British summer

The British summer has been a disappointment, with cool temperatures and a lot of rain.

So when a warm sunny day was forecast, I travelled by train to Colwyn Bay on the north Wales coast – a place I’d never visited.

What did I think? And did the weather hold up? FIND OUT MORE BELOW

Tap/click first image for gallery view

My first sight was this lovely stretch of coast under blue skies and warm sunshine. I wasn’t the only one who had decided to flock to the seaside, but there was room for everyone.

Colwyn Bay has a short but perfectly formed Victorian pier which was remodelled and restored in 2021 with swathes of pink ironwork which looked stunning against the sky.

I wandered north to Colywn’s smaller neighbour Rhos-on-Sea with its stone harbour and stretches of stony coastline less intended for human habitation.

After a hearty lunch the weather had closed in, with swathes of grey cloud masking the sun. But somehow this added atmosphere to the coastal landscape and day trippers carrying on regardless.

This part of north Wales coastline sits between the brash resorts of Rhyl and Prestatyn, with the eternally popular Llandudno further north.

I’m glad I decided to explore the area and make the most of a break in our dank northerly summer. Does it look good to you?

July. While southern Europe battled wildfires in intense heat, Manchester and the UK were stuck in a rut of cool temperatures and torrential rain.

Here’s an ode to June, when dry and sunny weather graced this city.

It was an era of warm photography walks in my neighbourhood of Castlefield.

Wearing shorts was the norm, local waterways were still, and the colours on new apartment blocks pinged deep into the long evenings.

What will August bring? Inevitably more worrying signs of climate change which are a huge deal for us all.

How has the weather been with you? It’s less of a banal question these days…