The weather has been putting London through it recently. First bags of sunshine last week, now back to grey skies this week. But with the promise of blue skies and temperatures on the rise, things are seemingly looking up. The days are getting longer, summer is officially (pretty much) on the way – and here at Secret London we’re all about looking for the positives. And today’s little pocket of positivity comes in the form of the return of the long-awaited 6pm sunset.
That’s right, folks – tomorrow (Wednesday, March 12), the dramatic sunset time shift from 5:58pm to 6:00pm is set to floor us all. Londoners are sure to be driven to the point of delirium, with many likely rushing to grab the nearest bottle of Pimm’s and start lighting the disposable barbecues.
Okay, so that’s probably not going to be happening down your local big Tesco just yet. But you still may get a cartful of extra endorphins next week when you leave work and there’s still a decent chunk of daylight to play with.
Better still, it’s one more indication that summer is, in fact, not just a mirage. It’s not just an image we remember as a hazy memory that flitted in and out of our existence sometime around August 2024. Instead, it’s something we can look forward to, knowing that the next time we’ll see anything earlier than a 6pm sunset in London will be in October.
We have sunset gurus Time and Date to thank for this important information – their handy table shows us that the winter blues will indeed start lessening soon. And just to hammer the importance of this event home even further, this is the first time the sun will set after 6pm in London since all the way back on October 17, 2024.
While we are all hankering for the 9pm sunsets that May and June bestow upon London, we’ll take this small win (for now) as we strap into a DeLorean hurtling us towards summer in London. Next stop, cherry blossom season.
Get clued up on the habits of the London sunrise and sunset here.