I'll be working in Ireland late February. I've been there at least five times before and have seen most of the areas I'm interested in. I'm wanting to add some vacation time and am considering Scotland for an additional 7 - 10 days.

Our main interests are natural beauty; nature walks; castles ... No interest in golf or fine dining. Prefer scenery to big cities--and loved N. Wales, N. Ireland's Antrim Coast; and Ireland's Dingle Peninsula. But would probably enjoy a couple of days in cities.

Any suggestions for an itinerary?

And ... might the weather dictate that we skip Scotland at this time of year?

Well it will be winter - and expect it to be much colder than Ireland. (We have been in July when it was windy, raining and in the upper 40s). So you might get moderate temps or you might get sleet/lots of cold rain (I think probaly not snow).

If you want to do more outdoor things I would wait until May or June anyway - or else bring lots of warm clothes and waterproof shoes/boots.

Hmm ... might want to rethink this ;-)

Had no idea it could be so cold there in July.

I don't know why it'd be colder in Scotland than Ireland. It should be about the same temperature. Yes, it will be cool/even cold depending on your tolerance level but could also be dry and sunny. All depends on how much weather is a factor in your decision. If you really want warm and sunny then head to the south of France where temperatures might meet a warmer criteria. If you're willing to put on a few extra layers of clothing, Scotland should suit you just fine. Late Feburary is not the ideal time for a visit but I'd have no problem with it.

Ireland is entirely surrounded by waters influenced by the Gulf Stream, and most of the time gets its winds from the South West. There's no physical barrier, such as a mountain range, between Eastern Scotland and much of Siberia - and most of Scotland is a great deal higher than Ireland.

So Scotland's weather is a constant battle between warm, wet weather from the South West, and cold, often dryer, weather from the NE. You can't ever forecast which will win, though it gets easier a week or so ahead - and in winter these days, the weather the Russian commies try to inflict on the Scots most often trounces the ineffectual right-wing freedom-loving waffle the enfeebled Americans try to tempt them with (Scotland traditionally votes far to the left of England and Ireland). Global climatic weirding is a fact - and it's causing colder winters in Scotland than even 20 years ago, though that's still less certain than the unpredictability of weather anywhere in the British Isles: you might be in Ireland during a balmy week in Scotland - but the odds are against it.

Apart from a narrow strip on Scotland's West coast late February is almost always clearly winter in Scotland - while it's manifestly early spring in Ireland and southern England

The traditional Irish locations for mid-February non-skiing holidays are Florida, the Caribbean and parts of the Mediterranean, though golfing hols to bits of the Atlantic's eastern shores (like the Algarve) might be possible. Or city breaks in London or Paris.

As a reasonably committed walker, I wouldn't preplan a significant outdoor holiday anywhere in these islands before mid-March. You might compromise and holiday somewhere in England with lots open but close enough to decent country that you can get out when weather permits (London, Bath and Oxford are obvious examples)

But if you're unfamiliar with Rome, Naples or Barcelona next Feb sounds a great opportunity to establish an acquaintance. Or go skiing in the Alps.

Don't forget, too, that the daylight hours will be much shorter in these northern latitudes at that time of year - city breaks and indoor/museum visits, yes, scenery and country walks only for the masochist, or for people who use them as a convenient pretext for a lot of time in a cosy pub.

Thanks so much for informative (and entertaining) responses.

I've got lots to think about. I've been to Southern Italy (Rome, Naples, Sicily) and London, Bath, and Oxford. Loved all of them -- but have never been to Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, or anywhere in Spain. Haven't been to Paris in decades--and DP has never been there. But even if we do a "city" based trip, we're still big walkers and won't want the weather to be horrid.

I neither ski nor imbibe (yes, life is still worth living) so pubs and ski slopes are not going to work.

I'm not expecting beautiful weather in early March--nor do I need it. I'm not seeking a holiday in the sun--but I'd rather avoid "brutal." I've had good luck with weather on some previous February trips to Ireland--but have also hit bone-chilling cold during coastal walks--and snow in Donegal. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We'd been staying in a very old thatch cottage with no TV or computer access--so we had not heard a weather report. We woke to trees glittering with ice, as if they'd been hung with tinsel--and a heavy mist atop a blanket of snow. It was like stepping inside an impressionist painting and I took some stunning photos during several long walks. But it did make driving even more tense than usual.

I'll be working in Belfast, then spending some time on the gorgeous Antrim Coast in N. Ireland--one of our favorite places. From Ballycastle, on a clear day, one can see Scotland -- so it seemed like a good idea ... Scotland's high on my list--but it sounds like it should wait until a different time of year.

"scenery and country walks only for the masochist, or for people who use them as a convenient pretext for a lot of time in a cosy pub."

Typical urban myopia.

Real country walks (+/- 10-15 miles) in February in much of the British Isles (including Scotland) can be absolutely fabulous (far nicer than in the unspeakably vile weather for walkers we're often saddled with in July and August, and infinitely preferable to Scotland in midge season). Unless you're a total wimp, you can always wrap up against a bit of chill or a few drops of rain - though it's certainly true that winter pub food works better than rotten salads in a "beer garden" full of plastic chairs and queues for canned lager.

The problem is the complete unpredictability more than a week in advance: even us non-wimps cavil at 10 days outdoors in near-freezing rain.

Patrick, quite literally, should get out more. There are at least 50 stations within 90 mins of central London and half a mile of a footpath leading to a proper 5 hour circular walk across open countryside. So even on the shortest day of the year (and late Feb has daylight from 0630-1730) it's possible to wake up in London, note how nice a day it is, check online it's just as nice at Lower Chiddleton on the Wold, and get a train to it that'll guarantee a blissful walk, a decent lunch in a pub selling decent beer, and a return back to the station before it gets dark in time to catch a train to London that'll get you in in time to catch a play.

One of the many reasons why London is the world's greatest city. ESPECIALLY in mid-Feb.

flanner, that's all well and good, but whilst it may encourage Patrick to get out more, [though I doubt it] it's hardly helpful to the OP.

a place that may interest you, Songdoc, and where you will have a fighting chance of warmer weather in late Feb/March , is [wait for it], CORNWALL!! wonderful walking, great gardens that time of year, a mild climate - all you could possibly want.

AND - you can fly from Dublin to Exeter on Flybe, pick up a car, and be here in about an hour and a half. [actually it's only about 30 mins to the county border, but you'll need to drive a bit further to find the best and warmest bits]

you could spend a couple of days in Exeter and/ or Plymouth [both historic cities, and very different], drive down into Cornwall, and get the train back to ? London from Penzance.

<i>I don't know why it'd be colder in Scotland than Ireland. It should be about the same temperature.</i>

It's further north, there are a lot more mountains which if nothing else will assist snow in falling even if you are staying near sea level, daylight hours will be shorter, much of Scotland doesn't get the benefit of the Gulf Stream, Scotland takes the full brunt of easterly and northerly winds & weather systems, Ireland is protected from them by the bulk of the UK...

... Need I go on?

Going on - have a look at this

http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpre...is_uk_snow.jpg

This was the UK in January 2010. Note the difference between Great Britain and Ireland

No you don't need to go on. I get it. Sometimes I get things wrong, but I am teachable. I concede that it'll be colder, there'll be more wind and it's more likely to snow in Scotland than in Ireland. I did realize that snow in Ireland was a much rarer event than in Scotland. Should've thought more about it before posting, but that concept seems to plague many posters.

Should've thought more about it before posting, but that concept seems to plague many posters.>>

but it wouldn't be so much fun if we all thought before we posted, would it?

cornwall should be warmer than Ireland as it's further south.