Autumn, Fall, Harvest. It’s that time of year again!
Autumn is a special time of year. We think of January and the ‘New Year’ as a time for beginnings: however, September into Autumn always has that feeling of change and something about to start, programmed into us from schooldays. The calendar will tell you the year is drawing to its end, but Autumn is the beginning of so many new sights and sensations. Summer is super, but Autumn will always remind you why your UK holiday home is a wonderful thing to have - all the year round. There’s just so much more to Autumn: here’s a list of ten things that prove that point:
1. All around your UK holiday home - colours are brighter
Autumn colours are brighter, they just are. Poets have written about it, painters have painted it and you know it to be true. High summer in a Suffolk holiday home is a chance to see countryside, sand and sea bathed in summer sunlight. Just as joyous are the beaches and byways when the berries are at their most bountiful. Autumn leaves are some of nature’s most colourful sights and to see them contrasted against a bright sky is one of the season’s wonders.
2. Essex countryside or Suffolk coast - walks are more bracing
Wherever you have your UK holiday home, the sheer pleasure of walking is sharpened to perfection in autumn. Nobody ever grows out of kicking through piles of fallen leaves. Do it and teach younger ones how to do it - it’s your duty. The wildlife are changing their ways and the scenery and skyline are altering: everywhere you look the world seems to have come into a different focus. The air is keener and cleaner. The temperature might be a bit lower but there’s something so invigorating about being outside in the Autumn.
3. From holiday homes in Lincolnshire to Suffolk cottages by the sea - clothes are cosier
We all love our swimmies and sandals, our cotton tops and flip flops. But let’s be honest: even in summer you crave a little bit of cosiness - that feeling that can only be satisfied by socks and sweaters. Autumn delivers. A bracing walk is all the more pleasurable in a plaid shirt and a serious sweater. Fashion that is practical with a chance to make a bit of a style statement too. You know you love it.
4. UK holidays in autumn means photos are more interesting
It’s not that the views and family groups you snapped in summer aren’t interesting, or fun, or part of your giant UK holiday home scrapbook of memories. Of course they are. But in Autumn somehow we get more inspired. Sunrise a little later against an autumn sky always makes for a great subject. Sunset in October with its bright red blaze of glory is something to behold. The leaves and berries are an invitation to snap some still life shots, which - be honest - you seldom do in summer.
5. On caravan holidays and in Suffolk chalets - favourite drinks are hotter
That’s literally hotter, not more ‘on trend’ hotter. Although, come Autumn comes the fashion for those hot beverages that bring a smile to the lips. The Pumpkin Latte is now an integral part of Autumn and cinnamon goes with everything - it’s the law. When you want something with more punch, there’s always - well, Punch. Or cocktails made to be served hot; Hot Buttered Rum, a classic Hot Toddy, Irish Hot Whiskey - there are loads of recipes for autumn cocktails. It goes without saying that you must drink responsibly, but curling up with a hot cocktail is a rather special way to spend an evening in your UK holiday home.
6. When it’s Autumn and you’re cooking in Clacton on Sea - meals are more comforting
Summer salads and snacking on sarnies will always be special. But come on, a casserole is comfort on a plate. One of the great joys of having your own UK holiday home is that you can eat what you want, when you want; but you don’t have to become a slave to the kitchen. Some basic pre-planning can make for some wonderful, comforting, warming food to make your autumn evening complete. You come back from a bracing walk having savoured autumn’s colours and you put on your cosy clothes, you take a picture of the sunset, you have a hot cocktail and then you get to the food. See how this is all fitting together?
7. It’s because the days are shorter that - evenings are darker
This is a good thing. Nothing can spoil the sensations of a summer evening, but the darker ones of autumn bring their own bonuses. For a start, check out the hot drinks and comforting food alluded to above and then add in some books and games. Even now, in our multi platform world, the telly gets better in the Autumn. It’s not about spending all your evenings in front of the box but about getting the whole family together and cosy to watch something. Plus, it’s spooky season! Dark nights, candles, pumpkins. What could be better?
8. In holiday homes by the sea - interiors are more snugglier
This is another of those brilliant things about having your own UK holiday home: it’s yours to go to all year round and that means you can style it to match the seasons. Snuggly checked blankets, soft woollen throws, cosy slippers and darker (which of course equals more snuggly) duvet covers all add up to autumn style. You could buy a blanket box: aside from being a multi purpose piece of furniture (sit on it, play cards on it etc), it’s somewhere to put summer stuff when it’s Autumn - and vice versa of course.
9. On autumn holidays - conversation is cleverer
It’s true! Because you’re looking at nature, reading more, just being with each other in the evenings more, you converse more. It might be the two of you or - the current situation and regulations allowing - the family, but cosy in your UK seaside holiday home, you find time to talk. If you want to be a clever conversationalist you could kick things off with this - “(ahem) did you know that although we think of ‘fall’ as the American word for Autumn, it was in fact used in England until the 17th century? It comes from the phrase ‘the fall of the leaf’. The word autumn didn’t enter the English language until later. It comes from the French word ‘automne’…”
You know you’re going to use that.
10. From East Anglia to Lincolnshire, a UK holiday home gives you - more
Of course we all have to understand that life is different right now. Things will change though and even if we don’t yet know what the ‘new normal’ will look like, we know for certain that we will want to have more family time, manage our money better and probably travel abroad less. They’re all reasons to have you own UK seaside holiday home. If you want evidence that a UK seaside holiday home is an all year round joy, then Autumn is a great indicator. Like a holiday home itself, there’s just so much more to it than you think.
