Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When to go
Predictably unpredictable is probably the best way to sum up Highlands weather, and
for many people that's the greatest deterrent to a visit. It's not so much that the
weather's always bad, it's just changeable: four seasons in a day, as the old Islands'
cliché goes, as weather systems barrel across from the Atlantic Ocean. Even if the
weather's not necessarily good, it's generally interesting: often exhilarating, frequently
dramatic and certainly photogenic. Well suited, in fact, to the landscapes over which
it plays such an important role.
he
summer
months of June, July and August are the high season, with local school
holidays making July and early August the busiest period. Days are generally warm,
but the weather is often variable. Daylight hours are long, however, and, in the far
north, darkness hardly falls at all in midsummer. The warmer weather does have its
drawbacks, though, in the form of clouds of
midges
, the tiny biting insects that
appear around dusk, dawn and in dank conditions, and can drive even the most
committed adventurer scurrying indoors.
Commonly,
May
and
September
provide weather as good as, if not better than, high
summer. You're less likely to encounter crowds, and the mild temperatures combined
with the changing
colours
of nature mean both are great for outdoor activities,
particularly hiking. May is also a good month for watching nesting
seabirds
; September,
however, is stalking season for deer, which can disrupt
access
to the countryside.
AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURES AND MONTHLY RAINFALL
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
OBAN
Max/min (ºC)
7/2
7/2
9/3
11/4
14/7
16/9
18/11
18/11
15/9
13/7
9/4
8/3
Max/min (ºF)
45/36
45/36
48/37
52/40
58/44
61/48
64/52
64/52
60/49
55/45
49/40
46/37
mm
146
109
83
90
72
87
120
116
141
169
146
172
inches
5.8
4.3
3.3
3.5
2.8
3.4
4.7
4.6
5.6
6.7
5.8
6.8
BRAEMAR
Max/min (ºC)
4/-2
5/-1
7/0
10/1
13/4
16/7
18/9
18/9
15/6
11/4
7/1
5/-2
Max/min (ºF)
40/29
40/30
44/32
50/34
56/39
61/44
64/48
64/48
58/43
51/39
45/34
40/29
mm
93
59
59
51
65
55
58
76
73
87
87
96
inches
3.7
2.3
2.3
2
2.6
2.2
2.3
3
2.9
3.4
3.4
3.8
FORT WILLIAM
Max/min (ºC)
5/-1
5/-1
8/1
10/3
14/7
17/10
18/11
18/11
15/8
11/5
8/2
6/1
Max/min (ºF)
41/30
41/30
46/34
50/37
57/45
63/50
64/52
64/52
59/46
52/41
46/36
52/34
mm
200
132
152
111
103
124
137
150
199
215
220
238
inches
7.8
5.1
5.9
4.3
4
4.8
5.3
5.9
7.8
8.4
8.6
9.3
SHETLAND
Max/min (ºC)
5/1
5/1
6/2
8/3
11/5
13/7
14/10
14/10
13/8
10/6
8/4
6/3
Max/min (ºF)
41/34
41/34
43/36
46/37
52/41
55/45
57/50
57/50
55/46
50/43
46/39
43/37
mm
127
93
93
72
64
64
67
78
113
119
140
147
inches
5
3.7
3.7
2.8
2.5
2.5
2.6
3
4.5
4.7
5.5
5.8
OPPOSITE
DEER IN HIGHLANDS FOREST
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