weather

As in other temperate maritime zones, the averages are moderate, ranging in the Thames river valley from about 35 °F (2 °C) in January to 72 °F (22 °C) in July; but the extremes in England range from below 0 °F (−18 °C) to above 90 °F (32 °C). The Roman historian Tacitus recorded that the climate was “objectionable, with frequent rains and mists, but no extreme cold.” Yet snow covers the higher elevations of England about 50 days per year. England is known as a wet country, and this is certainly true in the northwest and southwest. However, the northeastern and central regions receive less than 30 inches (750 mm) of rainfall annually and frequently suffer from drought. In parts of the southeast the annual rainfall averages only 20 inches (500 mm). Charles II thought that the English climate was the best in the world—“a man can enjoy outdoor exercise in all but five days of the year.” But no one would dispute that it is unpredictable: hence Dr. Samuel Johnson’s observation that “when two Englishmen meet their first talk is of the weather.” This changeability of the weather, not only season by season but day by day and even hour by hour, has had a profound effect on English art and literature. Not for nothing has the bumbershoot been the stereotypical walking stick of the English gentleman.

England also has quite a long history, which can still be seen today. Proud of their heritage, the English preserve and maintain many of these sites. UNESCO has identified several sites within the United Kingdom and England itself as world heritage sites. You can read more about them here.