cnote

I will be in London at the end of August (having been there only in spring before). How hot does it get at that time? Is it something you can weather with a good fan, or is A/C a must?

Background: I am relatively hardy, but do not look forward to sleeping in sweltering type conditions.

Thanks for any info you can provide!

flanneruk

You can't predict English weather that accurately, but two pointers:

- the Tube is unpleasant almost every August, and can get close to unbearable. Carry water, avoid it when hottish (the bus system is geberally less oppressive), and plan your routes to avoid the more crowded ties. The good news is that London's half empty then anyway: the tube's generally worse in July. We don't believe in dress codes, so wear what's coolest in midsummer for travelling to ANYTHING: theatres, going to church, posh restaurants. EVERYTHING

- practically none of us have a/c at home, and really don't see the need for it. But that's because houses have decent natural shade and ventilation. Hotels don't. If you're renting a house or flat, don't worry about a/c (no point anyway, as you won't find it): if you're staying in a hotel I'd have thought a/c is practically essential in July or August, though I've hardly ever stayed in one here.

dfr4848

Unfortunately, this is one of those "it can be anything" questions. We've been there in August when it's been extremely pleasant and no AC needed. OTOH, we were also there one year during a heat wave when it was over 90 F for several days, and we dearly wished we had AC.

Alec

You can count on having AC in your room only at 4- and 5-star hotels. 3-star and under, it's non-existent or only in public areas. Having said that, you'll only have a handful of days when you wish you had AC. Sleeping with your window open usually ensures a good sleep, unless your room faces a busy road - ask for a quieter room.

Jake1

We were in London in July several years ago when the temps hit the upper 80s and it was humid. We opened our hotel room window, but because there was no other window to open in another wall, there was absolutely no air movement. We were miserable and walking around like zombies for 3 days. The heat coupled with lack of sleep made it pretty much a wasted trip. Fortunately, we were able to visit London a few years later and enjoyed our stay immensely--in a hotel with A/C.

BTilke

If the hotel doesn't have AC, ask for a room that gets afternoon shade. A room that gets afternoon sun will be much hotter.

We DO have a portable AC unit in the top floor (converted loft) of our brick Victorian terraced cottage. During heat waves, even with the windows open, the temp in the loft can soar well above 100F in the late afternoon. And since the loft serves as our den/office, the AC keeps the computers AND us in a better mood. We don't use it every day in summer, but we are glad it's there when we need it.

xyz123

Temperature wise, it's usually not all that hot most of the time...temperatures are usually well below 30 but yes temperatures do from time to time edge into the 30's.

But be aware, the tube is very poorly ventilated (in this regard London can take a less from NY which has figured out a way to put air conditoning into its entire subway car fleet although sometimes in summer the stations are unbearable)and on those days where the temperature inches up, you will be most uncomfortable in the tube.

What I have found about London, though, is that it is very humid and people such as myself who have a/c at home become very used to it and even if the temperature is a very pleasant 22 or 23, with the humidity I feel uncomfortable and do really wish my hotel room had a/c....of course being a cheapie I don't want to pay the price!

chimani

Once more I am flabbergasted by the poster's ignorance. Hasn't he/she looked at the location of London - noted the latitude? Looked up the temperature range on the net? Not too hard but a step too far perhaps? Clearly he/she thinks it might be like Bangkok.

He/she might like to know that very very few dwelling in the UK would be fitted with fans. Why? Because it is absolutely and totally unnecessary. Even fewer would have a/c for the same reason.

Why - oh, for heavens sake - if there are more than 3-4 days A YEAR when the temperature reaches uncomfortable - hey - that's a good year. Out with the bathers and the sunblock.

Of course, if you going to stay in one of those places with hermetically sealed windows (Americans prefer them I guess - keeps the alien germs out - I wonder why you come here at all) then, yes if you happen to hit one of those 3-4 days out of 365 you might suffer.

xyz123

chimani...

We have a saying in America...it's not the heat it's the humidity and as I said, people's bodies all react differently.

Belive me I understand temperatures only hit the higher end of the scale a couple of days a year but even on days when the temps are not all that high, I feel uncomfortable when the humidity is high...also if my hotel room faces a certain direction and the sun shines in, the temperature of the room can become pretty high even as compared to the outside. And who can forget the heat wave in France a couple of years ago (and France for the most part is at the same latitude as the UK) where it is reported thousands perished because of the lack of a/c.

One need not be nasty if people's bodies react differently when they are taken outside of their naitive environment....people coming from equatorial South America might find London weather delightful 100% of the time.

And it seems that once the heat settle into the tube, it stays there for quite a while.

nona1

It can get very hot and sticky in summer, and for more than a few days.

If I were in central London hotel, then yes, I would go for A/C. And I'm English.

Last year we were even tempted to get a portable air-con machine for our home, more and more people are buying them.

As our bedroom is up under the roof I spent many nights laying awake, panting and gasping last summer, despite having virtually every window in the house open, a fan blowing directly on the bed, and a water spray. I'm one of those people who can't deal with heat. On the other hand, I don't feel the cold. Swings and roundabouts.

fall06

I was in London in June some years back and it was freaking hot, in the 90s. I was in a 4 star hotel and the air con was only in the rooms (and even that was spotty) and we were miserable. We lost lots of sleep. I took a boat cruise down the Thames to Kew just to get out of airless London.

Of course, by the end of the week, in was in the 40s.

I would go for a modern hotel with good air conditioning. Forget about making do with a fan.

fall06

chimani,

not to put too fine a point on it, but you are the ignorant one hear. GLobal warming has made a noticeable difference in London, where you now find thousands of more outdoor cafes, sunbathing on the Thames and people screaming for air con as early as late May and into September

Gina_07

We were there in August and it was not hot. It was comfortably warm and even rained a little. Again, the weather is very unpredictable there but, certainly, not too hot.

logos999

Don't make things too complicated:
1. Are you American?
Yes -> A/C is needed 24/7 everywhere
No -> A/C in London isn't needed at all

It's as easy as that

nytraveler

It depends on how much you mind heat, the location/traffic near your hotel (can you sleep with windows open in a heavy traffic area?).

I've been there when it was 90 and humid - and IMHO completely intolerable without AC - never mind what happens in the tube. I would never take a hotel without AC in the summer.

barbarajo

chimani that was rude of you, some people dont travel often and for some this may be there only trip. Not every one is computer literate.It does get hot in london in august , unfortunately lots of the smaller hotels are old and not equipped for a/c.

cnote

Thanks for all of the helpful comments.

I had thought that all would be well in August, but had read other forum entries and it generated some questions. Good to rely on the experiences of others. Swings and roundabouts? I like that one!

PS - I am an American ... born and raised in the far east and europe. Hopefully that doesn't play too much havoc with the offered formulas!

chimani

Logos has it spot on.

fall06 - now how much time have YOU spent in London?

Me - I have LIVED THERE FOR MANY YEARS- sure I am not there now. But look - it would be one day in 10 years that wouuld come close to conditions in Bangkok, or Lagos, or Mombasa, or Singapore. Where you do need a/c.

I now live in Sydney - where temps can range from 6C in the winter to over 40C in the summer (this is rare, though). The mean summer temp would be around 26C with a few consecutive days at over 35C every year.

So, clearly if I were you - I'd have the f**in a/c on all the time.

I don't even own a fan. I open a window (heard of those?)

It really isn't good enough to say that bodies are different. Bodies are different because they have been raised in an unreal environment.

So you guys live in hermetically sealed environments from age zero, burning up the energy, and then find your body can't cope with quite reasonable high temps.

Sad, isn't it? for you and the planet?

clz

It could be uncomfortably hot. Chances are it won't be, but if you don't want to take the chance, you can find a hotel with AC. (it's not THAT hard to find one.)

Last July, London had some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded. In August, a few days were so cold that my kids played outside in their fleece pants and heavy coats.

Jake1

Wasn't that long ago that thousands died in Western Europe because of the heat. I'm not quite sure I understand what axe chimani is trying to grind, but it can get quite uncomfortable in the UK in the summer--not usually, but often enough. If you can afford a few extra bucks for A/C, what's the big deal?