Beautifulscenery

I'll be able to visit Scotland for 3 days in January. I was planning to fly to Inverness and spend one night there hoping for the one in a million chance to see the northern lights before heading to Edinburgh the next day.

IF a miracle occurs and its a clear day and northern lights are present (yes, I'm hopeful) , would I even be able to see them from the city or would I need to plan to rent a car/take a tour out of the city to get a good view?

elbegewa

Before you go keep an eye on the northern lights information & forecasts at http://www.aurora-service.eu/ and http://www.aurora-service.eu/aurora-forecast/

BritishCaicos

The site elbegewa posted above is an important tool for trying to see the Aurora.

We have found the information on the site to be very accurate during trips to Norway. Put simply if the forecast is low you have no chance, if high there is a good possibility.

Good luck.

hetismij2

You will need to get out of the city, away from light pollution and with a clear view of the northern horizon to stand any chance of seeing them, and even then they will most likely be low on the horizon, not dancing overhead.

ESW

The main issue is light pollution as this will mask the Northern Lights. You need to be away from the city and somewhere where there is no lighting.

sheila

Consider staying in Cromarty. Or go to Kirkwall instead

hetismij2

The site elbewega linked too doesn't seem to be up to date, having a forecast for 11 November at one point and then for today elsewhere.
I use this site: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/Europe and also the Space Weather App on my phone.

BritishCaicos

That's the actual site we used hetis, I remember now, the EU site isn't updated frequently. It looks similar to the Alaskan site.

The Alaskan site offers daily information.

We found the the forecasts to be very accurate on our three Norwegian trips.