Bri
tish Cold Facts Collection The UK may not be known for its sunny weather, but it certainly has plenty of interesting facts and figures about the cold. Here are some of the most fascinating: 1. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK was -27.2°C (-17°F), on 30 December 1995 in Altnaharra, Scotland. This is the same temperature as the coldest ever recorded in England. 2. The winter of 1962-63 was one of the coldest on record in the UK. The Thames froze so thickly that people were able to walk across it. The BBC newsreader Richard Baker famously announced, "It's snowing again, and it's probably the coldest day of the winter. In fact, the coldest since... well, the last one, really." 3. The phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" is often attributed to naval slang. However, its origins are unclear, and it may simply be a product of rhyming slang. 4. The UK is home to the largest ice hotel outside of Scandinavia. The Ice Hotel in Surrey is made entirely of ice and snow and is open from December to February each year. 5. The Scottish word "smeddum" means "dust or grit". However, it is also used to describe a person with inner strength, resilience and tenacity, much like a grain of sand that keeps on fighting against the wind. 6. In 1947, the UK experienced one of the most severe winters in history, with snowdrifts reaching up to 6 metres high in places. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was called upon to drop food and supplies to isolated communities. 7. The record for the fastest ever ice cream van was set in June 2011, by inventor Edd China. He drove his ice cream van, called "Mr Whippy", to a top speed of 73.921 mph (118.954 km/h) at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire. 8. The Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, are known for their extremely low temperatures. However, they are also home to a unique breed of sheep called the North Ronaldsay, which subsist mainly on seaweed and have adapted to the salty, wind-blasted conditions. 9. The ice age that shaped much of the UK's landscape ended around 11,000 years ago. However, in some parts of Scotland, Norway and Sweden, glaciers still exist and continue to shape the terrain. 10 The UK is home to some of the most extreme cold water swimming events in the world. The Chillswim Coniston End to End, held annually in the Lake District, involves swimming the length of Coniston Water, which has an average temperature of just 14°C (57°F). At the other end of the country, the New Year's Day dip at Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire draws thousands of brave souls who plunge into the icy sea. From extreme swimming to resilient sheep, the UK certainly has its fair share of cold facts to keep us entertained.
