cheribeachlady

We are planning a visit to Highlands in Scotland Oct 2008. Wanting to get a heads up on best time of year to travel as far as weather; renting quaint digs for less than a week in order to SEE ALL WE CAN SEE in 2 weeks time. Any comments or information would be most helpful. Never been before but want to experience the Most and the Best, Scotland and the Highlands have to offer
Cheri, Florida, USA

sheila

June

janisj

OK - a bit confused. You say you are going in October next year but then seem to be asking what is the best time to go. So is it to be Oct - or are are you still deciding when to travel??

&quot;<i>Any comments or information would be most helpful</i>&quot; There are MANY threads on here about Scotland - what in particular do you want to know. I would start by clicking on DESTINATIONS above to get a good overview and then come back and ask a bit more focused questions.

amelie

In fact there was a thread on June vs. Sept./October very recently.

My vote is June as well.

cheribeachlady

As I said we are 'planning' a trip to Scotland in October. We have not made full committment to this month. I am trying to ascertain from experienced travelers or those that have in fact visited Schotland to determine if Oct is a good month or is there a better time of year. We are planning to go to the Highlands area of North and West Scotland, Inverness, Isle of Skye, etc and don't want Heat or Mags, nor cold cold weather. Hope this helps to clarify a bit. Thanks, Cheri

amelie

You are asking about a better time of the year than October. Could you go at ANY time?

Maybe check this out...
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34957672

What I like about June is the long daylight hours. I don't know what it is like in October. I've only gone in June and Dec/Jan.

pavfec

I lived in Edinburgh for a year and I would also recommend going in June. October can be cool, windy and rainy and not that pleasant to be travelling around sightseeing.

The weather starts to warm up in June and there are more sunny days, although rain is always a possibility.

janisj

&lt;&lt;Heat&gt;&gt; Not much heat at any time of year. Warm is a definite possibility from May through Sept.

&lt;&lt;Cold&gt;&gt; Can be cold any time, even in summer

&lt;&lt;Mags&gt;&gt; I assume you mean midges, right? Really only a problem on calm days in mostly July/August.

If you want the &quot;best&quot; time of year, many will say June - for the mostly nice weather, <b>really</b> loooooong days, and before the summer crowds, and early/mid September - for the heather covered hillsides, mostly nice weather and after the summer crowds

But really - whenever you can get a good airfare is a good time to visit

janisj

&quot;<i>I am trying to ascertain from experienced travelers or those that have in fact visited Schotland</i>&quot;

Meant to add - everyone who has answered you so far has either been to Scotland MANY times, or lives there - so not to worry . . . . .

historytraveler

I have been in Scotland during the first two weeks in October and weather was fine.There was some rain but mostly sunny, cool but by no means cold. However predicting weather, even in a general way, is a bit of a crap shoot. June or September would probably be best if you have a choice.

rogerdodger

My first trip, about 25 years ago was in May. It was very nice. Five years later I went in June. It was very nice. More recently I have gone in October, November, January and February. It was nice. Cool, wet at times, but nice. Just go. Have fun.

egnolive

We are planning a Scotland trip in early March 2008. What can we expect weatherwise? Also, how many hours of daylight at that time? Thanks.

noe847

Here's the daylight info for Edinburgh for March:
http://tinyurl.com/2ovlc8

noe847

And here's a link to weather averages for Edinburgh (Weather Underground):
http://tinyurl.com/2lexm7

Gardyloo

I am puzzled by people who want to go to places like the Highlands and Islands, or parts of Alaska, and ask when the weather's good.

To a large degree, these places are as attractive as they are to visitors partly as a result of their climate conditions. Without rainy or chilly weather, what do you think the Highlands would be like?

I'm not trying to diss people's travel plans, but how much research does one need to to do in order to appreciate that October in northern Scotland is not likely to have much on offer in the way of long days or warm temperatures?

I don't like humidity and heat. Will I be happy in Mississippi in August?

egnolive

noe847 - thanks for the websites.

gardyloo - I was not asking if the weather was good, only what it might be like so as to plan what to bring. I am not going to Scotland for warm and sunny weather. If my post irritated you, I am sorry, but you were under no obligation to respond.

owain

You can't predict the weather anywhere in the British Isles two weeks in advance. October in the northern half of Scotland could involve sunny short-sleeve spells, or snow. Or both, one in each week. The one thing you can rely on is altitude=colder.

janisj

Is it just me - but lately we have all these posters telling folks whether they should or should not reply to threads?? Must be something in the air . . . .

Gardyloo

<b>egnolive</b>, apologies - no criticism intended. I actually wasn't referring to your post. However if your question is what to bring in the way of clothing, don't be afraid to ask it.

Answer - most of Scotland is at the same latitude as southeast Alaska. March will likely be wet in the west, cold in the east, and worthy of woolens pretty much everywhere.

egnolive

Owain,

Thank you for you input. Its nice to know that there are some people on this board that really want to share experiences.

Others,

I had only hoped to get a few responses about my post. I didn't want it to be a negative experience But since it has, I guess I will no longer post so as not to 'irritate' any readers or imply that I am telling someone when to post.