If you live in a warm country, winter in the UK will be your first cold winter. People in Canada, Norway and other freezing places will laugh. However for every Aussie, keeping yourself warm and your mind sane in the cold, low light of UK’s winter months will be a real challenge.
When you see Londoners sun baking on the grass with a few pathetic rays of sunshine you will start to get an inkling of what it’s like to live in the UK. Winters are a long few months from December through to February. Days are cold and there is a constant drizzle of rain. There is also a lack of sunlight and many short, gloomy overcast days. I often would go to work in the dark and then leave work in the dark. There is also a big drop in travel options (yes a first world problem but still a problem!).
Now you could curl up into a ball and spend your winter beside a gas heater hating life or you can try and do something about it. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help make UK winters bearable. Hey, you might even grow to like it!
Here are 14 tips on how to survive your first winter in the UK:
1. Wear the Right Clothes
Wearing the right clothes makes a world of difference. The first thing you should know is never buy winter clothes in Australia. Australia has warmer winters so manufacturers can get away with selling light winter clothes here. However, they will do bugger all through a UK winter. When you arrive in the UK go to an outdoor store and buy all your winter clothes there. They will be warmer and much more waterproof. If it’s Summer they might even be on sale.
You also don’t have to go to a high end outdoor store like North Face which charges an arm and a leg. Go Outdoors and Decathlon sell some decent outdoor gear for a good price.
Winter clothes you should buy:
- A good waterproof jacket – I bought mine on sale at Go Outdoors.
- Decent boots – I bought HiTec boots and applied waterproof wax. They were great. However I can’t recommend them anymore because their quality has recently dropped a lot. My friends have bought hiking boots at Decathlon and were happy with them. If you are more of a pro hiker then Bestards or Salomon are your best bet.
- Thermals – Layers, layers and more layers! You can’t have enough. They are especially useful on the head and tail ends of winter when you can have all four seasons in one day. Primark and Uniqlo are good places to buy your inner clothes layers.
- Gloves – Trespass do the job
- Socks – Heat seekers are worth splurging on and will guarantee your feet are warm and happy throughout winter.
- Beanie
- Neck warmer/Scarf
- Small, light umbrella you can keep in your bag
2. Heat your Home
In the UK, people use central gas heating to warm up their homes. There is usually a central unit somewhere in your house and when you switch it on it uses gas to heat up water which then circulates through pipes and white metal plates in each of your rooms which produce heat. This gas heating is far more cost-effective than electrical heating so don’t buy an electric heater. Make sure you turn off your gas at night and when you leave your place to keep the bills down. A couple of blankets do just fine at night.
3. Continue to Socialise
Although the introverts will disagree, continuing to socialise in winter is a good way to keep yourself in a good headspace. The pubs in the UK are top notch and are great meeting places.
4. Fight the Vitamin D Deficiency
The absolute hardest thing to deal with during UK winters is the lack of sunlight. After a while the lack of sun and vitamin D can make you feel a bit down. To fight this you can:
- Open the curtains and encourage as much natural sunlight into your home as possible.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin D such as eggs and oily fish.
- Buy a happy lamp, also known as a UV lamp. Turn these lights on to mimic natural sunlight.
5. Avoid Getting Sick
I hate getting sick but unfortunately this is more likely to happen in the winter. To try to keep this to a minimum you need to keep your immunity strong. Make sure you eat a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruit. In addition, daily vitamin C tablets can help.
The Tube especially at peak times is a well-known source for the latest flu and cold going around so try to avoid it where possible or wear a mask.
If you do get sick, use all the meds. There was a point when I just kept getting one cold after another. I must have been sick for two months straight but I still needed to work and travel so I just loaded up on medications and just kept going.
6. Keep Fit
Try to keep fit during the winter not only to fight off the carb loading but also to just stay healthy. The indoor gyms are all open through winter and are heated. Just put your winter gear into one of the lockers, get changed and you are good to go.
7. Go Skiing or Snowboarding
If you like winter sports then winter might be your favourite time of year. When people talk about skiing in Europe they talk about France, Austria and Switzerland. However, if you are looking for a great place to ski and snowboard which is way cheaper try Krvavec in Slovenia.
8. Visit the Christmas Markets
Christmas markets are great. There is nothing quite like walking on a snowy night with everyone else as you see all the lamplit market stalls, go on the rides, eat good food, drink mulled wine and skate on the open air ice rinks. Some of the best Christmas markets are in the UK with the quaint Bath Christmas markets, the epic Winter Wonderland in London and the German Christmas markets in Birmingham. There are also awesome Christmas markets across Europe including Vienna, Munich and Salzburg.
9. Visit an Ice Hotel
This is sadly still on my “To Do List” but I have always wanted to experience staying in one of these places. There are ice hotels in Sweden, Norway and Romania.
10. Go to the Pub
The English really do know how to run a good pub with many around the country offering open fireplaces, a wide variety of craft beers and other drinks, and a warm, cosy atmosphere buzzing with people. Their Sunday roasts are also the ultimate in hearty winter food.
11. Driving in Winter
If you have a car make sure you prepare it for winter and drive safely. You can read more about driving in UK winters here.
12. Go see the Northern Lights
This is one of those once in a lifetime experiences which just so happens to be something you can do in winter in Europe.
13. Visit London’s Museums
London is full of amazing museums. While the weather is bad what better time to visit them. The Natural History Museum is a must see!
14. Escape the UK Winter
Sometimes you just need to break up the winter with a sunny holiday or two. Good options include Tenerife, Majorca and Portugal. You could also go on a big trip back to Australia for the Summer and skip the UK winter altogether.