During British Summer Time (BST, roughly April to October), the UK is one hour ahead of its own winter self. So for those six months, we actually match Lanzarote. The clocks finally become best friends.
But when we fall back to Greenwich Mean Time in autumn—BAM—Lanzarote stays put. Suddenly your 10 a.m. breakfast is 11 a.m. there, and you’re eating toast in a time vortex.
All this because the Canary Islands refused to spring forward with the rest of Spain in 1940. They were like, “Nah, we’re nearer Africa, we like our sunrises at a sensible hour.” Respect.
The tragic consequences of getting it wrong
Imagine you’re booking a “9 p.m. sunset catamaran cruise” online. You set your UK alarm for 8 p.m., smugly thinking you have an hour. You actually have two hours. Or zero hours. Panic sets in.
The real tragedy? You’ll miss happy hour. That’s a crime against humanity, and possibly a war crime under the Geneva Conventions of cheap booze.
Pro tip: When you land, change your phone to “Canary Islands” timezone immediately. Do not trust your phone’s “automatic” setting—it sometimes thinks you’re in Madrid and adds a phantom hour.
Time Difference Lanzarote And Uk at Eva Mowery blog
I once spent three days being an hour early for everything. I ate lunch at 11 a.m., watched the sunset at 5 p.m., and looked like a lost idiot at the beach bar. Don’t be that person.
