My wife and I are planning a trip to England and Scotland this summer/fall. No difference for us when we travel. Is there a significant difference between August and September weatherwise? Is September better to avoid crowds and tourists since school has restarted? Thanks!

I'll put in a word for going to Edinburgh in August during the festivals, at least if you enjoy theater, music, and dance, as well as comedy. We were there last August and gorged on culture for a week with several performances a day. If that isn't appealing to you, however, then it might be a good time to avoid Edinburgh. I loved the atmosphere at that time, but it is pretty crowded.

This is a no brainer-- September.

A huge number of europeans vacation in August - September will still be good weather and many fewer tourists to cope with.

Definitely September - no question. Far less people and gorgeous weather. It can also be cheaper as sometimes B&Bs, etc. drop their rates off season.

September weather will be good. The country will be back to work and you will have significantly fewer crowds. Prices drop significantly after Summer. August may be the worst month to travel. September is certainly one of the best (my other favorite being May depending on whether you want blooms or harvest).

Unless you are specifically going for the Tattoo/Festivals in Edinburgh -- September is miles better.

If you DO want to attend the Tattoo/Festivals - then book your Edinburgh accommodations ASAP. The city about doubles in size in August w/ every room booked up far ahead.

Otherwise, save on airfare and accommodations and travel in mid to late September.

we were in Edin. during the Festival in August ; it was too crowded for my taste. Avoid it!

Everyone to his/her own taste, because I loved being in Edinburgh during the festivals.

Chacun a son gout. Our August vacation in Scotland was wonderful, the countryside was uncrowded, and the Edinburgh festival was one of my all-time favorite travel experiences. We reserved our rooms in July.

Obviously there are those who disagree, but anyone considering it might be interested in my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35150085

Depends what you want to do. the weather is never reliable in the UK but I'd plum for September for all sorts of reasons

We went to Scotland in early September about 4.5 years ago and it was great. Funny thing was that the previous three weeks (the heart of the Tattoo and festival season) were rainy and nasty; we had pretty good weather.

In August, Europeans are on vacation so lodging is more difficult to obtain. Edinburgh in August is either fantastic due to the festivals or a gawdawful mess -- depends on what you like. Considering that Edinburgh normally has only about 450-475K residents and in August it gets about 1,000,000 visitors, the city becomes very crowded. And by "the city" I don't mean Edinburgh and its surrounds, I mean the old 1/2 square mile of old town near the castle and the New Town area where there's a Starbucks on nearly every street corner.

It's not like the capital of Scotland is lacking for culture from September to next July.

There is absolutely no way to know whether the weather will be better in August or September in any given year. I'm with Nikki & Janis, come in August if you want to do the Edinburgh Festivals (my favourite time of year here), otherwise avoid Edinburgh in August. (We don't know if you actually plan to visit Edinburgh ?)

September does have the advantage of being outwith the main school holidays. (Scottish schools go back mid-August but English ones in early September.)