There's no gentle way to put it: this is the hottest week of the year, and the sensible plan is an indoor one. A jigsaw happens to be about the most pleasant way to wait out a heatwave — calm, screen-free, and easy to pick up and put down as the afternoon drags on.
The UK's hottest week of the year
The Met Office has an amber extreme heat warning in force across much of the UK from Monday to Thursday, with temperatures climbing into the mid-to-high 30s and a real chance of the hottest June day on record. The nights aren't offering much relief either, staying above 20°C in a lot of places.
The official advice is straightforward: stay out of the sun through the hottest part of the day, keep your home cool, and drink plenty of water. Which, conveniently, is the perfect excuse to do very little indoors for a few hours.
Why a jigsaw suits a heatwave
When it's this warm, anything that involves rushing about is off the table. A jigsaw asks nothing of you but a flat surface and a bit of patience. There's no screen glare to squint through, no battery to die, and no need to concentrate so hard that you overheat. You can sort a few pieces, drift off for a cold drink, and come back when you feel like it — the puzzle waits.
A jigsaw is the rare activity that's genuinely relaxing in the heat, not just bearable.
Set up a cool corner
A little setup makes all the difference. Pick the coolest, shadiest room in the house — usually one that doesn't catch the afternoon sun — and keep the curtains or blinds drawn on the sunny side to keep the heat out. A few small things help:
- Do your puzzling in the cooler hours, early morning or once the sun has dropped, and take it easy through the midday peak.
- Work on a board or tray so you can shift the whole thing to follow the shade, or tuck it away at mealtimes.
- Sort your edges and colours into shallow trays or saucers so you're not hunched over a warm table for long stretches.
- Keep a cold drink within reach and a fan ticking over nearby.
None of it is essential, but a shady spot and something cold to drink turn a puzzle from a way to pass the time into a proper escape from the heat.
Puzzles that suit the weather
If you're starting something fresh, it's worth picking artwork that matches the mood — bright, breezy and easy on the eye rather than a fiendish all-greens marathon. A few of ours that suit a lazy hot afternoon:
Trevor Mitchell's Weymouth Harbour is a proper British seaside scene — colourful harbourside houses, fishing boats and families milling about on the quay. Plenty of distinct areas to work through without it ever feeling like hard work.
For something cooler just to look at, Exotic Garden – Lagoon Paradise is all turquoise water, jungle greenery and wildlife — a Heye puzzle with enough going on to keep you happily occupied through the hottest part of the day.
Time Off, by Joanna Pilarczyk, is exactly what it sounds like: a warm, characterful Heye scene that's a nice fit for an afternoon when doing nothing in particular is the whole point.
And Bird Nest Village by Janice Daughters is a gentle, charming Falcon de Luxe piece — the kind of calming scene that's easy to dip in and out of between cold drinks.
There are hundreds more in our 1000-piece collection, with plenty of restful coastal and garden scenes in cottages and gardens if you'd like something gentle.
Stay cool and safe
A quick, sensible note to finish on. Heat like this is lovely for an afternoon indoors, but it's worth keeping an eye on the basics: drink plenty of water, stay out of the sun during the hottest hours, and check in on elderly neighbours, young children and pets, who feel it most. Bring the puzzle, the drinks and the family into the coolest room, and there's no reason a heatwave can't be a genuinely pleasant few days.
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