why many Londoners think it’s best to avoid hotel stays and take day trips instead.
Those opting day out are happy to enjoy locally,
Parks have been unusually busy with families going out on picnics and to the beaches dotted around the country.
Tourists go in large numbers to see the attractions in London, including the London Wheel, Buckingham Palace, and other parts of the city.
It is an open secret that sunshine and drinking go hand in hand in Britain, but with the arrival of summer, Londoners head for their favourite drinking places by the riverside.
The world-famous River Thames offers beautiful opportunities for this and a lot more for locals and visitors.
Even though many erroneously believe that the River Thames is only connected with London, the truth is that it is the longest river in England.
The Thames rises in the Cotswolds Hills at Thameshead in West England and flows through 16 cities in a west-east direction to the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of England.
Stretching from Lechlade in Gloucestershire, this 346-kilometre river flows through Greater London, taking in the counties of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Essex and Kent.
The Thames flows through London for 55 miles. There are 35 bridges over the River Thames flowing through Greater London. The famed names are the Westminster Bridge by the Big Ben and the Parliament buildings, London Bridge, Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, Tower Bridge and Waterloo Bridge.
It is the second longest in the UK after the River Severn, which links England with Wales.
Most people like to flock to the river to enjoy the views, especially at sunrise and sunset.
These views have many vantage points where Londoners love to enjoy their drinks while watching the river.
One place for adventurers is the Apothecary, a rooftop garden in Rotherhithe on the Thames in South London. This place is a London institution, and Lottie Muir transformed from a scrubby wasteland into a garden above the famous Tunnel.
Revellers turn up at this place in the summer over the weekends for riverside sunsets, wild cocktails and midnight campfires.
Not far from there is the Mayflower, the oldest pub on the Thames in Rotherhithe Village – a place full of lovely history and fantastic frothy beer.
Visiting this pub is like stepping back in time to 16th Century London with the Mayflower Ship’s original mooring point, which took the Pilgrim Fathers to the New World several centuries ago.
From this hidden gem, one can catch spectacular river views from an outside docked jetty area. The views get even better from the upstairs restaurant.
Another exciting vantage point for seeing the Thames is at The Dove in Hammersmith, west London. This place has its claim to fame – it is in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest bar room in the world.
Even more exciting is a bit of history which was made here concerning the ancestors of the Royal family when Charles II is said to have wined and dined his mistress here.
This much-loved 17th Century Pub has its old worldly charm and is a treasure not to be missed. It is set on a beautiful spot at the River Thames bend, where fans gather to view the annual Oxford Boat Race.
These are among 1,800 pubs and restaurants along the River Thames in the London suburbs of Richmond, Chelsea, and Greenwich, stretching as far away as Oxford, Henley-upon-Thames, Maidenhead and Windsor, where Britons can enjoy days out.
But nothing can beat those who love to take to the water.
Summer is the time for Britons to indulge in water activities. What can be a better way than taking a cruise on the River Thames, the lifeline of London and neighbouring towns along the river?
Generally, Londoners commute on the river from one point to the other by riverboat services to avoid London traffic chaos and Tube trains that are packed with passengers crammed like sardines. But that kind of travel is often filled with the stress of planned business meetings, daily problems of workers’ lives, and things that keep Londoners so bogged down that the dream of a river cruise is far-fetched.
So what better way to escape daily stress than to take a cruise on the river for a day to unwind and discover the hidden treasures of this world-famous river?
This is a grand opportunity to relax and enjoy the river while someone does the hard work on the boat, allowing you to see the shoreline of London and its 2000-year-old history.
Sit back and take in the views of the London Eye, Westminster Houses of Parliament, the infamous Tower of London, and many iconic buildings that make London a vibrant city.
The London cruise takes you to several exciting landmarks of the British capital – the Thames Flood Barrier, the 02 Centre, and the Royal Observatory, among others.
The full potential of the river is yet to be realised. Plans are underway to ensure better water transport facilities on the river, and there is an ambitious target of 12 million people travelling by riverboats for business and pleasure in the next few years.
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