The heat is on: here’s how to ride out the heatwave

Get ready for the hottest night on record in the UK
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Prepare for sleepless nights — tonight is predicted to be the hottest night on record in the UK, hitting 25C.

An “African plume” will likely see us beat the record of 23.9C from 1990. But don’t have a meltdown. London is greeting the heat with ice slippers and free piña coladas. Here is your guide…

Heat-tags

Twitter is already losing its cool over #heatwaveuk, so join the conversation — but make your post sizzle. During the US heatwave, one user posted a video of a melting chocolate Empire State Building. Another shared a picture of a bikini-clad Statue of Liberty. And Instagram is full of cats lounging in sinks and basking by fans.

Find inspiration in culture: Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Instructions For A Heatwave, or Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing, which shows how they do heat on the street in Brooklyn (water fights) — it’ll soon be on at BFI Southbank and many Vues. Or blast another type of AC... AC/DC’s Skies On Fire, which gives sound advice: “Pack up and head for higher ground.”

Take to the lake

The heatwave coincides with school holidays, so avoid the lido. Branch out: the golden sands of Ruislip’s 60-acre lake await near the end of the Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines, and Beckenham’s new wild swimming spot opened this week — it’s over five times as long as Brockwell Lido, so no need to worry about clashing elbows.

Ice ice baby

Look for the thermometers outside the London Cocktail Club’s bars: staff are slashing the price of piña coladas each time the mercury reaches 25C this summer, with two for a fiver at 30C and free cocktails if it hits 35C.

The Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch is serving giant frozen margaritas on its Mexican-themed rooftop, and the Bluebird Café in White City is hosting a frozen afternoon tea with ice-cream sandwich macarons and freakshakes.

Sw-heat dreams

This insomnia-inducing heat means Amazon is doing a roaring trade in £4 cooling pillows and £15 ice slippers to keep in the freezer during the day.

If you’re planning anything steamier than sleeping, think again: Love Islander Michael Griffiths revealed the contestants haven’t been having sex on this year’s show because it’s “too hot”. But don’t let that stop you taking your clothes off. GP Dr Sarah Brewer says snoozing naked improves sleep.

Cool commuting

Cycle share app Beryl just launched its pay-as-you-ride scheme in the City — bundles start at 100 minutes for £5 — so swap the bus for a bike. Pedal fast for a breeze! Avoid the Central line, which hit 42C last year — above the legal limit for transporting cattle. An air-conditioned Circle line train feels like nirvana in comparison.

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