Summer Holiday: Lucky For Some

So, Boris Johnson won't be holidaying in Britain this year, then.

Asides from the fact that this can quite safely be added to his list of gaffes - I think I get the point he's trying to make, but the British Tourist Board won't see it like that - I'd be intrigued to know just how many people think that holidaying in Britain isn't worthwhile. I love going abroad when I can get organised to do so, but the idea that there's nothing worth seeing or doing here is utterly absurd. Yeah, the weather is usually pretty shoddy, but the Outer Hebrides look like they should do when it rains and that post-walking cup of tea/ slice of cake just doesn't look as welcoming in 30 degrees. Of course, when the weather does change you can round off your walk with a pint, but that unpredictability - coupled with the fact that we're adapted to provide for various meterological outcomes - is the whole beauty of British holidaymaking. I remember that the South West Coastal Path adventure of Easter 2000 was interspersed variously with lager stops and tea stops, because the weather switched between 25 degrees and sunshine to a minus and snow within 48 hours.

Not that I want to sound all Orwellian or anything.