To think it is mercilessly cold and damp in Cumbria?!

[Pheasantlysurprised]

I lived there for 4 years, had moved further north from Cheshire, and the climate came as a shock to me.
Yeh yeh, im a bit of a soft touch and do feel the cold easily, but wtf that was a steep learning curve. Even in dry, sunny spring weather (not including midsummer) I still felt damp and freezing, and within a fortnight of moving there had packed up most of my everyday clothes (wool, winter skirt, tights, cashmere, etc) and had to swap them for tightly sealed puffer coats and thermal waterproof leggings .
Became a walking ad for mountain warehouse and Fjallraven.

I spent 4 years trussed up like a sausage, swaddled in hiking gear, tog obsessed and running up a disaster of an annual fuel bill.

The place is so, so beautiful, I love the people and miss it very much, but am hesitant to ever move back because of the weather. I like rain and my favourite season is winter, but christ that was something else.

Im now a bit further south since the pandemic and looking to move again, and not sure what to do.
Can the climate really put you off a place?
I am self employed wfh so location is flexible, but currently don't drive. I really liked it up there but honestly feel depressed about returning due to this.

Yep
I've lived all over U.K. it's much warmer and drier down south. As long as you steer clear of coasts - so for eg Kent Essex coasts get proper snow for weeks similar to the far north but not as cold. West Country gets far more rain.

Stick to middle south- eg Milton Keynes and you'll find it far warmer!!

You can get micro climates too in areas in the same county - we have that where I live with a small city above that has whole wrap round of hills that creates a barrier from cold weather fronts as all the snow drops on the hills before it gets to us - I'm near south coast by IOW so we are sheltered by that too - we only get snow for a couple days if ever and far less rain.

Far warmer here too... I have thermals I wore for most of autumn and winter living near Newcastle and occasionally in West Country but never wear them down in middle south. I hate cold that gets into your bones so this suits me really well....!

I was shocked when I lived in Dorset how much warmer and drier it was. I miss that. I grew up I. The midlands which was just normal.

I’m now in the north west, and it’s the bloody wind that gets you, It’s always windy.

I live in the NW not far from the Lake District, we spend a lot of time there over the years. We had a beautiful week there in the summer, no rain at all!
I've also lived for a few years in a southern US state, and I can't tell you how much I missed the UK weather when we were overseas.
Yes it rains, yes it's damp but it's much easier to live with than extreme humidity, severe heat, hailstones the size of baseballs, tornadoes and ice storms that don't thaw for weeks.
The NW is beautiful because of its climate, just need to dress properly for it

I live in Cumbria. It's been freakishly dry this year. And very warm for October. I feel short changed. I'm ready to hibernate in my thermals but it's too warm!

I can confidently opine on the weather in Cumbria, Manchester, London and Essex as I've lived in them all. Everything has already been said. What I will add is how the heck do you get by in Cumbria without driving. I've only once returned there for a short trip without a car and had an extremely limited experience. Stayed in Windermere as it's really the only option for buses. We checked out where we could travel to? Basically Coniston or anywhere the launch docks at. The Cumbria honeypot resorts are gridlocked in the Summer but options for not driving are negligible. Cumbria needs to figure this out. Extend mountain goat buses and bring in a congestion charge. Sorry a bit off topic.

The humidity these last few summers in the south has made me look at cooler, drier places. It’s been horrible!

@WorriedMutha you don’t. Public transport here much be the worst of anywhere in England. We currently get one bus a week where we are.

It's definitely more damp on the west of the country (at least in the north and Scotland). Over on the east we get the chilly North Sea wind but it's significantly brighter and drier. The wet weather fronts frequently come off then North Atlantic. Could be worse - you could live in Ireland.

You could always try here: www.southernhebrides.com/isle-of-tiree/

@AuntyMabelandPippin

I lived there for 15 years.

I then moved to the west of Scotland.

It's much wetter here.

A Scottish BiL had an old aunt who lived near the very wet W coast. He said there was a lot of excessive ‘dram drinking’ there, which he put at least partly down to the weather, ‘But they don’t call it alcoholism - they just say Mrs Macpherson has a wee problem.’ 😂

I completely agree OP, even though I love a break or day in the Lakes.

@Pheasantlysurprised

I spent many years of my childhood on a farm near Burscough in the north west. Nothing, literally nothing prepared me for the south lakes! There's a special sort of cold, my DP puts it down tot he damp, that I personally find really uncomfortable. I do love it there, in every other way - I adore low light and dark gloomy weather. It's a shame. I am now considering Shropshire ;)

Shropshire is beautiful. The Long Mynd is glorious.

Getting in the west coast of Scotland another saying is “ likes a good drink” …

I live in the Lakes (originally a Scouser). It is bloody wet but if you've got the right coat and shoes it's bearable. We've had some absolutely cracking summers the last few years though, and I didn't have to get my big coat out till this week. Anyway, the views make up for it. Every time I drive home from work I enjoy how lucky I am to live here. If I can see it through the windscreen wipers

Well I'm from Yorkshire and think it's cold and wet in Cumbria. And every year I'm also incredulous at the posts complaining about the heat from people living in the South. This year we had a couple of hot weeks in July and that was it!

Come on over to Country Durham. Still a gorgeous place to live but not quite as wet as the Lakes. 🤣😁

I've lived in Yorkshire and Lancashire. I found the former colder - much earlier and later frosts. More biting winds though possibly not as much wind. The latter is definitely wetter.

I was raised in Essex. Much drier and warmer.

I'd choose Lancashire or Yorkshire every time!

I live in the SE and in july I drove up to northumberland and then on to Edinburgh! I couldn't believe it was cold and foggy as we drove into Scotland, i was actually on the phone to my DD saying how suprised i was!

Sorry posted to soon. Having said that i was astounded at how beautiful that part of the uk is and I could happily ignore the weather.

My in laws farm up in Cumbria. We live in north Yorkshire. It's a standing joke that whenever we drive over there on the A66 it will start raining literally as you pass the 'welcome to cumbria' sign. And 9/10 it does.

@wanttomarryamillionaire

I live in the SE and in july I drove up to northumberland and then on to Edinburgh! I couldn't believe it was cold and foggy as we drove into Scotland, i was actually on the phone to my DD saying how suprised i was!

That the Haar - the fog that comes off the sea. Happens when the rest of the country is basking in sunshine. Cold and dense but when it lifts it's utterly glorious. Sometimes you can actually see it sweeping back in in the evening like something out of a horror movie enveloping everything

@WhereIsMumHiding3

Yep I've lived all over U.K. it's much warmer and drier down south. As long as you steer clear of coasts - so for eg Kent Essex coasts get proper snow for weeks similar to the far north but not as cold. West Country gets far more rain.

Stick to middle south- eg Milton Keynes and you'll find it far warmer!!

You can get micro climates too in areas in the same county - we have that where I live with a small city above that has whole wrap round of hills that creates a barrier from cold weather fronts as all the snow drops on the hills before it gets to us - I'm near south coast by IOW so we are sheltered by that too - we only get snow for a couple days if ever and far less rain.

Far warmer here too... I have thermals I wore for most of autumn and winter living near Newcastle and occasionally in West Country but never wear them down in middle south. I hate cold that gets into your bones so this suits me really well....!

Am always interested in positive micro climates, would love to know where you are referring to!

I missed fog from my comparison.
I've hardly ever encountered fog in Lancashire. Obviously the top of a Lakeland fell you may be up in the clouds.
But there was awful fog in the part of Yorkshire I lived in... commute through the Vale of York. I'd take rain over that any day. (And also bad sea fogs on the Essex coast).

I work outdoors all over the country. Chichester is unbelievably sunny, it's true, I love a winter job down there.
I got wet in Cumbria and stayed wet, bone cold and wet. I felt like my kit never got completely dry. I did laugh at the four seasons in a day in the lakes though, funny to go from hail to blazing sunshine to torrential rain in the space of a few hours.
East Yorks has cold winds that made me miserable, biting and chapped my skin.
Lancashire was wet but not as miserable wet at Cumbria.
West Midlands, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire were all mild, Shropshire and Herefordshire quite wet but no bone chilling constant cold damp.
I don't do west Scotland in winter, you're a hardy lot up there, the rain seems horizontal more than it is vertical and stings like mad in a gale.

I think of the Lakes as sunny and dry but that’s because I live in Manchester so can plan for day trips with good weather.