Why we love summer hiking

Summer is here! In England the season officially starts on June 1st and runs through until 31st August, according to the meteorological calendar.

We love summer hiking.

The long daylight hours are one of the joys. With the sun setting between 21:00 and 22:00, there’s time to linger and enjoy the beautiful English countryside.

View of a country house garden with a white foxglove in the foreground and a village church tower in the background.
A row of thatched cottages along a country lane.

And with every Foot Trail leading to a warm welcome, we love returning to a country pub in summer to enjoy a cool beer or cider in the sunny pub garden after our hike.

Summer is a time when the English countryside looks particularly beautiful. Often green and lush due to our temperate island climate, it’s also a time of colour when many flowers and plants peak and bloom. Some of the flowers and plants you can expect to see and enjoy in English country gardens or the countryside include roses, sweet peas, foxgloves, lavender and cornflowers, oxeye daisies and meadowsweet.

A footpath between green trees in summer with sheep tot the right of the image.
A single walker hiking through a footpath in a field of tall yellow grasses.

We love English summer weather. It can be warm, it can famously be four seasons in one day! A dewy morning transitions into a gloriously warm sunny afternoon and of course you might experience a sudden burst of rain! We find it’s best to be prepared for all weathers. Although summer usually sees our warmest temperatures in the UK, anything between 15 and 25 degrees C (59 to 77 F) s normal at this time of year.

A footpath in the countryside leads up to a wooden five-bar gate on a bright summer's day.
A footpath winds through the edge of a field with golden wheat on the left and a green hedgerow to the right.

So rather like the English weather, be prepared to go with the flow in summer and you’ll be able to appreciate some fascinating sights in nature, and enjoy a wonderful time out on the trail.

If you’d like to experience the best of South West England’s countryside, visit out All Trips page or send us an email. We’d love to chat through your plans.

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