What makes the quintessential English summer?

Yes, it's been a while since we last put fingers to keyboard and added a blog.  This is because come May,  things start getting a little crazy around here.  2013 has been our best year yet and despite the fact that we are well in to the summer, there are still a few last minute bookers who have hung on, in the hope of good weather and are now being rewarded for their patience.  Sudden bursts of sunshine are definitely part of the quintessential English summer but what else is at the heart of this much longed-for time of year?

1. The promise of a holiday, whether it be at home or abroad.  Apart from the occasional rainshower, our best weather occurs now but yet most chose to travel abroad.  Have we got it all backwards?
2.  Getting out your summer clothes that have been sitting in the wardrobe waiting for their brief appearances. Short sleeves and summer dresses reveal limbs that haven't seen the light of day for 9 months.
3. Eating alfresco.  Just the hint of a warm weekend and we hot foot it to the shops to stock up on BBQ goodies, garden furniture and the now compulsory chiminea or fire pit.
4. Spontaneous get-togethers.  No need to squeeze everyone into your house or a cramped pub when there is the garden to take advantage of.  It's like suddenly having a new room in the house.
5. Summer events. Literary and music festivals, regattas and of course, Wimbledon. Nothing encapsulates the English summer better than the Wimbledon fortnight.  The hopes for good weather, the expectations placed on young shoulders, strawberries and cream and 2 weeks spent watching television as the sun streams through the window!

You haven't left it too late.  Make the most of the summer and book a cycling holiday today.

Summertime

After a cloudy and sometimes wet Bank Holiday weekend, summer seems to have arrived with temperatures in their twenties today which are predicted to continue into the weekend. . Two of our hosts reported their first soundings of the cuckoo within the last 10 days and The Chelsea Flower Show bloomed last week. The grass courts at Wimbledon opened a fortnight ago - we recommend a visit to the award winning Museum there, where you can also take a a tour of the grounds and enjoy a cream tea with strawberries.. Thames river boats are now in full flow which means our gastronomic tour of some of England's finest Michelin starred establishments is yours for the eating. The canal bank outside our office windows is brimming with cow parsley and the dragon flies are darting and swooping about. England at its unbeatable best!
Image taken on our White Horse Downs and Thames Meadows cycling and walking tour