Appropriate clothes for British Isles cruise in August

[Cruisergirl Mit]

We will be sailing in August from London to Ireland and Scotland. What should my husband wear to dinner? Summer clothes (e.g. tan sport coat)or fall/winter clothers(e.g. wool sport jacket)? In port, summer slacks and capris (for me), or fall clothes (sweaters, slacks). Being from Florida, this is difficult to plan.

[shredie]

I look forward to the replies you get. We're doing a similar cruise about the same time. So far, what I've heard is "layer!"

[LHT28]

Which ever you prefer

I would be more concerned about the outdoor clothing ;)

Be sure to include a rain jacket with a hood

[Stelladoro]

Agree with LHT28, I would be more concerned with taking along appropriate outdoor clothing. We did a British Isles cruise last May/June and luckily experienced mostly warm, sunny days. I brought along capris, as well as long pants, a fleece jacket and a waterproof rain jacket. Also, I was happy I had waterproof (gortex lined) light hiking shoes. Also packed short and longsleeved tops for our excursions. An umbrella also may come in handy. Although DH prefers to wear jeans, I tend to wear the lightweight type pants you can buy at sporting goods stores, such as REI. I may not look very stylish, but at least I'm comfortable and my feet don't hurt after lots of hilly walking.

 

As far as going to dinner on the ship, we wore our usual cruise clothing, ie. dressy pants and tops. Since we were on a 7 week European trip, we decided to leave our formal wear at home. Long pants and tops/shirts were just fine. You may want to bring a dressy sweater if you feel cool on the ship.

 

Hope this helps with your packing. Enjoy your cruise!

[dsrdsrdsr]

What you wear to dinner depends on the cruise line's dress code.

 

Britain's not like Florida for weather. It's very variable. The temperature will likely be between 55-85 degrees, though it could be colder or warmer, and obviously if it's stormy and wet it will feel colder than if it's hot and sunny. Bring clothes for all weathers except snow. I suspect, particularly in Scotland, you'll need what passes for winter clothes in Florida.

[CraftyEC]

Lots of layers! In your ports it could be anywhere between blisteringly hot (by our poor standards, of course!) and miserably cool, and there is always a distinct possibility of rain which may be between light and torrential!

 

The temperature on board tends to be governed by the A/C but for port calls you will do with an assortment of the clothes you have suggested - so a couple of pairs of capris and a couple of pairs of longer trousers. T-shirts or light blouses, with thin fleeces to layer, and most importantly, a good waterproof in which you are comfortable (so not sweltering if it happens on the combination of warm and wet, which is not infrequent in summer here)

 

Remember that the reason Ireland is called the Emerald Isle, and is also known for its Forty Shades of Green, is that it IS very green, which is a direct result of it's unreasonably high rainfall!

[MrSchwump]

We've not done a cruise there, but we did travel around much of England in August, from London to the Lake District. I wore long pants and usually a long sleeved shirt and I was never hot. Some warmer days I'd wear a polo style shirt and on chillier days I'd wear a fleece jacket. A shopkeeper in the Cotswolds asked us how were were enjoying the hot weather they were having. It was 72f that day. It's all relative. Hot to the locals would be cold to Floridians.

 

I would second the opinion of Gore-tex lined shoes. I have a pair by North Face and they're great. We got caught is a downpour once in San Francisco and were soaked.....except for my feet, which were dry as powder. Having dry, not soggy, cold socks goes a long way toward improving your disposition!

[jocap]

The Irish Sea, and the seas round Scotland can change from being serene and blue to rough and grey in a few hours, especially if there's a tail-end of a Caribbean hurricane blowing in. On deck, you'll probably need something to wrap round you in the evening- but the further north you travel, the less dark hours you'll have, so you might be looking at a sunset in the warmth at 11pm off Scotland.

It's the rain which is a problem, blowing in from the Atlantic.....as others say, waterproofs are a must. The last 2 years have been outstandingly wet, beyond anything known before- so be prepared for that, as we could be in a climate change.:confused:

Although I've always lived in these islands, and know them well, our cruise round them was one of the finest we've done- Enjoy!:)

[zoncom]

What ship? The Europeans have discovered cruising. They dress conservatively and well in dark colors, covered up. Leave the HA, shirts, shorts and white shoes home.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We did a similar cruise a few years ago.

We needed rain gear for a few days -- small portable umbrellas went into DH's back pack.

We also had some warm days -- but not bermuda wearing weather.

Slacks each day with tops and jackets.

Ship's dress code -- you need to check out what the suggestions are for your cruise line.

[KirkNC]

Be sure to have some light rain gear ;)

[williegirlcat]

We did a similar cruise last July. As a fellow Floridian, pack for our winter. A cotton turtleneck, under a shirt, thin jacket, and then a fleece. It's easier to peel off a layer than be cold. Keep a pair of gloves in your fleece when you pack, so you will have them with you. Scotland was windy and very cold (in July). Those of us from the south, California, etc were dressed the same and marveled at the people from the Midwest and North who were so much more comfortable and in shortsleeves.

 

Do check out the 10 day forecasts just before you finish packing.

[rkreilly]

This forum and all your responses helped so much more than weeks of googling "What to wear in London/Ireland in August". You addressed both formality and weather, and I thank you very much! This midwestern girl is hoping to be warm, but it's letting me know capris and pants are appropriate! Thank you!

[newgrange]

Cover all eventualities. Light rain jacket a must as while you won't miss an extra T shirt, one evening getting soaked to the skin could spoil your trip.

 

Yesterday I was in Northern Ireland in temperatures of 28C/82F, this evening it was 18C/64F in Dublin City Centre, with light showers.

 

To be honest, the Dublin weather was more usual for summer here, but you never know.

[Velvetwater]

What ship? The Europeans have discovered cruising. They dress conservatively and well in dark colors, covered up. Leave the HA, shirts, shorts and white shoes home.

 

Haha I am guessing (hoping?) that is tongue in cheek.

 

The UK is known for random outbursts of most weathers in the summer months.

 

We are currently experiencing temperatures up to 90F but I have remembered summers that have been 59F and lower because of winds and rain. Unlike the hotter countries we often have chilly evenings after a scorching hot day so evening wraps and cover ups are a must.

 

Hot UK is also a humid UK so make sure you bring a thin raincoat too for that rainy UK weather.

 

As far as keeping warm jumpers and jeans an a light jacket should suffice. Colours are not an issue here as a girl in town was wearing a hot pink playsuit today because of the heat...completely normal. I have been wearing the highest factor suncream to avoid sunburn for the last 2 weeks.

 

You also my want to consider some swimwear if you are visiting any beach ports. We do not have beaches like Florida but we sure hove some great coasts with very safe water and excellent waves and a lot of people will be in the sea if its hot.

[dancinman66]

Yes could be warm but expect it to get cool up top end of Scotland even in August

Depends on the stops the ship does there

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jammen]

We will be sailing in August from London to Ireland and Scotland. What should my husband wear to dinner? Summer clothes (e.g. tan sport coat)or fall/winter clothers(e.g. wool sport jacket)? In port, summer slacks and capris (for me), or fall clothes (sweaters, slacks). Being from Florida, this is difficult to plan.

 

For dinner look nice for all the evening dinning. In the ports be prepared for anything.

[4Mast]

In the UK , as others have stated -expect almost anything. As an example the south coast of the UK did on 28 July 2014 have extreme stormy weather that caused flooding , there was hail as well , while the rest of the UK stayed warm and dry.

[Amerryscot]

In August, I would say dresses and sandals, with a cardigan for when it gets chilly. A light weight rain coat, eg the outer shell of a winter anorak, for the liquid sunshine.

 

I wore exactly the same on our med cruise as I do day to day here.

 

I was in Aberdeen last week and it was 26 deg at 8am! Poor DH had to spend the day in full Highland dress.