# Too hot for comfort.?



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I am often surprised reading mhf and chatting to friends and family who go on holiday to hot places and then complain about the heat.
I personally suffer with big temperature changes and would avoid going to any extremely hot or cold environment.

We have family in Madrid and Turkey all summer and although they both have a pool, we often chat on Skype and see them sweating it out exhausted and difficulty sleeping.
We all know the Mediterranean, Agean and Gulf of Mexico are going to be damn hot at around 36c. to 40c. in high summer. Why do people subject themselves to it.?

Ray.


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## chilly (Apr 20, 2007)

A good question. 
I actually think it's ingrained in Brits' DNA. 
A lot of British people think our climate is rubbish so head off to the hottest place they can afford so they can boast how hot it is and grind their friends in! >


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

I wonder if it's the 'Lemming' effect. 
Wet summer in UK so all off to the Med next year. Terrorists in North Africa so all off to the Dordogne next year.
I'm sure we move like flocks of Starlings. 

Ray.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

People can acclimatise to heat quite quickly Ray.


Sensible people don't sit out in the midday Sun ...... apart from mad dogs and Englishmen.


Never had a great problem with heat and worked 10 or 12 hours a day in it.


Your skin does change if you get a lot of Sun. My Mrs used to go mad at me on a long haul holiday. She would be laid on a sunbed, surrounded by lots of skin creams, aftersun and the like. I never put anything on my skin, I would sit in the shade with a book and a beer but always finished up browner than her. :laugh:


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Ray

I agree.

My ideal tmperature is in the 20-25C range in the day, so that it is still comfortable for sailing, cyling etc., and balmy in the evening, even if one needs a sweater at 2300.

I think that maybe one of the problems is that some people do not read the weather/climate statistics correctly - e.g. looking at average maximum (or daily) temperatures and do not factor in the diurnal variations that can occur. Some holiday brochures may be guilty of the same lax approach to the ststistics, by not stating exactly what they are publishing.

I bet much more than 50% of people cannot describe the difference between 'median' and 'average'.

Shall we have a poll?:kiss:

Geoff


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Up to a point 747. I have never been a sun worshiper like my wife. As a teen I would try laying in the sun, go red, peel and be white again just as we got home.
For me it was always a painful experience. Visiting family in Madrid or ending up on a beach, I would spend my time hopping from shade to shade or sitting in a taverna. 

Agreed Geoff, up to 26c. and I'm OK but over that and I am seeking shade. In fact we had a couple of days here in Normandy at 30c. To me it was a difficult time but the next week everyone was complaining about only having 2 days of summer.??
And yes as the sun goes down I'm the first one to don a sweater to jibes of 'whimp'. 

Ray.


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## 96299 (Sep 15, 2005)

Can't stand the heat personally, thats why we go to Scotland for our hols most years. :wink2: I do tan very easily, but just don't go searching for it. give me shade any day.

Steve


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I would much rather have to cope with the heat than the cold myself. A pair of shorts,sandals and a cotton shirt is fine.I find the cold affects my muscles and wearing heavy jumpers and such is a bore.

cabby


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

Long gone are my RAF days in Cyprus, lazing on the beach smothered in olive oil pinched from the dining room.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

I don't like extremes of temperature, neither hot nor cold. Like Geoff, a comfortable 20 to 25 degrees is my preference.

The problem is that we seem to be getting more regular extremes of weather all over Europe, this year for instance we had temperatures of 42 deg in Northern France. :surprise:

So where do you go these days to get nice reliable "temperate" weather? I'm blowed if I know anywhere.


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## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

I can't take extremes of either heat or cold. I think often when people want to go where there is 'good' weather what they actually want is somewhere where it's 'not cold' and not likely to rain for much of the time. They end up with excessive heat because that's what you tend to get in the areas where it's fairly consistently not cold and not likely to rain for days on end.

Too much heat just drains the energy from me and as we like to go for walks or visit places rather than lounge around outside the van all day we try to avoid hot places and hot times of year.


Chris


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

gaspode said:


> I don't like extremes of temperature, neither hot nor cold. Like Geoff, a comfortable 20 to 25 degrees is my preference.
> 
> The problem is that we seem to be getting more regular extremes of weather all over Europe, this year for instance we had temperatures of 42 deg in Northern France. :surprise:
> 
> So where do you go these days to get nice reliable "temperate" weather? I'm blowed if I know anywhere.


Blimey Gasp. 42c.?????? Where was that? AS i said we did get 30c. but only for a couple of days.

Ray.


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

I think you get used to heat. My ideal temperature is 28 - 30 degrees. But a few years ago it would have been far lower.
I now find 35 quite bearable and can work outside in it. We are regularly over 40 degrees here in the summer and that does slow everyone down a bit ( not that they are prone to doing anything quickly in the first place!)
Skin changes too. I have very blonde skin and used to burn easily. Not any more. Now my skin knows it will see proper sun for 6 months of the year it has learned to cope with it. 
But cold winters are also a must. Loads of snow and -20. Thats how winters should be


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

I found the answer to all year round modest temperatures last winter.
We swanned off to Portugal late last December.
Warm enough to sunbathe in January although it started getting dark by 15:00.
February seemed to be the coolest and windiest month. Then into march and April and the start of spring.
Slow, laid back journey northwards keeping pace with spring as it too travelled north.
Summer in the UK and back to Portugal for the winter.
Never too hot, never too cold.
Icing on the cake was we saved a fortune in winter energy costs.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Spacerunner said:


> I found the answer to all year round modest temperatures last winter.
> We swanned off to Portugal late last December.
> Warm enough to sunbathe in January although it started getting dark by 15:00.
> February seemed to be the coolest and windiest month. Then into march and April and the start of spring.
> ...


Agreed Spacerunner.
We were there from mid Dec to mid Jan.2015 and enjoyed it so much we are doing it again next Jan/Feb. But not in the van as an apartment is so cheap and having the car allows greater mobility to the little villages up in the hills.

Ray.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

raynipper said:


> Blimey Gasp. 42c.?????? Where was that? AS i said we did get 30c. but only for a couple of days.
> 
> Ray.


Surprisingly it was at Le Treport. :surprise:

We had several very hot days previously on the journey north toward Calais but nothing quite that high. We knew from the forecast that it would be very hot so we headed for the aire on top of the cliff for some breeze. We did indeed have quite a strong breeze up there - a strong very hot breeze. It was strange looking down onto the beach at 8.30 in the evening - it was still crowded with loads of bathers still in the sea.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

For the first time this year Mrs GMJ suffered badly with the heat on our trip. Its a symptom of MS however she had never had it until now. It started 4 days out into a month long trip:surprise:


Use of fans (240 and 12v); bowls of cold water; ice packs; and elevated feet helped but we shan't be going south next summer:frown2:


So next summer we'll take all the same stuff as precautions as head off in N Europe instead.


I have no issue with the heat but I could sweat for Wales :grin2:


Graham:smile2:


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

Agree, 747, we both like sunny weather, but stay in the shade at the hottest part of the day, and we both go light brown gradually, no burning. We don't use suncream, the oily ones especially make you feel even hotter, and sting your eyes like hell if they run into them. Also, sun cream should never be used before using a swimming pool.

When people moan about the heat, it's often actually the humidity that's the problem. Britain, being an island, has very high humidity, and 25ºC there can feel more tiring than 35ºC in a dryer climate.

Also, most people seem to rush lemming-like to the seaside, where humidity is always higher. If you go somewhere with a hot climate, it's much better to go well inland. It may well be hotter in the day than by the sea, but it will be much cooler at night. John and Linda.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yesterday 28c and too hot.
Today 29c and too sweaty.
Roll on the rain tomorrow.!!

Ray.


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## flyinghigh (Dec 10, 2012)

Just back from lake balaton Hungary with temps of 42c last week, way too hot for me! You couldn't enjoy the country in the day, and in the evening the mosquito came out to play, 
My month in Scotland earlier in the year was pure bliss in comparison, only two days of sun but sensible temperatures of 15 C most days, but then again I won't tell you about the midges!!,


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

It is a question of acclimatisation 

We lived in Israel and expected the heat

Although Jerusalem often has a breeze 

A month or so doesn't allow for acclimatisation 

Health problems further complicate things 

So we travel out of season when we can actually travel at all

With excellent air con as a back up

And (shock horror) a gas generator if not on hook up and wilding

And Shadow and I lounge in the van

Me with my heart problems, my valve is getting old, or maybe it's just me getting old

Him with his thick long coat

We go out and about, search out water for him to swim

But oh the bliss of a cool van

Albert sits out in the shade

But we are the same at home

The bedroom has air con for humid nights

Aldra


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Innit bluddy marvelous.
Just today we speak via Skype to family and friends in Turkey, Madrid, Calpe, Dordogne and the Vienne who are all sweltering in 30c+ and can't work or do anything.
While here in Normandy we do have 19c but a howling gale all night and morning driving the rain sideways. But I'm not complaining as we are comfortable, dry and warm.

Ray.


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## jonse (Nov 2, 2008)

Nice and hot down here Ray, in Puivert


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Naarrrr, don't do 'HOT' too draining.

Ray.


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