From the Anglotopia Podcast: Episode 12 – Quarantine Edition

Welcome to a very different kind of podcast episode. We’re recording this in late May 2020, after months of quarantine, and frankly, we need to talk about something that brings us joy: British summer time. Not the clock-changing kind, though that’s part of it—we’re talking about the entire experience of summer in Britain, the memories that sustain us through difficult times, and why this particular season holds such a special place in our Anglophile hearts.

But first, some context about these strange times we’re living through.

Life in Lockdown: A Personal Update

It’s been a while since our last podcast—since January, in fact, when it snowed on recording day. A lot has changed since then. We’ve been in quarantine since early March, navigating this pandemic like everyone else, trying to keep our family safe and our business alive.

Indiana has started to open up somewhat, though we’re still keeping our household isolated. Living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages during a pandemic—we can maintain distance naturally. We had to pause the podcast for months because at one point, we had Jackie’s sister staying with us (which was wonderful—an extra pair of hands and company during lockdown), plus the kids home from school doing e-learning. Three adults working from home with children underfoot made recording impossible. We needed quiet for good audio quality, and quiet was in short supply.

Today we’re able to record because the kids are at their grandparents’ house—their happy place, a rural poppy farm where they’re safe and loved. It’s bliss for everyone involved.

Career Changes in Uncertain Times

Life took some dramatic turns for both of us. Jonathan is now working full-time outside of Anglotopia—heading up international marketing communications for Blacknight, Ireland’s biggest web host and domain registrar. Anglotopia has become a side hustle again, something we work on nights and weekends. It’s a shift, but it’s sustainable.

Jackie’s situation is more challenging. She started a new job at the beginning of March, working in the office for exactly four days before Chicago went into lockdown. After a couple weeks of working from home, she was furloughed until September without much notice. Like millions of Americans and people globally, she’s officially out of work, navigating unemployment benefits and the uncertainty that comes with it.

This brings us to something important we need to say: to everyone who has purchased our new British-themed face masks, who has supported our small business during these times—thank you. Truly, from the bottom of our hearts. When you support a small business, you’re not just buying a product. You’re literally helping keep food on our table, paying for ballet lessons, filling gaps where income should be. Your purchases have made a real difference in our lives during this crisis.

The Magazine and the Masks

We had to suspend production of the Anglotopia Magazine when our printer stopped printing. But they’ve resumed operations, and we’re finishing the magazine now, hoping to submit it to the printer by the end of May. We’re grateful we can continue the magazine at all—there was a real worry we wouldn’t be able to.

The face masks we’re selling are made by Splash Maps, a British company whose products we used to offer years ago. They’re high quality, machine washable, reusable, and comfortable. We have a map of London design and a Union Jack design. They keep you safe, keep others safe, and let everyone know you’re an Anglophile. They’re honestly more comfortable than the N95 masks we had before—we don’t get that suffocating feeling. If you’d like one, check out store.anglotopia.net (link in the show notes).

But enough about us and this strange pandemic reality. Let’s talk about Britain—specifically, British summer time.

What British Summer Time Really Means

When we say “British summer time,” we’re not just talking about the clock change that happens in March (though springing forward to gain extra evening daylight is definitely part of it). We’re talking about the entire experience of summer in Britain—that magical period from late May through August when Britain transforms into something extraordinary.

British summer is unique. The long daylight hours, the sudden explosion of green everywhere, the way people emerge from their winter hibernation to pack pub gardens and parks, the festivals and outdoor events, the way even London feels different when the sun finally decides to stick around.

It’s worth noting that British summer is not like American summer. It’s not reliably hot. Rain is still possible—even likely. You can have gorgeous warm days followed by chilly, drizzly ones. But that unpredictability is part of its charm. When you get a perfect British summer day, you savor it because you know it might not last.

The Magic of Long Summer Evenings

One of the most striking features of British summer is the daylight. In June, at the summer solstice, London enjoys approximately 16 hours and 38 minutes of daylight. The sun rises around 4:43 AM and doesn’t set until after 9:21 PM. The further north you go in Britain, the more dramatic this becomes—in Scotland, summer evenings seem to last forever.

Those long summer evenings change everything about how you experience Britain. You can finish dinner at 7 PM and still have hours of daylight to explore. Parks stay busy until late. Pub gardens remain full of people enjoying pints in the lingering sunshine. There’s something almost magical about walking through London at 9 PM with the sun still casting long golden shadows across Georgian squares and Victorian terraces.

The light itself is different during British summer—softer, more golden, creating that perfect glow that photographers dream about. It’s one reason why summer in Britain feels so enchanted.

Pub Gardens: The Heart of British Summer

If you want to understand British summer, spend time in a pub garden. When the weather turns nice, these outdoor spaces become the social hub of British life. People leave work early, meet friends, and claim tables under parasols or in the sunshine, nursing pints that last hours.

British pub gardens come in all varieties. Some are elaborate spaces with proper gardens, flowers, and comfortable seating. Others are simple concrete yards with picnic tables. Some overlook rivers or canals. Others are tucked behind historic buildings in ancient market towns. What they all share is that ineffable atmosphere—the sound of conversation and laughter, the clink of glasses, the smell of food from the kitchen, and that particular British art of making an afternoon pint last.

There’s a ritual to it: claiming your spot, getting drinks from the bar (you order inside, they bring food out if you’re eating), settling in with friends or a book, and just existing in that perfect state of contentment that comes from being outside on a nice day with a cold drink and nowhere pressing to be.

We’ve spent countless summer afternoons in pub gardens across Britain. Whether it’s a gastropub in the Cotswolds with views of honey-colored stone villages, a riverside pub in Oxford watching punt boats glide by, or a London local where you sit among regulars who’ve claimed the same tables for decades—each one creates memories that last.

Parks: Britain’s Urban Oases

British cities do parks extraordinarily well, and summer is when they truly come alive. London’s Royal Parks—Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, St. James’s Park, Green Park, Kensington Gardens—become outdoor living rooms for the entire city.

Hyde Park deserves special mention. At 350 acres, it’s enormous—a genuine wilderness in the heart of London. During summer, it transforms into a gathering place for all of humanity. You’ll see families picnicking, office workers on lunch breaks, tourists exploring, people swimming in the Serpentine, sunbathers claiming patches of grass, street performers entertaining crowds, and that wonderful British tradition of people reading newspapers while stretched out on loungers by the water.

One particularly meaningful memory comes from a summer visit when Jackie was newly pregnant with our first child. She was struggling with morning sickness that lasted all day, and navigating pregnancy in London’s heat was challenging. One afternoon, she grabbed a sandwich and some crisps from Harrods food hall (which, with its overwhelming array of smells, was almost too much for a newly pregnant nose) and walked to Hyde Park.

She made her way to the Serpentine, found a shady spot under a tree, and ate her picnic while watching London pass by—tourists with paddle boats on the water, families playing, couples walking, the endless stream of humanity that flows through the park. She actually fell asleep under that tree, exhausted and grateful for the cool shade and full stomach, before waking to meet up for dinner later. It’s one of those simple, beautiful London moments that define what British summer means—finding peace and rest in the middle of one of the world’s busiest cities.

One lesson learned that day: you can’t hail a cab from inside the park. You have to walk out to the ring road. It’s a very London lesson to learn.

Regent’s Park and the Rose Garden

Regent’s Park, in North London, might be the most beautiful of London’s Royal Parks during summer. The Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, located within Regent’s Park, contains more than 12,000 roses of 85 different varieties. When they bloom in June and July, the entire garden explodes with color and fragrance.

Walking through the Rose Garden on a warm summer day, surrounded by perfectly maintained beds of roses in every color imaginable, with the scent hanging heavy in the air, feels almost surreal. It’s meticulously maintained—this is Britain doing what it does best, creating ordered beauty from nature.

Beyond the Rose Garden, Regent’s Park offers open lawns perfect for picnicking, a boating lake, Primrose Hill with its spectacular views of London’s skyline, and that particular atmosphere of refined relaxation that characterizes the best British parks. On summer weekends, it’s packed with people, but somehow never feels crowded. There’s always room for one more picnic blanket, one more group of friends, one more person reading under a tree.

British Summer Beyond London

While London’s summer charms are considerable, British summer reveals itself differently across the country:

The Cotswolds in Summer

The Cotswolds are gorgeous year-round, but summer transforms them into something from a storybook. The honey-colored stone villages glow golden in the long evening light. Gardens burst with roses climbing cottage walls. Cream teas are served in sunny tea rooms. You can walk the countless footpaths that crisscross the region, stopping at village pubs for lunch, then continuing through fields of sheep and crops swaying in the breeze.

Summer is when you truly appreciate the Cotswolds’ beauty—the way the landscape rolls gently, the ancient churches with their square towers, the small streams that run through villages, the perfectly preserved market towns where time seems to have stopped somewhere in the 18th century.

The Lake District

The Lake District becomes a hiker’s paradise in summer. The weather is most reliable (though still unpredictable), the days are long, and the lakes themselves become centers of activity—kayaking, sailing, swimming for the brave, or simply walking along the shores.

The combination of dramatic mountains, serene lakes, charming villages like Ambleside and Grasmere, and the literary connections (Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter) makes the Lake District quintessentially British in summer. Plus, summer is when you can actually see the views—the region is notoriously rainy and misty, so clear days feel like gifts.

Coastal Britain

British beaches and coastal towns have their own summer personality. While not the Mediterranean (the water is decidedly cold), British seaside resorts embrace summer with enthusiasm. Brighton becomes a party town, its beach packed with people. Cornwall’s beaches reveal themselves as genuinely stunning—white sand, turquoise water, and dramatic cliffs that make you forget you’re in Britain.

Smaller coastal villages along the Dorset, Devon, and Cornish coasts offer quieter experiences—fishing harbors, coastal walks, fish and chips eaten while watching the sunset, the cry of seagulls, and that particular British tradition of holidaying by the sea that goes back generations.

Oxford and Cambridge in Summer

The university towns of Oxford and Cambridge are spectacular in summer, particularly after term ends and the students disperse. The colleges open their gardens (many closed during term), revealing hidden spaces of incredible beauty. You can punt on the rivers—the Cam in Cambridge, the Cherwell and Thames in Oxford—gliding past weeping willows and historic college buildings.

These towns were built for summer strolling: wandering through ancient quads, visiting college chapels, having drinks in riverside pubs, exploring the botanical gardens, and simply absorbing centuries of academic tradition that permeates every stone.

Summer Festivals and Events

British summer brings an explosion of festivals and cultural events:

Music Festivals: From Glastonbury (the big one) to smaller folk festivals, Britain does music festivals with particular flair. They embrace the mud and unpredictable weather as part of the experience.

Literary Festivals: Hay-on-Wye, the town of books, hosts its famous literature festival. Cheltenham has its Literature Festival. Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival (technically late summer) is the world’s largest arts festival.

Flower Shows: The Chelsea Flower Show in May kicks off the season. Throughout summer, towns host flower shows celebrating Britain’s gardening obsession.

Village Fêtes: Traditional village fêtes embody a gentler Britain—cake competitions, plant sales, morris dancers, and that wonderful community spirit.

Wimbledon: Two weeks of tennis in late June/early July becomes a national obsession, complete with strawberries and cream and hoping for good weather.

The British Summer Mindset

What makes British summer special isn’t just the events or the weather—it’s the British approach to it. There’s a collective agreement that when the sun comes out, everything stops. Work becomes less important. People leave the office early. Picnics are mandatory. Complaining about the heat is a national sport (even though it rarely gets truly hot by American standards).

British people treat summer almost frantically, as if they need to pack in as much outdoor activity as possible before the inevitable return to gray skies. There’s truth to this—British summer is short and precious. This creates an intensity of appreciation that’s infectious. You find yourself caring deeply about afternoon sunshine, about getting that spot in the pub garden, about not wasting a single beautiful day.

Recreating British Summer at Home

During this pandemic, when travel is impossible and the world feels contracted, we’ve been thinking about how to recreate elements of British summer at home. Here are some ideas:

Create a British Garden: Plant roses, lavender, and traditional cottage garden flowers. Even a small container garden can evoke Britain.

Afternoon Tea in the Garden: If you have outdoor space, set up proper afternoon tea outside—sandwiches, scones, cakes, and good tea.

Long Evening Drinks: Stay up late on summer evenings, having drinks outside, mimicking those long British twilights.

British Summer Reading: Read books set in British summer—there’s something about British literature that captures summer perfectly.

Picnic Supplies: Invest in a proper picnic basket and blanket. Pack British foods—pork pies, scotch eggs, good cheese, fruit, and maybe some Pimm’s.

British Summer Television: Watch British shows set in summer, or cooking shows featuring seasonal British ingredients.

Virtual Tours: Many British gardens, parks, and historic sites offer virtual tours—not the same as being there, but something.

Why We Miss It Now More Than Ever

Sitting here in late May 2020, unable to travel, we miss British summer acutely. We hadn’t been for a couple of years anyway and were already feeling that longing. But at least then, we knew we could go. We could always check flights from O’Hare to London—there were four or five daily. We could plan and dream and book.

Now that option is gone, at least temporarily, and it creates a different kind of longing. We took international travel for granted—the openness, the ease, the assumption that the world was accessible. We all did. This pandemic has reminded us that nothing is guaranteed, that the ability to board a plane and cross an ocean is a privilege that can be suspended.

When we finally get to go back—and we will, eventually—we’ll savor every moment differently. We’ll appreciate those long summer evenings, those pub gardens, those parks, those perfect British summer days with an intensity we might not have had before. We know now that it can be taken away. We understand its preciousness.

Holding On to Dreams

If you’ve had to cancel summer travel plans to Britain, we understand the disappointment. Those trips were more than vacations—they were dreams you’d been nurturing, plans you’d made, experiences you’d anticipated. The cancellation is a real loss.

But hold on to those dreams. Keep planning. Keep imagining. Keep researching. When travel returns—and it will, though our “new normal” may look different—make that leap. Have that experience. Don’t wait indefinitely for the perfect moment. Life has reminded us that there are no guarantees, only opportunities.

In the meantime, hold on to your memories if you have them. Share stories. Look at photos. Read about Britain. Watch British television. Drink British tea. Do what you can to keep that connection alive, because those connections matter. They sustain us through difficult times.

The Colors Are Brighter Now

There’s something about going through challenging life experiences—and we’re all going through one right now—that changes how you perceive joy. The colors become a little brighter, the flavors a little richer, the sounds more robust. You learn to appreciate and savor amazing experiences because you understand their impermanence.

British summer already had that quality for us—that intensity of appreciation, that sense of packing as much joy as possible into those fleeting warm months. Now, having lived through this pandemic, having had travel taken away, having faced uncertainty and loss, we know we’ll experience British summer differently when we return.

We’ll notice more. Feel more deeply. Appreciate more consciously. And maybe that’s the unexpected gift from these difficult times—a renewed capacity for wonder and gratitude.

A Final Thought

As we wrap up this podcast, recording in our quiet house while the kids are away, navigating jobs and unemployment and pandemic stress, we keep coming back to one thing: the memories that sustain us are often simple ones. A sandwich eaten under a tree in Hyde Park. An afternoon in a pub garden. An evening walk through Regent’s Park’s Rose Garden. The golden light of a long summer evening in the Cotswolds.

These aren’t grand adventures or expensive experiences. They’re moments of peace, beauty, and connection—with a place, with each other, with something larger than ourselves. British summer gives us those moments in abundance.

So stay safe. Be kind to each other and to yourselves. Hold on to Britain. Hold on to your dreams. Make a nice cup of tea. And remember: this will pass. We’ll travel again. We’ll experience British summer again. And when we do, it will mean all the more.

Until then, we’re all in this together.

---

This episode was recorded in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine. Things mentioned in this episode include our newly released book “Adventures in Anglotopia,” which chronicles over 20 years of British travel experiences, and our British-themed face masks available at store.anglotopia.net. Links to both can be found in the show notes.

For those dealing with canceled travel plans, remember: Britain will be there when we can all safely return. Keep dreaming, keep planning, and keep that Anglophile spirit alive.