The dawn of autumn: Britain begins to turn russet and gold as the nights draw in (but it's still not too cold for skinny dipping!)
- Today's Autumn Equinox marked by fantastic display of gold, red and brown
- Forecasters say unseasonably warm weather to continue for beginning of the week
- But will turn more changeable and chilly towards the weekend
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Autumn showed its true colours this weekend as trees and plants across the country turned beautiful shades of red and gold.
While most the country is still be enjoying warmer than average temperatures, that has not stopped the stunning autumnal display heralding the the changing seasons.
Today is also the Autumn Equinox, the transition from summer to winter.
A woman strolls past the red and gold-leaved trees in Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, on the first day of autumn today
Walkers enjoyed the changing landscape today on the Autumn equinox. Despite the change in colours, forecasters say the weather is unseasonably warm
Forecasters say temperatures are up to 6C higher than expected in September. Chloe Lester, 20, takes a break with her dog Billy in Hartington in the Derbyshire Peak district (left) while a man walks through the dropped leaves in Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire (right)
Purple heather was in full bloom at Bratley View, in the New Forest, a favourite spot with walkers and photographers.
Photographer Mark Upton, 25, from Portsmouth, said he had to stop when he saw the heather in the evening light.
He said: 'It was a very spontaneous thing. I was driving through the New Forest and the light began to drop and I just had to go and take a picture of the stunning heather.
'The heather is in full colour and the leaves and grass is starting to turn a golden brown- mix that with the sunset and it's one of the greatest places to sit back and relax.'
However, summer is not quite over yet. The Met Office say temperatures will be unseasonably warm tomorrow.
Aberdeenshire should expect temperatures to rise to as much as 23C, while parts of England could feel even warmer.
A Met Office spokesman said temperatures are currently about six degrees higher than average for September.
Purple heather was in full bloom at Bratley View, in the New Forest, a favourite spot with walkers and photographers
Photographer Mark Upton said he saw the heather and 'just had to go and take a picture of the stunning heather'
Punters enjoy the warmer than average temperatures as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge on Sunday
Nature marked the Autumn equinox with a stunning display of red, orange and yellow leaves
He said: 'Locally it will be very warm for this time of year. That will last for the next couple of days but will begin to become more changeable by the end of the week.'
The warm weather was perfect for brave skinny-dippers who stripped off today at dawn in an attempt to break the world record.
The hardy souls jumped into the North Sea off Druridge Bay, Northumberland, in an event supported by the National Trust.
All proceeds raised were split between mental health charity MIND and the National Trust's conservation work along the Northumberland Coast.
Although 180 people took part, it fell shy of the current skinny-dipping record of 506.
Jax Higginson, the event organiser, said: 'It was perfect. The sea was like a mill pond and the sky was very clear.
A sea of golden sunflowers at Newton Rigg College near Penrith, Cumbria gave the area a taste of summer today despite it being the first day of autumn
More than 100 people braved the cold to take part in a dawn skinny dip world record attempt at Druridge Bay in Northumberland
The record attempt raised money for mental health charity MIND and for the conservation work of The National Trust
'It wasn't cold at all. People stayed in for ages, most people were in the water for ten to 15 minutes - I was in there for nearly half an hour.
'Everybody was just really feeling alive and being part of nature. 'Nobody was shy - everyone just took part fully.
'The atmosphere was really warm, there was a lot of love.
'Most of the registration money was going to charity so that's £2,000 straight away.
'A gentleman that came last year had his 72nd birthday yesterday and he took part again this year - I think it's now his birthday celebration.
'There was children aged five and six going in their with their parents.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2429034/Beautiful-colours-come-chill-autumn-creeps--apparently-cold-skinny-dipping.html#ixzz2feYYQUUE
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