It rains often in the UK but is significantly warmer than continental neighbours, especially during the winter. This is because the seas surrounding the British Isles are warmed by the North Atlantic Drift/Gulf Stream, which originates in the Caribbean, pushing temperatures up by 5 degrees centigrade.

This doesn't mean you can abandon your coats and scarves and run skipping into the waves during January, just that it never gets as cold as the continent. The upside of so much rain is that it's a very green country. It can rain, snow, hail and sunshine within an hour, so don't get down if it's raining, it probably won't last. But then again, it might.

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