What Is The Best Time Of The Year To Tour Scotland

One of the most common questions people ask themselves is when is the best time to travel to Scotland? To answer this question you need to take in consideration many factors such as weather, the place you intend to travel to, the events, the tourist attractions etc.

The Weather

The Scottish weather is the most unpredictable thing in Scotland As someone said you can experience all four seasons in one Scottish day. The TV or radio forecast is as unreliable as the weather. Unfortunately, this makes event planning for each day increasingly difficult. If the previous evening you thought the next day would be a lovely day it can turn out the next morning that it's pouring.

One thing to bear in mind is that no matter which season you chose to travel to Scotland, high temperatures are not frequent in Scotland In July and August the highest temperature I've experienced was 22 degrees Celsius. Bottom line, leave the bathing suit and shorts at home and pack warm and remember to bring an umbrella.

Scotland in the four seasons

Spring in Scotland

Spring is probably the best season in Scotland weather wise. Usually, by May the weather settles down and you can spend some excellent days outdoors. The temperature in May is not too bad but long sleeved shirts or tops are mandatory.

Summer in Scotland

The summer is Scotland's most unpredictable and temperamental season You can get anything from rainy days without an end to smashing sunny days. It just depends on luck. The first time around when i went to Scotland I spent 4 weeks out of which I had to spend one indoors because of pouring rain. The second time around however, in 7 weeks I had only a handful of pouring days of which the one I remember best is the day I went to Stirling and from 10 am when I set foot in Stirling to 6 PM when I left to Edinburgh I got soaked to the skin (needless to say I was caught off guard and had no umbrella).

Autumn in Scotland

If Scotland's green is at its greenest in the summer, autumn is also a delight for the traveller's eyes The colour of the grass begins to change, so does that of leaves. Everything (and especially the Highlands) seem depicted in true colours. Also, the autumn light is warmer and if you are into photography you can get some lovely pictures.

Winter in Scotland

Winters is Scotland are cold but hardly snowing, not in Central and South Scotland anyway. Although few people prefer to travel to Scotland in winter time, one can still enjoy the rough, but majestic Scottish Highlands covered in snow.

Important events in Scotland

Before deciding when to travel to Scotland you might want to check out the events of every season. Among the most important are the Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Military Tattoo which last throughout most of August and the Hogmanay, the New Year's party in Edinburgh. Both are fabulous events but also very very crowded. However, if you wish to experience some diverse activity and events in other Scottish areas it would be best to check with the local tourist boards. You can find a list of all Scottish tourist boards.

Opening times for Scottish tourist attractions

Unfortunately, most historic buildings, castles and so on are not open all year long. They are usually open most of the year except late autumn, all of winter and perhaps early spring. It might be an idea to check with Historic Scotland and National Trust for Scotland or opening times for tourist attractions in various parts of Scotland.

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