When Is the Best Time of Year to Visit London?

The best time to visit London is a difficult question to answer because there is always plenty to see and do all times of the year. If you want pleasant weather then the summer months June to September are your best bet, but the weather in the UK is never reliable so it's best to be prepared for all weather. The summer months will be warmer in general but some summers are still very wet wet wet!

January is the month to visit it you want to hit the shops as the sales will be in full swing and everyone will be going shopping crazy. With the rush of Christmas over there will be plenty of tickets available for the many theatres and concert halls.

February and March can be a bit dull with low cloud and rain weather wise, but the music and theatre scene will be quite good. There will be plenty of Chinese New Year celebrations in Soho which would be worth visiting. But remember that in February is the school half term holidays so there will be plenty of school kids about.

Come April all of the Spring festivals will be in full swing and of course the London marathon. There will be plenty of Easter activities and events to keep visitors amused. Recent years has seen some warm weather in April and May but again this is not to be expected.

June and July is summer and can be warm but we Brits are often disappointed with the weather London. A rain coat on standby is advised. There will be plenty of festivals for music and theatre and plenty of exhibitions. Art is big in London and there are always exhibitions on at the museums. Damien Hirst is one artist which has an exhibition at the Tate this summer (2012).

At the end of July and the first couple weeks of August sees London host the Olympic Games. The biggest sporting event on the planet hits London so expect a lot more people than normal! The world's best athletes and sportsmen and women will be competing for medals at the Olympic Park.

Autumn months September and October has seen good weather in the last few years. It generally warm and dry and us Brits will be willing on an Indian summer. Plenty going on in these months with a good chance of good weather so i would say this is the best time to visit London.

November and December could be chilly. Lots of fireworks displays and events will be going on though so there is plenty to see and do. The shops will be preparing for the Christmas rush. Normally by the end of November all the shops are covered with Christmas decorations and are targeting the Christmas shopper. This is the time that most business do their best trade and are most busy. If you don't mind wrapping up, December with the pretty Christmas lights and festive buzz is a great time to visit London.

Looking at the cost of hotels throughout the year, there is a definite high and low season. Around March and April the rates will be going up. At the end of September rates will start to go down again, but be aware that the rates will go up around Christmas. So the cheapest time to visit London is in the months of January, February, September, October November.

So taking all of the above into consideration I would say September or June are the best months to visit London. The combination of the cost and climate make it a great time to visit London. But then if you don't mind the cold and want to save even more money try January.

To check weather London when you need please visit http://weatherlondon.city/

London Water Damage: Why Consistent Rain May Pose A Threat To Your Structure

The weather in London has earned a rather notorious reputation for being incredibly rainy. But the truth is that, at 583 millimetres of rain per year, this city actually experiences less rain than many other cities in the UK, including Birmingham (662), Cardiff (1061), Manchester (810), and York (729).

While the amount of rain experienced annually is surprisingly low, London still has earned its reputation as a place that is constancy wet, as it experiences rain on a very frequent basis. In fact, it usually rains around 106 days out of the year, especially during the fall and early winter. This is also when temperatures drop drastically, which means ice, which can spell disaster to buildings' structures.

The reason that water is such a destructive force to many buildings is because it doesn't stay outside the structure, where you want it to be. Older buildings that are made with old-fashioned materials, like wood, as well as metals that are not treated to prevent rust, are particularly vulnerable. Water seeps into these materials, including wood, stone, and concrete structure, and as it does so, it changes from solid ice back to a liquid as temperatures fluctuate from cold to mild to warm. It is this process of expanding and contracting, combined with the salt that is naturally occurring in the rainwater, that can cause serious deterioration of the building's foundation over the long term.

What Can You Do To Protect Your Buildings?

The easiest thing you can do to protect your buildings is to make sure that windows and doors are watertight. Weather-proofing doors and windows not only saves money on energy bills, but also goes a long way in the fight against moisture damage.

Some options for protecting your windows includes:

· Checking for cracks in your windows; if found, be sure to fill with clear caulk.

· Glazing with plastic security coverings. This serves to keep the window from shattering in a million pieces if violent weather or intruders break a window, which, while rare, is a risk.

If parts of your window, including the sash, sill and/or frame, are already damaged by water, it may be time to replace the part or even the overall window. (It's worth noting that the latter process usually requires the assistance of a professional. Not only it is possible to cause some very expensive damage when done incorrectly, but handling glass can be hazardous to one's safety if you're not prepared.)

Please note also, that if the foundation of the structure's been compromised, it's time to call in a professional contractor as soon as the problem is noticed to try to minimise the damage.

6 Extreme Weather Events in London

1. Tornado, 1091

On 30 October 1091 a tornado swept through the city which destroyed hundreds of houses and a number of churches including St Mary le Bow where four rafters from the roof were driven twenty feet into the ground by the force of the wind. Astonishingly, contemporary chronicles report that only two people were killed.

2. The Great Storm, 1703

The worst storm in London's history struck on the night of 26-27 November 1703. According to contemporary reports, 'practically all the roofs in London were stripped of their tiles' and the leaden roofs of many churches, including Westminster Abbey, were 'rolled up like skins of parchment'. Defoe, who wrote an account of the storm, revealed that 'nobody durst quit their tottering habitations for it was worst without' and claimed that many people were convinced that the end of the world had come.

3. Earthquake, 1750

On 8 March 1750 the city was awoken at about 5.30 in the morning by the shock of an earthquake. According to a contemporary report, 'a noise was heard resembling the roaring of a great piece of ordnance, fired at a considerable distance, and then instantly the houses reeled, first sinking, as it were, to the south, and then to the north, and with a quick return to the centre'. In the Thames the water was so agitated that fish were seen to leap half a yard above its surface. Many preachers were eager to seize upon the event as an indication of God's wrath with a sinful city. Charles Wesley proclaimed that 'of all the judgments which the righteous God inflicts on sinners here, the most dreadful and destructive is an earthquake' and that 'this He has lately brought on our part of the earth, and thereby alarmed our fears, and bid us "Prepare to meet our God!"'

4. Floods, 1928

The last time that central London flooded was in 1928. On 6 and 7 January heavy rainfall, a rapid snow melt and a spring tide combined to cause the Thames to break its banks at several points. A section of embankment near Lambeth Bridge collapsed and water rushed into nearby houses, drowning fourteen people.

5. Great Smog, 1952

Fog has long been a regular hazard in London. Accounts of its peculiar density date back centuries. Often it was made worse by the burning of coal. In the seventeenth century the diarist John Evelyn wrote of the 'hellish and dismall cloud of sea-coale' that lay over the city. However, in the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth, the combination of fog, household fires burning coal and the emissions from factory chimneys produced the dreadful 'peasoupers' which were a serious threat to the health of Londoners. The worst was in December 1952. Transport was brought almost to a standstill as visibility reduced to a matter of inches rather than feet. At Sadler's Wells a performance had to be abandoned because the fog in the auditorium made it impossible for the audience to see and the cast to continue. Approximately 4000 people died as a direct result of bronchial and cardiovascular illnesses exacerbated by the smog but many other deaths may have been related to its effects. The consequences of the Great Smog were so dire that legislation in the form of Clean Air Acts were passed to limit smoke emissions of all kinds and the London smog was largely consigned to history.

6. The Great Storm of 1987

Famously unpredicted by the Met Office, the great storm that swept the south of England on the night of 15/16 October 1987 had devastating effects in London. Gusts exceeding 80 knots were recorded at the London Weather Centre and at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. Nearly a third of the trees in Kew Gardens, many of them rare and valuable specimens were uprooted or destroyed. The storm was the worst to hit the capital since 1703.

London Fog All-Weather Coats

A black London Fog all-weather coat with its zip-out inner lining holds up well when the temperature drops in the Fall and then whenever ice and snow covers the ground. The inner lining provides added warmth. When, the weather turns to Spring the inner lining is removed.

The London Fog all-weather coat looks great with a long silk scarf hanging down the front of it from underneath the coat's collar.A scarf pin is used to secure it into place on windy days and then knotted at the ends. Plus, a pair of leather or suede gloves adds a sense of elegance to the all-weather coat's style.

The all-weather coat's fabric is water repellent and they are designed to go with urban wear in the form of shorter pea coats to wear over a pair of jeans or in the more classic tastes of a trench coat to protect dresses, a pair of wool dress pants or even a tailored suit.

The London Fog company established itself in nineteen twenty-seven and now has updated itself for the twenty-first century with an e-shop to order their latest styles and rain wear accessories. The prices are very reasonable and ordering online saves time from having to browse through the racks of a department store plus the cost of shipping is less that filling up the car with a tank of gasoline.

Caring for the all-weather garment is easy. First, unzip the all-weather coat's inner lining carefully working the loop attached to a button on the inside of the left coat's pocket. The washing machine cycle is set on hand-wash using the cold water wash and rinse cycle. Add about one-fourth cap of cold water detergent concentrate setting the permanent press cycle to let the machine wash it. Use the air-dry cycle on the clothes dryer for about ten minutes hanging the coat upon a clothes hanger to let it finish drying. The coat is pressed on a medium-low setting with a steam iron to smooth out any wrinkles. After attaching the coat back onto the left pocket and zipping the lining back inside it, the all-weather for London coat is once again ready to wear without the expense needed for a dry cleaning bill.

Is London Weather Really That Bad?

This question is never really answered, but it is assumed that London gets more rain than sun. This is not actually true. One of the main reasons London is associated with bad weather is because; on several occasions people visit London only for it to rain for a whole week. This then gets talked about, and even publicized more than if the same people got a week of sunshine.

English people themselves tend to talk about the weather in London a lot. It has always seemed the norm to start talking about the weather either waiting in line at the shops, or in a queue at the bus stop. It's a way of breaking the ice. Generally British people like to converse, but the truth is London does have many good days weather too, again leading to a conversation starter.

The key to enjoying London is to plan ahead, and take into account if the weather is going to be wet, or dry. This is where disappointment sets in. When you plan for an outdoor London trip only to find it raining when you get there. Always have an alternative plan. The other thing to remember about London when it rains is that it's usually only drizzle; a light rain that can be persistent. On these rainy days instead of sitting in your London hotel room there are many places you can visit, and still enjoy a great day.

Some of the most visited places in London are the Museums. There are over 300 Museums, and Art Galleries just in London, so even if it rained all week you could not possibly visit them all. If you're in to politics, you can spend an afternoon at the houses of parliament to see how British politics actually works. The House of Commons, and the House of Lords are open to the public.

Another getaway in the rain in London is St James church. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren. There are lectures, and even concerts held in this historical building. If you want something a little different, there is always Madame Tussauds waxworks museum, which is full of lifelike famous faces you probably wouldn't mind having your photo taken with.

One of the most entertaining sights in London either in the rain, or the sun is the London Eye. This is a huge ferris wheel with a difference. Giant capsules made with glass allows all round viewing, revolving slowly, so you can take in all the sights. On a clear day you can see as far as 25 miles as the wheel reaches the top. The wheel takes a full 30 minutes to turn round one full revolution, and is a great talking point when you get back from your visit whether it's been raining, or not. The slow speed enables visitors to get on, and off without the wheel actually stopping, and there is disabled access too.