Ah, the classic confusion. June 1st feels like summer, smells like summer, and sometimes even burns your shoulders like summer. But nope—the meteorological and astronomical calendars fight over it like kids over the last biscuit.
According to meteorologists (the weather boffins), summer starts on June 1st and ends on August 31st. That’s tidy, neat, and makes sense for data nerds. But the astronomical summer—the one based on the Earth’s tilt and solstices—doesn’t kick off until June 21st this year. So if you’re waiting for the longest day, that’s your cue.
And British Summer Time? It’s like the weird cousin who shows up in March, drinks your tea, and overstays until October 26th. By then, the clocks fall back, and we’re all grumbling about dark mornings.
Why do we even do this?
Honestly, I think it started as a polite but misguided attempt to save candles and coal. The Summer Time Act of 1916 was passed during World War I to give us more daylight in the evenings. The idea? Work less by lamplight, stay happier, and maybe grow more turnips. (I’m not joking about the turnips.)
10 razones para ir al British Summer Time in Hyde Park de Londres
Today, we keep it because… habit? Complacency? Or because we love the irony of calling a March day “summer” while wearing a wool coat. Your guess is as good as mine.
Fun fact: the British actually tried permanent British Summer Time in the 1960s. They switched to what they called “British Standard Time” for three years. People hated it—kids went to school in the dark, and farmers complained about confused cows. So yes, we chose to keep the cows happy over human logic.
