In our changing climate, we should be careful what we wish for

In the midst of a gloomy British winter, Will Gore recalls an alpine walk when heat got the better of him

A rather vigorously sunny day near Obergurgl can be too much of a good thing (Getty/iStock)

The upward curve towards summer has begun. Christmas is over, the days are lengthening and a new year will soon be upon us. Not that it necessarily feels like it: the bleak month of January, stretching out far ahead, rarely offers promise of what is to come.

Anyway, as we pine for some heat, we might do well to recall that there can be too much of a good thing – just ask the poor old Aussies. Or cast your mind back to those record-breaking days in June and July when Britain opened every window and still sweltered.

Walking in such heat can be a trial for some. (But it’s almost always preferable to the rain.)