Scotland - West Coast in September
 

We are planning a trip to Scotland for early September. In trying to decide where to focus our travels we wondered if we would encounter more rain on the west coast during this period. Any thoughts?

Yup. You will. But you might encounter none.

The weather is usually iffy in Scotland, but if it's bad in one place, often you can move on a few miles and have better luck. The supposedly sunniest spot in all the UK is the Isle of Tiree, which is on the west coast.

It might be a bit windy on ferry crossings in September.

Please don't let me put you off. The West Coast in September an be sublime. And warm and sunny. I've been burned raw on the Cuillins the last weekend in September. (I've also had to grow webbed feet because of the downpour, but I'd still rather have a week of wet in the West, than a week of haar in the East)

Nothing more painful than burnt Cuillins!

You're telling me!!

At least you'll be missing the worst of midges season...

The geography of the western highlands means that all the moist air from the Atlantic delivers buckets of rain as soon as it reaches high ground. If you keep heading west till you're past the main hill ranges you will often find weather that is dry, if cloudy, when most of the highlandfs looks like a swimming pool. The reason the Isle of Tiree has such unbelievable hours of sunshine is that it's so flat the clouds have passed over without even knowing it's there.
Anywhere in the far north west, one day of good weather will make a month of rain seem worthwhile :-)

The geography of the western highlands means that all the moist air from the Atlantic delivers buckets of rain as soon as it reaches high ground. If you keep heading west till you're past the main hill ranges you will often find weather that is dry, if cloudy, when most of the highlandfs looks like a swimming pool. The reason the Isle of Tiree has such unbelievable hours of sunshine is that it's so flat the clouds have passed over without even knowing it's there.
Anywhere in the far north west, one day of good weather will make a month of rain seem worthwhile :-)