With punishingly hot summers now common across southern Europe and heatwaves sweeping the UK on a seemingly rolling basis, many Britons are turning away from classic holiday destinations in favour of cooler alternatives.
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, last July, temperatures in Turkey reached 50°C for the first time. Cyprus reported a record-breaking 44.7°C, and in Greece, approximately 85 per cent of the population experienced “extreme” temperatures of 40°C or more.
Online travel agent Opodo analysed searches from 21-25 June – the last UK heatwave – and found that interest in travel to cooler European destinations (“coolcations”) this summer had increased from the previous five days.
“When temperatures climb at home, we consistently see travellers start looking for destinations where they can enjoy a more comfortable climate,” an Opodo spokesperson said.
The Acropolis in Athens was temporarily closed during last year’s heatwaves, when temperatures neared 40°C (Photo: Aris Messinis/ AFP/Getty)Inghams Walking, meanwhile, reported a year-on-year rise of 42 per cent in searches for “coolcations”, and a survey by travel app Polarsteps found 35 per cent of Brits said they’ve chosen a cooler destination this year.
Polarsteps has also compiled a “Summer Heat Escape Index”, scoring 25 European destinations on daytime and nighttime temperatures, sea temperature, forest coverage, population density and wild camping access. Iceland – where August daytime averages are 10.7°C and nights 8.1°C – tops the list, which is dominated by Nordic and Baltic countries.
However, you don’t necessarily have to go north to cool off. Even countries known for sunshine have temperate corners. Here are a few options…
Black Sea region, Turkey
With mountains on one side and the sea on the other, Turkey’s Black Sea region is a popular summer for Istanbulites, and next week’s forecasts give a hint as to why. The Black Sea resort of Amasra is expecting temperatures of 23°C-26°C, compared with up to 31°C in Turkey’s largest city and similar in Mediterranean resorts such as Ankara.
A pretty town of red-roofed houses, picturesque coves and a Byzantine bridge connecting the mainland with an island, Amasra is ideal for beach hopping. It has its own family-friendly stretches of sand, and other nearby options include pine-backed İnkumu, and Güzelcehisar, with its prehistoric lava columns and cliffs.
Closer to Istanbul, Kerpe is a low-key beach town, with rock formations and islets, pine-covered hills and sandy shoreline. A few hours’ drive inland brings you to a mountainous landscape of forests and lakes.
How to do it: Wizz Air, easyJet and Pegasus fly from the UK to Istanbul; FlixBus coaches connect the city with Amasra. Amasra Ceylin Hotel has doubles from £78.
Amasra’s little island is connected to the mainland by a bridge (Photo: Murat Topay/Getty Images/iStockphoto)Santander, Spain
While much of Spain is expected to feel the heat (Seville and Madrid are both braced for the high 30°Cs) next week, some northerly areas will be cooler than parts of the UK. Santander is predicted to have highs of 25-26°C next Tuesday-Thursday (the furthest ahead Spain’s meteorological agency forecasts go), and highs last July were 27°C.
The port city has a coastline of sandy beaches and clear water, with calm coves perfect for swimming dotting the Magdalena Peninsula – and a public park and former royal palace. Beginner surfers head to El Sardinero beach, which hugs the city’s northeastern edge, while the more experienced take a short ferry ride across the bay to the wilder Playa de Somo. Elsewhere, there’s a picturesque old town with a gothic cathedral and lively restaurant scene where seafood is a speciality.
How to do it: Brittany Ferries sail from Portsmouth to Santander twice a week (journey time: 33 hours), while Ryanair flies from Stansted, Birmingham and Manchester. Hotel Sol Boutique, on the edge of the old town, has doubles from £185.
Santander’s El Sardinero beach stretches for a kilometre (Photo: Tono Balaguer/Getty/E+)Essaouira, Morocco
Morocco might be the last place you’d consider escaping the heat – and for much of the time, in much of the country you’d be right. However, from next weekend, the weather in coastal Essaouira is forecast to drop down to a comfortable 24°C and remain in the mid-20°Cs for the following week. Plus, there’s nature’s air conditioning: Atlantic trade winds.
Those winds are great for learning to surf, windsurf or kitesurf along Essaouira’s three-mile expanse of golden sand, while at the port you can watch as fishing boats bring in their catch, which is slung straight on the grill at local restaurants. Inland are the souks of the Unesco-listed 18th-century medina, and ramparts that were a filming location for Game of Thrones.
How to do it: Ryanair flies from Stansted to Essaouira. Chic boutique hotel Le Palazzo – which in a previous incarnation hosted Orson Welles – has doubles from £130.
Atlantic winds cool the historic city of Essaouira (Photo: George Clerk/Getty/iStockphoto)Copenhagen, Denmark
Denmark feels like a more natural choice for a coolcation, despite not appearing in Polarsteps’ top 10, and Opodo searches for travel to capital city Copenhagen this summer were up 19 per cent.
Temperatures next week are forecast to sit within the 16-22°C range – ideal for exploring the city by bike. Ride along the canals, hang out in hip neighbourhoods like Nørrebro and Vesterbro, visit the botanical garden and duck into some of the many galleries and museums in between. End with a sauna and/or a dip in the clean waters of Copenhagen harbour, or go a littler further to one of the nearby beaches such as Amager or Bellevue.
How to do it: Norwegian, SAS and easyJet fly from the UK to Copenhagen. The boutique-style Coco Hotel, centred around a leafy courtyard in hip Vesterbro, has doubles from £171.
Kalvebod Wave, a wooden promenade, is a popular swimming spot in Copenhagen Harbour (Photo: olli0815/Getty/iStock Editorial)Galway, Ireland
Ireland came 9th in Polarsteps’ Summer Heat Escape Index, which was attributed to its average August daytime temperatures of 15.1°C, sea temperatures of 14.6°C and “notably low population density”. Although all that only puts it one place above the UK – and Ireland is just a hop across the water from Britain – the weather can differ greatly.
In Galway, for instance, temperatures of 14°C-23°C are forecast next week, while London is expecting highs of 32°C. Stroll around the medieval Latin Quarter – a place of street musicians, family-run shops and traditional pubs – and indulge in the city’s thriving food scene, encompassing Michelin-starred restaurants and the best west coast produce.
Surrounding County Galway is home to harbour villages and some of Ireland’s wildest landscapes: mountains, bogs, forest and heathland. The craggy coastline is ripe for swimming and kayaking, while 30 miles off shore are the limestone Aran Islands.
How to do it: Irish Ferries operate from Pembroke to Rosslare (four hours’ drive to Galway) and from Holyhead to Dublin (2.5 hours by train). In the Latin Quarter, The Snug Townhouse has doubles from £109.
The cobbled, medieval streets of Galway city’s Latin Quarter (Photo: i Shots/Getty/iStock Editorial)Swiss Alps
Heading for the hills when the mercury rises is a no brainer, but forgo the big mountain resorts for a smaller alternative. Inghams reported a 14 per cent rise in searches for the Swiss town of Kandersteg, while Opodo searches for gateway cities Zurich and Geneva were both up 20 per cent.
At 1,176m above sea level, Kandersteg has an optimal climate for an active summer escape, with temperatures of 20°C -24°C forecast during the coming week. The pretty village, with its wooden chalets and glacial river, is surrounded by peaks, with over 500km of hiking trails, 200km of mountain biking routes and a toboggan run. The clear turquoise waters of glacial lakes Blausee and Oeschinensee are both a few kilometres’ walking distance – the latter is also connected to the town by cable car, and (chilly) swims are permitted.
How to do it: Kandersteg is reachable by rail from London in about 9.5 hours, with three changes. Alternatively, fly to Zurich or Geneva (easyJet, Swiss, British Airways), from which the train takes 3-5 hours, with one change. Family-run chalet hotel Blümlisalp has B&B doubles from £429 for two nights. Inghams offers seven-night packages to Kandersteg in late July from £1,571pp, including flights to Basel and B&B.
Take a dip in the cold waters of glacial lake Oeschinensee (Photo: Jose A Bernat Bacete/Getty)Hence then, the article about six surprising short haul holidays to escape 40ºc heatwaves was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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