I have been told this is NOT the best time to go--but that is when the stars align so here we go for a week or so. Just reading the posts on the changeable weather even into "summer" as we know it in the U.S. Our son will be studying in Edinburgh, but we would like to see other parts of the country as time permits.

"<i>I have been told this is NOT the best time to go-</i>"

And just who told you that? Jan/Feb --maybe not so much. But April/May are absolutely fine. In fact it might even be warmer than in 'summer' -- or not

June is my very favorite month in Scotland. My second favorite? - a tie between September and May. So there is nothing at all wrong w/ going to Scotland in late Spring. The days are getting quite long by May -- so go and enjoy . . .

June in '10 was very fine, but I adored two trips in April '08 and '09, in part because the weather was nice and fewer tourists than June!

I went 3rd weeks of April. From middle/end of April through May I bet will be very nice .. or maybe not ;-)

I've had wonderful weather on every trip. May the weather gods bless you as well!

I would always do May - the best weather, the longest days, tourist sights may be open longer hours and not too many tourists around yet. Yes, you can get bad weather - you can get that almost any time of year in most places. Unless you're allergic to chilly and damp (just bring a sweater and umbrella) May should be fine.

It's usually May that's the best month in Scotland, but things are going a bit shoogly at the moment, this year April was very sunny (although not that warm) and May has been horrible (a couple of weeks ago we had very high winds with quite a lot of damage).
However aim for April of May while keeping an eye on Easter dates when things will be a bit busier

Having moved to Scotland three years ago and now settled in the northern Highlands I'd have to say that mid-May would be your best option. In the more remote areas there are very few attractions open earlier than the start of May, and the last week of May is an English holiday which tends to send a rush of visitors northwards.

January and February are not great times to visit due to the very short days, an overcast day may only have 7 hours of daylight; and potentially disruptive weather. On average May has the best weather out of the whole year, up to 18 hours of daylight and if you're in the Highlands it's too early for the midges to make an appearance.

May, for the longer daylight hours. I've been in Dec/Jan, June, and August and the best times for me was June. So I'd say May.