First she battled the crowds on the country’s official hottest public transport - London’s Bakerloo and Central line.
Then she tried to enjoy an ice cream in Cambridge, the city which currently holds the record for Britain’s highest ever temperature.
So all in all it was a super hot day out for the Mirror’s Lydia Veljanovski....
Sticky people are stuck together on London’s Central Line tube as the temperature hovers around 40 degrees.
Some are comforted by the whirr of electric fans, while others use hats or newspapers to try and bat away the heat. Constant sighs and fidgeting fill the carriage as we restlessly await the moment it’s our stop, and we can escape.
The streets and cafes are less busy than usual as many heed the Governmental warnings to stay home, and out of the heat.
In Piccadilly Circus at midday, my thermometer reads 39 degrees in the sunshine.
However, as the temperature is always measured in the shade, Kew Garden holds the true record of the day - 37.5 degrees at 3pm.
There are limited services on much of the public transport, and the bus is not much cooler, with its small sliding windows barely providing a breeze.
My final destination today is Cambridge, which was forecast to be the hottest place in the country, and still holds the current record for hottest UK temperature [38.7C in July 2019].
But my train is running behind due to an emergency lower speed limit because of the extreme weather.
When I finally get into town I encounter Angelo Ariano, 53, who is cooking fresh pasta at his Italian food stall, Mangia Italiano, in Market Hill.
Although he is surrounded by steaming pans that infuse the air with rich flavours, he says the heat doesn’t faze him. “Well I am used to it because I’m from the south of Italy,” he explains.
“But if I was in Italy I would be on the beach or in the mountains right now,” exclaims Angelo.
Next, I spot Icelandic student Thorgerdur Maria Thorbjarnardottir, 27, who is busy scrawling across the hot tarmac on Kings Parade with coloured chalk: “This is the coldest summer for the rest of your life.”
She studies conservation leadership at Cambridge University and explains she wrote this “as it is a good message to remind people that this is not normal and that it is not a one-off case and it will continue.”
Catherine Wise, 37 and from Meldreth, is reclining in the shade after being at work all day in her job at the uni’s fundraising department.
“The heat is actually a bit oppressive if you don’t have something to do,” she says.
“It’s nice when you’re on holiday, isn’t it. When you’ve got somewhere to swim, you can sit by the pool, have a sangria, etc. But not when you’ve got to do work.”
My thermometer reads a staggering 45.6 degrees in the sun and I decide to treat myself to a Mr. Whippy ice cream.
Not to eat alas, but to test its ability to withstand this heat.
The first slid off as I walked out the shop. The second took just 4mins 51 seconds, before it was sliding down the pavement away from me.
Tourists give me dirty looks as they leap over the milky stream, and I watch the cold liquid with longing and regret - I’m off to buy another!
