Londoner camps on balcony to beat 35 °C heatwave

Marketing worker Eleanor Job, a resident of London, abandoned her bedroom on the night of July 9, 2026 after temperatures in the capital peaked at 35 °C. She set up a small tent on her balcony, used a yoga mat as a mattress and pointed an indoor fan into the tent. The next morning she reported sleeping seven hours – up from three to four hours previously – and feeling “amazing” with much more energy.

Job repeated the experiment the following night, swapping the yoga mat for sofa cushions and adding an eye mask and ear buds to block light and noise. She warned that the setup had downsides: she was cold at 3 a.m., woke at sunrise when the balcony door opened, and suffered sore hips. After posting the experience on TikTok, viewers shared similar coping tips and stories.