In All Weathers

The culture of the UK – a place founded on wind-blown migration and the navigation of storm-whipped seas – is undoubtedly weather-soaked. Yet our weather is too often deemed as simply good (sunny) or bad (anything else). Our discussions and, even more importantly, our likelihood of venturing outside are governed by that simplistic judgement. But in a landmass where annual sunshine averages about 1300 hours (just 54 days), that is a long time to be miserably cooped up indoors.

In All Weathers is a mission to redress the balance – to look again at our most widely accessed experience of the natural world and realise it can be beautiful, sublime, even fun, no matter the forecast. From the howling winds of Skye to the fen-sucked fogs of East Anglia, Matt Gaw embarks on a series of walks in weather of all kinds across Britain to explore and understand the science of weather, how it is changing, its role in folklore and cultural history, and its psychological impact on us.

This is not about simply braving inclement conditions for the sake of it – our wind, rain, fog, ice and snow – but to actively seek them out and enjoy them. With our rapidly changing climate, we need to embrace the elements, to throw open the doors, windows and soul to the inspiring wildness of weather.