Scotland (United Kingdom) Weather And Best Time To Visit Scotland (United Kingdom)

Scotland is a country of exceptional natural beauty and a rich history. The land of Scots was once the seat of the rulers of all England but later the power was grabbed by the English cousins, leaving Scotland as a forced ally of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The place is perpetually cold and muddy, and Scotland weather is mostly always rainy. But the land sees amazing natural bounty in its swelling lakes and seas, lush valleys and forests, highland glens and hamlets. The best time to visit Scotland is from the mid of its spring to the end of its summer, roughly between April to September. 

The average temperature at this time in Scotland hovers between 7-13°C. This is a good time to visit Scotland on a budget trip as the peak season has not yet started. The landscape of many isles is lush green with peppered bunches of lavender, while daffodils bloom. Spring is also the time of cherry blossom and colourful rhododendrons crop up everywhere. Easter is celebrated in April and you can enjoy your time here participating in the festival as well as roaming around galleries and museums and castles.

This is the peak tourist season in Scotland as the temperatures are at their warmest of 15-17°C. Well, it's not much of summer warmth but this is the best you can get in Scotland. The sun is high though, and long, bright days ensure you can have a blast exploring the outdoors. In the northernmost parts of Scotland like Shetland, there are a few days that are perpetually without dark, making your time most enjoyable. You can play a happy sunny game of golf right in the middle of the night!

Autumn is a season of retreating warmth and drying leaves. The temperatures go down from 14°C at the beginning of autumn to 8°C by its end. The colours of the landscape shift from a happy array of rainbow and greens to fierce burnished reds and golds. Photographers can have the most fun exploring at this time. And it is cheaper than summer too. Halloween or Samhain (summer’s end), as it is called in the Gaelic culture, is also celebrated with great vigour at this time, with pagan customs to ward off evil as well as celebrate the harvest.

Winter is Scotland is rather chilly, and rainy, and snowy. December and January are usually the coldest months in Scotland, with temperatures going in negative. The average snow-fall days in the plains of the country are around 15-20, however, cold sleets of rain and hail are a most common occurrence. The highlands and mountain peaks see a round about of 100 days of snowfall and much more difficult weather and landscape through the winter months. Snowboarding and skiing are the best sports here, while if you wish to discover the culture of Scots and their Gaelic roots then come at the time of Hogmanay (Christmas), which is celebrated the old Pagan way by lighting big communal fires and stepping into the new year with song and dance.