My latest caravan holiday has taken me to East Anglia. I had nine nights on the coast at Kessingland, a bit south of Lowestoft. Now I'm in the forest north-west of Thetford, in the heart of Breckland. And believe me, I wish I still had those sea breezes! As I write this, it's completely still - the air is not stirring - and it's the hottest day of the year so far.
I don't like heat. I avoid going out in hot weather, preferring to keep cool indoors. It's not just a matter of personal comfort, either: very hot weather is definitely not good for one's health. Unfortunately, this - my only foray into Norfolk and Suffolk for some time - has coincided with a heatwave, and I hate it. Heat like today's is a bit extreme, of course, but with Global Warming now starting to kick in with a vengeance, I think I can safely assume that in future years a spell of hot and humid weather (ever worse as the years unfold) will be an annual event, warranting a new strategy of keeping my caravanning for the cooler months only.
A small caravan is no place to be when it's really hot. You can pull down the blinds, and open all windows on the shady sides of this little box, but it's not enough. The interior just heats up inside until the air temperature is the same as outside. It got up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) yesterday and today. Here's the proof. Yesterday:
And today:
It's been even stickier today. The only proper relief is to get in the car and drive off somewhere, enjoying a delicious blast of refrigeration from the air-conditioning. Look at this shot from mid-afternoon:
It was lovely and cool in Fiona - but as you can see, the air temperature outside was 37 degrees Celsius! The photo also shows something else rather remarkable: an average miles-per-gallon figure of 37.3, since arriving here in Breckland. That's a testament to the long, straight, and (by Sussex standards) empty country roads in these parts, and the lack of hills. At home I average 31.5mpg. I suppose I should rejoice that my fuel bills for this part of the country will be low. But I'd swap extraordinarily good fuel consumption for some bearable weather - and some decent hills to catch the breeze from. Flat-land forest is fine, but it's rather monotonous.
So I'm not having a good time here, and I really, really hope that the intense heat produces some proper thunderstorms tonight. I want fresher conditions for the rest of my holiday. I'm not optimistic about getting them.
An experience like this does put you off. I knew that East Anglia was a warmer, drier and sunnier place than (say) the West of England, but I didn't expect to be cooked. This area won't be high on my list of places to revisit. In any case, I want scenery. So, if I give the South-west of England something of a rest, the obvious not-too-far-away alternative is Wales. Nice to know that I've got Pembrokeshire lined up for September!
