Rain or Shine (V)

What to do by the sea - come rain or shine (V)

Sun one minute, rain the next - who knows what the crazy British weather will do next? Either way, there's lots to do beside the sea, says Beverley Fearis

There's no rain in Spain

Hail fell so hard and fast in London last week that it covered roofs and the ground like snow, leaving a white blanket several inches thick. Across northern and western England the clean-up is still under way after epic floods following the wettest June on record. Meanwhile, Greece and much of southern Europe have had a heatwave, with temperatures peaking at 46C and triggering numerous forest fires.

But while the crazy weather has caused chaos for many, travel companies have been rubbing their hands with glee, thanks to a surge in last-minute bookings. Many privately admit that the weeks of rain have thrown them a lifeline after increased airport security and, crucially, rising interest rates, led to poor sales for the first half of the year.

'We've seen a big increase in bookings in June and we think it's purely down to the rain,' said David Marshall of Abta, whose members are reporting sales in June up between 4 and 20 per cent on last year. 'I think people have just decided enough is enough.'

The first week of this month has seen an even bigger rise in bookings, and proved that the weather ranks far above fears of terrorism in travellers' minds. Last Saturday, even as pictures of a flaming jeep ramming into Glasgow airport were dominating the news, Travel Republic recorded booking numbers up 22 per cent on the previous Saturday.

The extreme temperatures in Greece and Turkey have yet to deter travellers, despite reports of tourists being evacuated from the island of Poros to escape wildfires; and power cuts caused by too many air conditioning units overloading the system.

'The past fortnight has been the busiest for bookings since Easter,' said Marlen Taffarello from Kosmar holidays, the UK's biggest tour operator to Greece.

Last week more people booked trips to Greece than anywhere else, according to Lastminute.com, the first time in a year that it has overtaken Egypt, while Turkey has risen to fourth place.

The extreme heat in Greece is now abating, but along with much of Europe south of the Alps, temperatures will remain above 30C for the next few days. Meanwhile the north-south divide shows no sign of ending - according to forecasters, the UK will struggle to get above 20C in the first part of this week.

END ( The Observer ,Sunday July 8 2007 )