As soon as autumn arrives, everyone seems to be talking about the “winter sun” which almost always refers to holidays in another warmer, sunnier hemisphere.
It’s easy to think that staying where you are in a cold climate is just going to be months of misery until spring, but few people realise that winter sun – even in a cold climate is just as demanding on your eyes as in the summer sun.
Shorter days and the sun remaining lower means that there is often intense glare in the winter. And of course, if you’re skiing or snowboarding, you’re well aware of the intense glare associated with snowy conditions.
Flying can be pretty interesting too. When it is really gloomy, drizzly and overcast on the ground, there is often a fantastic transformation to brilliant sunlight as you climb out of the low cloud. Winter schedules also mean that you are likely to fly into many more sunrises than in the summer.
Driving too has its challenges: low sun, sunrises, sunsets, rain showers with wet roads and road spray and sometimes those perfect, crisp, sunny winter days – there might even be snow as well.
No matter where you are in the world, winter sun can be quite demanding on the eyes, so make sure you have a really good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from glare and UV all year round.