lincasanova

i am thinking about a trip to scotland in february or march, comprising basically glasgow and whatever recommended small towns one thinks we can do in 5 days, hoping to go back for more another year.

we love beautiful scenery, and living in rural areas. visiting large cities for the day is fine, too.

i imagine the weather will be cold and chilling, but is it very harsh in winter as the norm? icey roads? getting snowed in?
if so.. perhaps we need to put this entire idea on hold, although we have enjoyed many places in the cold of the winter.

Fodorite018

I can only speak as a traveler who has visited in the winter, but I am sure the locals will chime in with their expertise. Anyway, we visited in February one year and were in Edinburgh and then up in the Aberdeenshire area. We absolutely loved it!!!!! Yes, it was cold and windy, and we had snow further north...but it was also unforgettable!

lincasanova

unfortunately, it is the time when i can get away.... so thanks for the encouragement. hopefully if we go, we get lucky and don't get some miserable storm. i can imagine with snow it must be beautiful.

JJBhoy

lincasanova,

It's difficult to say with any certainty what the weather will be like in February. Almost certainly cold, but perhaps just as likely to be dull & wet rather than snowy. I live in the Glasgow area & you would be unlikely to be snowed in around here (no promises, though!). As a general rule, the further north you go the more chance of snow & the more rural the area, the higher the chances of it affecting your plans.

I think your main issue will be the lack of daylight. Days are short in winter & if you're on the move you may find yourself travelling around in the dark more than you would like.

You've given February & March as your possible dates & if you could wait until March I'm sure it could make a big difference to your trip - in fact the later the better.

Hope this helps.

Jim

ron

I was in Scotland in early March 2004, 4 nights in Callander in the Trossachs and 5 nights in Glasgow. It was cerainly cold enough that I needed a credit card each morning while in Callander to scrape the frost off the car windows. But it didn't go much below freezing and I had some clear bright days.

I would think Callander would be good option for your small town. Many of the B&Bs had not yet opened for the season, but there was a fair chice of accommodation.

bookchick

I was in Scotland in January and have to say that while it was not warm, it wasn't as cold as some folks think. (I'm from Michigan, and the day I left to fly over, the Fahrenheit temp was 7 degrees!) I never saw any large amount of snow, and that included a ski area my hostess drove me to, where artificial snow was being made for the skiers! It may be icy underfoot, and it did rain during my trip. We went to the Isle of Skye for the weekend, and it was breathtakingly beautiful! Roads, my host explained to me, are often "gritted", the Scottish version of salting a road here, to melt away the ice and provide some traction.

I hope you have a great trip.

BC

beachy1

JJBhoy, as far as your "later is better" advice, how about the last week in March? Will the days be at least a LITTLE longer by then? That's when I'll be there, and I'm not worried about the cold so much as the lack of daylight! I live in Florida, and thrive on sunshine

JJBhoy

beachy1,

As it happens I've been to Florida in the last week in March & there's no doubt that, weatherwise, you guys have the better deal!

To answer your question, the last week in March could well be a nice time to visit. Spring will be setting in & there will be certainly be more daylight then than in, say, early February. As Ron says above, even if it is cold you might well get some lovely clear days.

Jim

MikeBuckley

<i>Will the days be at least a LITTLE longer by then? </i>

Actually, they will be a LOT longer. In Edinburgh there are less than 9 hours of daylight in the beginning of February. By the end of March, there are 13 hours. Big difference!

You can pretty much determine the length of days and the time zone of almost anywhere in the world at this website: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...2005&amp;day=1

I've already adjusted it for March 2005 in Edinburgh. Have fun playing with any city and any time of year.

SidB

Snow and ice isn't generally a problem in the bigger cities. The shorter days needn't be a problem if you plan carefully. You could spend the evenings in a decent pub !

beachy1

Jim and Mike, thanks for the encouraging words... and for the web site, Mike! That's very helpful. I had envisioned very short, dark, cold days, But the friend I'm going with is a teacher, so we were limited as to when we could go. Glad to know we'll see some sun!

Sid, I will definitely plan on spending some time in the pubs! Any particularly good ones in Edinburgh and Inverness?

sheila

There are many good pubs in Edinburgh- the Barony, Mathers, the Diggers, the Abbotsford, the Cafe Royal, the Oxford, the India to name but a few.

There are NO good pubs in Inverness; and not much else worth seeing either.

flygirl

I say go! it's a simply beautiful country no matter what time of year. I've been there in Dec/Jan, and also August - any time is delightful!

lincasanova

thanks for so many suggestions. will try to go as late as possible taking advantage of the longer daylight .. makes sense.

beachy1

lincasanova -- sorry I hijacked your post. Good luck planning your trip! Maybe we'll run into you in March

Sheila -- interesting point about Inverness... I guess I assumed we would spend at least a night there, as my friend and I are determined to see Nessie (I know -- tacky American tourists!) I'll check out your other itinerary suggestions here on the forum.

sheila

Well, if you're really into Nessie hunting Loch Ness would be abetter destination than Inverness. Have a look at Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston as places to stay instead of Inversneckie

beachy1

Ha! Thanks for the advice, Sheila! As you can probably tell, we are just in the beginning stages of planning this trip. I am a notorious over-planner, but I just got back from Italy, so have not had any time to devote to THIS trip! I may e-mail you for tips and itinerary critiquing at some point if you don't mind?

almcd

When I lived in Scotland many moons ago, I used to play golf every week of every month, but I was tough then! There are some people who would say that there is little difference between winter and summer in Scotland. I have had snow in Edinburgh in mid June.

sheila

Don't listen to him, either of you.

And yes, I'd be happy to help.

andyhoughton

Later the better is best - last few years has been only a couple of deluges of snow - tends to stick for only a couple of days - I agree re the length of the days so the later you leave it the better.

Maybe try Stirling as a base - I'm biased as I live there ..... its a msmall city with lots of things to do and a smattering of nice restaurants.. can also take the train to the main tourist centres from there (Edinburgh 50 mins) if the weather was dodgy

Have a great time !