Does Alton Tower need to be booked?  I know Legoland Windsor does need booking in advance and went there in 2012 but was very lucky during the horrible summer I picked the most settled day with low 20's and sunshine.

I am absolutely scared to book in advance anything outdoor in this country due to 100% wrong forecasting constantly and cannot. be trusted.  Last time I made booking was in Germany Legoland twice and both were brilliant weather due to checking on wetterzentrale was very accurate, first trip was in October 2014 very warm and sunny 2 days 24-25C,  Then Paris June 2015 was very nice and sunny often with mid to high 20's follow by Legoland Germany again  a week after was forecasted rain showers expected on the travel day which I picked on purpose as we will end up in the hotel and not get wet and knowing that will be sunny next 2 days, it did came out right and was very accurate.

Saint you need to be extra strict and look out from the windows to see if sunny then go places that not need to book in advance.  I only will book i advance abroad, but not UK except indoors fine.  I like to see Concorde in Manchester which is indoor so not bother about outside or poor forecasting.

I'd much rather that than watch the concrete path on the north side of my house crack and crumble as the clay shrinks beneath it - I only hope the house itself doesn't follow suit.

The drought is starting to cause serious issues (parts of some of the roads locally are starting to dip most alarmingly).

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I moved here in 1976 and the BS wouldn't give me a mortgage unless I had a structural survey as there was so much subsidence around on the London clay. Luckily it turned out my house is built on a concrete raft because at the moment i have 3 inch cracks in the lawn that go down a long long way. I am nervous about my 2 year old porous resin bound drive which was laid on a base when the clay was a slurry due to record October rain. It still looks immaculate but I fear it could crack from below.

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Long story.

 

Anyway, the rain stopped around midday, and the park stayed open an hour longer than normal. We had a great day.

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Yet another summer month which has collapsed into the toilet. Brilliant first fortnight with 124.9 hours sun but pathetic since then with just 53.8 hours in the past 12 days.

Looks like the worst is yet to come as well with vile murky grot today and a horrifically poor outlook for the rest of the month. Barely any sun likely at all so might not even manage to equal August 2015's total of 188.5 hours never mind achieve 200 hours for the first time since 2003. Absolutely shocking that it can't be reached after such a head start.

This summer is not fit to rank with the all time greats. Nothing like 1976 or 1995. More like a slightly better version of 2019. 

Sadly that is just the reality of the dire eara we are living in. Has become impossible to get top class summer months that can compete with the driest and sunniest the 20th Century had to offer 

 

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I actually don't mind a theme park day in the rain... Usually disperses the crowds and queues.
I remember going to Thorpe Park on a truly abysmal cold wet day in June 2002 (started off OK but the heavens opened , sub 15C max, proper October / November vibes).
Most people rushed off home but we stayed ...
I just walked straight onto Colossus, Vortex, Loggers Leap etc again and again , actually ended up getting bored of them ! Better than standing there queueing for hours and getting to go on 3 rides on a sweltering sunny day

I generally dislike theme parks, especially in this country where the queues are as bad as anywhere but the food and drink are worse.

My last three theme park days were Legoland Windsor last year when it tipped down for the whole morning before brightening up, Alton Towers in 2019 which was a torrential washout from start to finish and was so bad the rivers around the park flooded that night, and Chessington earlier that year which was chilly with a couple of showers but generally dry. 

Don’t think I’ve ever been to a theme park on a hot day, except for a disappointing trip to Disneyland in California as a teenager (worst day of the holiday - I’ve never really got the whole Disney thing).

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I got fed up watering the plants TWO times a day with a watering can. Glad summer has only a few days left.

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I also don't like any theme parks as well due to cost and not good as abroad ones.  Last time I went was in Germany Legoland and it was really good and very nice weather but no long quieuing I see. I don't go on the rides as I went mainly to Fabrik Lego shop to get lot of rare parts to bring to the UK.

Meanwhile what going on with this unexpected clouds like yesterday was overcast from early afternoon to sunset and again today. August shaping up to be a very bad month again and not compete with 1995 or 2003 because not seen a decent settled sunny day since the heatwave. not sure why we cannot get sunny days on average temperatures?  Doesn't need to be 33C and sunny but 23-25C sunny would be nice but no longer exist.  January remain the best month than this summer months due to many sunny days recorded.  

Go south, young man!

8.7 hours of sun at Heathrow, 25.8C at Charlwood, Surrey, or Thorney Island recording less than 10% of cloud over daylight hours yesterday

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Not just the south either. Most parts of England look like ending up drier, warmer and sunnier than average for August.

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[quote=DEW;1470483]

 

Go south, young man!

8.7 hours of sun at Heathrow, 25.8C at Charlwood, Surrey, or Thorney Island recording less than 10% of cloud over daylight hours yesterday

[/quote

It noting to do with location as I go to SE every week and it really the same as here, SE this month is really worse than the Midlands in term of rain amount last Thursday that thankfully did not reach here, this will be weeds galore for the garden I don't want to pull as I did cleared out last late July.  

But I live in the SE 24/7 and it's quite different from what your occasional(?) visits suggest. Think on this: I have solar water heating and I haven't turned on the gas boiler since the end of April - and I've had hot water on tap all that time.

Try not wearing sunglasses perhaps, it'll look brighter

And we needed that rain to undo some of the effects of inordinate quantities of sunshine.

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Don't know why you bother with my posts as I stand my decision about August so no changing my mind about it so if you don't like it there nothing you can do.  

"A beautiful theory slain by an ugly fact" - Thomas Huxley

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Don't' know what your problem with me posting in a correct thread.