November - Glass Half Empty or Half Full
What you make of November in the United Kingdom depends a lot upon whether you are a class half empty or a glass half full sort of person. Yes, it is colder and darker and wetter and, okay, the days are a lot shorter. But the holiday season is just around the corner. By mid month, shop windows are sparkling, and festive concerts and events lighten spirits. If you are an outdoor sort of person, bring warm, waterproof clothing but, as usual in the UK, plan on shedding a few layers if the weather turns unexpectedly warm.November Weather Averages
England:- High - 49°F (9.5°C)
- Low - 38°F (3.5°C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 2.17
- Average monthly rainfall - 3.28" (83.5mm)
- High - 45°F (7.4°C)
- Low - 36°F (2°C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 1.44
- Average monthly rainfall - 6.5" (166mm)
- High - 49°F (9.3°°C)
- Low - 39°F (3.7°C)
- Average daily hours of sunshine - 1.83
- Average monthly rainfall - 6.1" (156.8mm)
November Daylight
If weather phenomenon associated with seasons and latitudes interest you, this is a very interesting time of year in the UK. Darkness seems to rush in faster and faster as the Northern latitudes approach midwinter. And there is a marked difference even between the few degrees of latitude that separate London and Inverness in Scotland.At the beginning of November, expect about 9.5 hours between sunrise and sunset in London, half an hour less in Inverness. By the end of the month, London days are around 8 1/4 hours long while they are only 7 hours long in Scotland - a full two hours less than the beginning of the month, with sunset at about 3:30 in the afternoon. <p> So, it's a month for indoor entertainments and nightlife but the shop windows and the fairy lights certainly do sparkle.
November Highlights
- Guy Fawkes celebrations, Bonfire Nights and Fireworks
- The concert season is in full swing, with all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to pop, rock and folk filling the main concert halls around the UK. Check these concert venues and orchestra websites to see what's on:
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
- Halle Orchestra, Based in Manchester and the UK's oldest symphony orchestra
- Southbank Center
- Barbican Centre
- Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall
- Glasgow Concert Halls
- The O2
- The NIA, Birmingham
- Manchester Evening News Arena
- Newcastle Metroradio Arena
- Thanksgiving in the UK?...Why not? Find out where to celebrate turkey day if you're a hungry and homesick American on Thanksgiving.
Music and Performing Arts
- Tenby Blues Festival
- Wetherby Festival
- Dundee Jazz Festival
- Music Live An opportunity to buy top musical instruments and performance equipment as well as to enjoy live performances, at Birmingham's NEC
- Brighton Early Music Festival
- Glasgay, Glasgow's 20 year old celebration of queer culture continues from the end of October.
Film Festivals
- Bath Film Festival Continues from the end of October
- Inverness Film Festival
- Sheffield International Documentary Festival
Literary Festivals
Arts and Antiques
- Antiques for Everyone
- Windsor Contemporary Art Fair
- 3D/2D Crafts and Design Fairs, in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Food and Drink
- BBC Good Food Show, Scotland in Glasgow Gordon Ramsay and James Martin are among the celebrity chefs
- BBC Good Food Show, Birmingham
- BBC Good Food Show, London Heston Blumenthal and Nigella Lawson featured.
- Stoke Beer Festival
- Wakefield Beer Festival
- Rochford Beer & Cider Festival
- Whitchurch Beer Festival
- Heathrow Beer Festival
Sports
Odds and Sods
- The Italian JobInspired by the 1969 Michael Caine film, the Italian Job, this sponsored Mini Cooper rally starts in Italy, where participants load up on bottles of wine, and finishes in Brighton with a wine auction for charity.
- London to Brighton Veteran Car Run From Hyde Park in London to the Brighton seafront. Check out the spectator route map.
- The Classic Motor Show
- Crafts for Christmas at the NEC
