To head to the coast on 40 degree days?

[twordle]

It looks noticeably cooler by the south coast than where we are.. but is everyone going to have same idea? Will we just end up sitting in a traffic jam? Will the roads even melt???!!! Honestly, the fear around the forthcoming heat is real (& genuinely dangerous for the vulnerable I know) but for the rest of us, will it be like that stormy day we had recently where actually it was just a bit blowy for a couple of hours?! School's shut, I'm not working... what will we do all day at home? It will def be too to enjoy outside locally. DC are young teens. What are your plans??

I wouldn't. The risk of car breakdowns is much higher according to what I read on the news, and the thought of being stuck in a broken down car, or waiting on the side of the road for rescues, for potentially hours, would put me off. Even if it's not you, it could be someone else and then you could end up in a traffic jam. Even without any of that, the increase in traffic could make it slow on the roads. The roads could melt. Finding parking and shade could be difficult - even if thousdands of people from further away didn't flock there, the people who live nearby probably will! I've never found the coast all the cooling on a sunny day - hard to find shade, and it's just constant reapplying suncream and trying to get out of the sun or find cool drinks. I'd rather go somewhere air conditioned!! A hotel with a pool perhaps. Or just a cool shopping centre or something nearby, if you want to get out.

Yeh its the drive there that I don't fancy (2 hours each way). Can you imagine if you broke down! We've got a forest with a stream 10 minutes from us, was heavenly there today. Have you got anywhere similar that's close? All you need is shade and water.

Imagine being stuck on the M23 for six hours in 40 Celsius heat.

Then make plans for a paddling pool/bowls of water and fans and be sensible.

Cinema is probably the best place to be-bloody freezing usually!

This is exactly what they don’t want people to do. It’s not the day for a jolly jaunt out. It an extreme weather event that we have not experienced before.

Honestly the best place to be is in your house with all the curtains shut. I live at the coast admittedly not the south coast but the mayhem on hot days does not make for an enjoyable day out. No where to park, huge queues for food/toilets etc. We are all at work and school Monday and Tuesday and I am already notn ooking forward to the increase in traffic due to the mass migration to the beach.

Do you mean that 'blowy day' when my friend's greenhouse blew away and about 15 trees came down in the woods behind my house?

The beach will be a nightmare. Sand too hot to walk on, no shade, glaring sun reflecting off the sea, heatstroke almost inevitable. Not to mention the traffic getting there.
Take the advice of the PP who recommended a forest, OP. Cool shade.

This is Bournemouth beach this afternoon. I live quite close by but there's no way I'm going there unless it's before 7am for a walk/dip in the sea. The roads are bedlam. I wouldn't fancy being stuck in a traffic jam in 37 degree heat.

There's no shelter at the coast. You'll get horribly sunburnt.

You want to be outside, on sand, without shade, in 40 degrees?

Mad dogs and Mumsnetters...

If the trains are running then get a train

Stay at home in the shade.

I think they're now saying the coast isn't going to be any cooler. Agree with those saying it's not a day for travelling but staying in and keeping as cool as possible.

It will be very busy especially if the DC are off school - because of the heat...

I wouldn't and I live 5 mins from my nearest beach. The only beach I would consider would be one with natural shade, but any like that are likely to be swamped.

Somewhere like Cromer is only in the low 30s, its usually freezing there being on the corner so probably unusually pleasant in the next few days but it will be packed.

I've actually never seen the appeal of beaches in the heat. The mixture of sand and suncream, its just so uncomfortable. I absolutely love a beach in the winter, wrapped up warm, flask of coffee wellies, walk along the shoreline with the bracing wind in your face. Makes you feel alive.

I can see why people would want to, but in all honesty I think you'd be mad to go. Traffic will be crazy. Car will be boiling. It'll be boiling on the beach too. It'll probably take you a lot longer than normal to get there. It won't be enjoyable

We are not used to these sort of temperatures. I think there could be some quite unwell people in the next few days. Not to mention people drowning by jumping in any old lake/river/reservoir plus traffic accidents. The ambulance service are already struggling.

I realise this all sounds dramatic, but there's a red warning for a reason.

What do you normally do all day at home? Do you go out all day every day?? We are just going to relax - get the paddling pool and sandpit out first thing (small DC so we are up early) and play in the garden until mid morning latest. Then inside where we will eat, play, have a bit of screen time, read some books, bath and bedtime. It's one day ..it's not hard to fill.

Right, message received loud & clear! A shady forest with a stream it is! Stay cool everyone

Yup!

Erm, the last time there was an amber warning for wind where I live our fence was destroyed, a load of 100+ year old trees came down in the park and the power went out. And we got off incredibly lightly compared to people I know whose homes were damaged and power was off for absolutely ages. I have learned to take the weather warnings seriously.

No way would I even attempt the drive tbh. MIL used to live in Bournemouth, we stopped the drive down apart from Christmas Day around 1hr 35 door to door. At worst it took us 6.5hrs on a freezing cold raining Easter Saturday.

Please don't - I live on the South Coast and the M3 Southbound and M27/A31 westbound is utterly solid.

It will put pressure on local infrastructure and us locals need to get to work. I'll be visiting a hospital on Tuesday for work that's on a beach route , getting there is hellish at the moment as it is.