Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Serapis on July 31, 2001, 04:17:00 PM
-
My fiancée and I are considering a European honeymoon trip around the third week of September (London, Scotland, Paris, and Amsterdam) but I heard the weather could be pretty bad at this time of year. It was recommended that we wait until May or later if we wanted to get the most out of the trip. For you Brits out there, what can I expect as far as weather at this time?
Cheers,
Charon
I fly what I like, until I’m told I’ve been on the damn computer too long…..
-
LOL! Asking about the weather in the UK.
Basically.. you are just asking "what shade of grey can I expect?"
:D
AKDejaVu
-
Shut up Deja.
If it weren't for our 'interesting' weather patterns, most Brits would not be able to hold a conversation for more than 5 minutes. :D
Charon:
It varies so much around the year. 'Down South' (aka London) does get pretty decent weather. September can be vary changeable, but is invariably cool. But you do get crisp, sunny days which I guess make up for the drizzle. :)
May is probably a better choice. But if you want sun and decent weather, the end of July/start of August are the areas to shoot for. Although nothing is guaranteed, it reaches 30 deg Celcius around London most years, around that time of the year.
Basically, don't go to London (or the UK for that matter) for the weather - you'll always be disappointed. Count it as a bonus if you get to see the sun during your stay and you'll enjoy every minute! :D
But seriously, July/August tend to be pretty good.
-
Difficult to say. For example, last year the summer in London was on Wednesday.
-
Charon,
firstly the weather in all of those cities is roughly the same. If it's a rotten British summer, it's a rotten French and Dutch summer too,(the reverse is of course also tue).
That said, France is a "good" weather city, it's beautiful, and the boulevards are made for strolling.
London is a "bad" weather city. The Brits haven't quite caught on to the European bistro terrace yet, and we're used to entertaining oursleves in poor weather.
The weather is irrelevant in Scotland, the landscape will impress, the towns depress (with the possible exception of Edinborough) irregardless of climate.
Amsterdam is also weatherproof, inasmuch as if it shines it's beautiful, and if it rains there's more than enough musea, galleries and restaurants to divert you.
Your chances of good weather in May or September are actually about the same (we have rotten springs, sometimes), but I'd recommend September. It's still considered the "season", and everything should be available, whereas May is often considered to be Spring, and some Summer activities or facilities may not be available.
Finaly, all of Europe is 2 hours wide by jet. You'll enjoy Northern Europe what ever the weather. But if you don't, Southern Europe is ónly an averagly good magazine read away...
-
sounds like a "man, I really appreciate the States" kind of honeymoon :)
-
The weather in the UK at the end of Sept can best be described as 'highly variable'. Do not expect good weather, but don't expect bad weather either.
Plan your trip to London around the visits rather than the weather. The Tower of London, the London Eye, a trip along the Thames, Windsor Castle, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Tate Gallery, National Gallery, etc ad nauseam. And Duxford is an easy ride too.
-
Thank you all for your input. It doesn't look like the weather will be as bad as I was led to believe. Now to work a visit to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford into the schedule :)
Is driving in and around London a straightforward matter for a Yank? I'll have to get some practice in ahead of time driving on the wrong side of the road :)
Charon
[ 08-01-2001: Message edited by: Charon ]
-
Sure Eagler - what with your Tornados, Earthquakes, floods and forrest fires, North America is pretty idylic and never has any extreme weather. ;)
Charon - I wouldn't advise anyone driving around London, unless you really need to. Especially if you are a Yank ;).Taxis are cheap and you get a good conversation too (well, I've always found that to be the case). The tube is very cheap, if over-crowded.
Also, as good as Duxford is, I don't think it could be said to be romantic. My opinion of course, but there are far more 'appropiate' things to do/see while you're around London. ;)
-
QTS, I live like, 20 mins from you dude!
How weird is that?!?!?
hehehehhe
Weather in the UK can range from sunny, to really sunny, to really cold, to freezing, to snowy. It all depends on what the weather has on his mind.
London is a kewl place though. Driving around London is a bit of a farce really. The best way (imo) to get around is by tube or taxi. ( I work there a lot of the time I should know )
Also, if you are going to see the UK, stay in a hotel outside of London (preferably on the Chiltern Railway Line) which will give you a direct route right into London.
That's my best bet
-
Well dunno bout you lot but I just spent 7 days in Britain (30 degrees every day, so hot I rode from London to Bristol on a YZF-R6 with no leathers, no gloves and visor open the whole way), now I'm back in Amsterdam and it's so hot I'm smoking in the toilets at work (aircon) rather than going outside. ;)
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
Originally posted by mietla:
Difficult to say. For example, last year the summer in London was on Wednesday.
LOL! Sounds like Seattle!
-
Hehe
BeTown wrote:
QTS, I live like, 20 mins from you dude!
How weird is that?!?!?
hehehehhe
I'll see your weird, and I'll raise you an uncanny: I'm originally from Amersham... What's with all these Bucks geezers flying? A kick back from Bomber Command's days in Wycombe?!?
-
Wowzers :) This is weard!
Swoop? I thought you lived in Britian? When you move to the Land of the Herb?
I am coming to Amserdam next year :)
hehehehhehheheh
-Dead-, How longs it been since you have been to Amersham? I live in Beaconsfield which is what? 2 mins away?
Dodgy! Samu01 lives in Wycombe... That's just too strange.
-
Well dunno bout you lot but I just spent 7 days in Britain (30 degrees every day,
You were over at just the right time, it's rained all day today
:(
GET BACK HERE!!!!
-
I would not recommend driving in London.
If you want to drive, I would suggest that you stay out of London completely and you stay in a different place each night - if you're visiting Duxford, stay in Cambridge; if you're visiting Windsor Castle, stay in Windsor etc. Otherwise you're going to spend several hours a day in the train.
-
:D
For anyone that doesnt know, Jenga is my girlfriend.......which is why I'm wanted back in Blighty. ;)
Betown, nah matey I moved out here over 2 years ago. I keep coming back though.....1) to see Jenga and 2) to get cheese and onion pasties (damn Cloggies dont know what good food is). When ya coming over BT? I'm close to Amsterdam, bout 1/2 an hour south in a town called Amstelveen (tram 51 from central station), you GOTTA drop by.
And bring some king size Rizla with ya, they're 3 times the price out here.
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: Swoop ]
-
P.S.
Charon,
dude, if ya wait til May then you're gonna see rain, rain and more rain. Late september should be fine in GB, after all.....the Germans found the weather perfectly ok to wage the Battle of Britain in september.
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
dude, if ya wait til May then you're gonna see rain, rain and more rain. Late september should be fine in GB, after all.....the Germans found the weather perfectly ok to wage the Battle of Britain in september.
Swoop
So true Swoop...I can be dense at times! I already joke that I'll always remember my anniversary, because September 15 was the day the RAF turned the tide in the BoB. A certain person fails to find the humor in that thought :)
Charon
[ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: Charon ]
-
Well, if you consider that "Gear" is like god knows how much more over in the UK, and illigal. Then who do you think has the better deal?
But yep,
When it gets closer to the time I will catch up with ya. Collage and getting a job is priority at the moment so I have enough money to buy my bike :)
Bike Laws in the UK SUCK!
-
Hey Charon, if you really want to know what's good weather, take the time to visit one or two days the mediterranean basin... Here in Barcelona the weather is at its best on September and up to mid-october (not too hot but not chilly yet, either).
In any case, have fun! :)
Daniel, aka Cyrano
-
Bike laws suck?
Why?
(background: As well as being an MCSE, CCND & Ju-Jitsu instructor I'm also a fully qualified motorcycle instructor)
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
Hmmm Amersham - well thinking about it, it must be 4 years since I last turned up in Amersham... Must go back again soonish and see how much it's changed (well - you never know, it might happen ;) )
I suppose it'll be coming up for Mushroom season over there - now there's something I miss... *sigh* that and going out drinking with tall people in all those short pubs in the old town. Ah the simple pleasures of life in leafy Bucks.
Hehe.
<Nostalgia>
Does the Bucks Exaggerator (oops err Examiner) still rave on about gypsies and travellers ruining our countryside? Do crop circles still turn up on the hill up to Beaconsfield? Is Amersham still electing Tories, or did the last election get rid of them altogether?
</Nostalgia>
My word, quite brings a lump to throat - permission for bottom lip to wobble, sah!
<S>
-dead-
-
Great Swoop,
Get your bellybutton back over here and teach me how to ride!
Well, personaly. Apart from the (scuse my language) F***ING STUPID LAW ON DARK VISORS!
It's also a bit of a farce trying to get your licance in the first place, then if I actualy get my licance, I am limited to a 125 for 2 years? WTF's up with that? I mean honistly. Biking is in my family, my grandfather rode, my father rode and I am planning to ride. My Dad has a Honda CBR600 which is a sweet bike, hopefully in just under 3 years I will be riding something similar (or the exact same bike if things go to plan)
I think it's a really bloody stupid idea for a 17 year old who has passed his test to jump straight from a 125 onto a superbike. But I don't think that limiting us to a 33bhp bike for 2 years is any better. Fine, limit us to something that actualy goes a bit, 60bhp would do me fine! Then I could get my nice shiney Aprillia RS250, throw a nice arrow can on it and be sorted!
Untill then, I am stuck as a pillion :(
But come on 33bhp?
That, to be honest is why I think bike laws suck in this country. It's my own personal opinion and if you don't agree then I understand.
When i do finaly hit 17 we decided that we where going to get one of these for me :D
(http://www.ecomm-net.co.uk/mito2.jpg)
-
Blame the Germans.
And thank your lucky stars we dont have leg protectors or laws involving suits of armour.
The law on dark visors may be changing......eventually. A study was commissioned bout 6 months ago, the gov have the results but now wanna try even more tests in adverse conditions. The BMF has responded to the gov with "Why the shreck would anyone leave a black visor on in the rain at night? what's the point in testing it?" to which the gov have replied "Bollocks".
33 Bhp aint so bad (not that I'd know, went straight from an AR80 to an RGV, never even ridden a 125), ya can ride a restricted CB500.....they aint *that* slow.
-
It's still a put put. Yes I can ride a restricted CBR6 if I want to but what the fun in that? Would I even get out of 3rd gear?
The other important factor that has to be considered is Insurance. At 17, a brand new Aprillia RS 125 which costs me about £3000 to buy new will cost me £1525 to insure. I laughed and put the phone down. :D
Well, yeah I guess the Germans have a talent for going over the top on things like that sometimes. But you really have to be a bit barmy to ride without some sort of leg protection (ie. Leathers or at least jeans) After reading the Horror Stories in MCN it's scary stuff. I know what happens to peoples legs if they come off at 30mph and slide alone the road. Let alone 60 or 70.
Can be funny though, my friend wrapped his brand new 996 round a barrier at a race day up north. We spent the next 6 months trying to dig the tarmac out of it and get the frame in a position where is was able to except the rest of the bike :)
You have any idea how much a new set of fairing is for a Ducati 996???
-
At 17 I aint exactly shocked.
lessee here.....
at 19 on a AR80, TPFT was £180
at 20 on an RGV250, TPFT was £650
at 22 on a ZXR400 TPFT was £780 the 1st year, they wanted £840 the second but I changed insurers and got it for £440, changed again the next year and got it down to £260.
at 26 on a YZF-R6 fully comp was £650, then I hadda change insurers to get a longer allowed period abroad (3 months up from 30 days) and it went up to £700 for TPFT. Bastards. I'm expecting a big drop next year cos I'll be 28 and apparently it gets much cheaper then (wtf the diff is from 27 to 28 I dunno).
ha! tried to insure my R6 in Holland......"Ja, is not possible". Got a quote for a Dutch registered R6.....bike was 28,000 NLG, insurance was 18,000 NLG (exchange rate is about 3.8:£1).
When I say "Leg protectors" I dont mean jeans, I mean dirty great plastic sleves mounted on the bike that trap you to it if ya fall off. That was a great German idea that (thankfully) the Brit gov said "Bollocks" to.
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
Bugger that!
Yeah my dad insured his CBR6 for about £250 fully comp this time round. Some weard insurance company let him transfur most of his no claimes bonus from the car over to his bike, which was pretty cool of them.
What are the biking laws over on the mainland? Same as over here?
-
Dunno mate, I totally ignore these wierd Cloggy laws over here. Long as they cant catch me (and they cant :D) then I'm happy.
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
He He He He He.... Silly Cloggies!
My Dad is getting a new MV Augusta F4 Senna inported into the country at this very moment. Now, you wanna outrun someone, that is what ya wanna do it on!!
Whooo HoooO!
-
Blimey! Can I have a go? Wanna see if it's much faster than my R6......suspect not by much.
;)
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
Uhh.... Swoop,
An MV Augusta F4 Senna raced two other vehicle types from 0-60mph and beat them both.
1) Ferrari 355
2) Harrier Jump Jet
This thing is FAST, VERY fast. It will nock the socks of R1's & R6's
-
Originally posted by Charon:
My fiancée and I are considering a European honeymoon trip around the third week of September
If you are in the UK for the weekend of 14-16 September, I hope you will consider at least calling at our EVACC (European Virtual Air Combat Convention) in Birmingham! It would be great to see you and your new bride there. See http://www.evacc2001.com/ (http://www.evacc2001.com/) for details - and make it your first stop on your honeymoon! :)
[ 08-05-2001: Message edited by: Flossy ]
-
BT,
;) Firstly, out accelerating cars and planes aint hard on a bike (read: Modern sportsbike). Christ, even my old ZXR400 would beat a 911 turbo over the 1/4 mile by 2 clear seconds, takin on a 355 and a harrier aint a problem. Only LAW rockets beat my R6 outta the box, lol.
And when I say faster, I dont mean out and out speed......the R6 is *very* fast in corners and aint exactly lacking in the power stakes either........
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
If you are in the UK for the weekend of 14-16 September, I hope you will consider at least calling at our EVACC (European Virtual Air Combat Convention) in Birmingham! It would be great to see you and your new bride there. See http://www.evacc2001.com/ (http://www.evacc2001.com/) for details - and make it your first stop on your honeymoon!
Flossy
I will likely be hungover on a long airplane flight on the 16 or I would consider it Flos. Still, bring AH (or AW for that matter) into the honeymoon would likely not be well received :)
Charon
-
(http://www.checksix.net/pjs-zx9.jpg)
No restictions here in the states, and flies along at 170mph quite nicely :) I've had FZR 600s for years, this 99 ZX-9 weighs LESS than my lightest FZR 600 and just hates to have the front tire on the ground :D
-
You know, this is one of the strangest thread hijacks I've ever encountered :)
Charon
-
Heh Heh Ehh :)
Yeah,
Charon, it probably is :)
Ok, So Swoop, in your honest Motor Cycle Guru experience, if you had to race an R6 and an MV Augusta round Donington Race Track with the same drivers. Who do you think would win?
-
For all the uneducated bikers out there (or just people who don't know what the hell i am talking about) this is the MV Augusta F4 Senna
(http://www.mvagusta.it/img/f4senna/f4senna_1.jpg)
-
Nothin' to add... I just have to reply to this in order to rid myself of this dang forum bug.
-
Charon, um.....yeah it is. :D
Betown, I dont know, which is why I'd like to try it.......Donnington aint the twistiest track on the planet, I think the R6 would do better somewhere like Three Sisters.......at Brands Hatch the MV would prolly do better cos of the extra long straight.
Nash, what forum bug?
(http://www.swoop.com/images/logo_small.jpg)
-
Originally posted by Charon:
I will likely be hungover on a long airplane flight on the 16 or I would consider it Flos. Still, bring AH (or AW for that matter) into the honeymoon would likely not be well received :)Charon
Oh well never mind... would have been good to see you there. :) Actually, when I got married (27 years this coming Friday) we spent the first day of our Honeymoon at an Amateur Radio Rally! Hehe.... my husband was a bit wary of mentioning it, but I thought it would be fun (I wasn't licensed myself at that point, so he was taking a chance <g> ). In fact, he was on the radio talking to a friend during the Wedding Reception! ;)