When's the best time to go Scotland?
- Thread starter Ricochet J
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Now is probably NOT the best time to come up here, fair enough beutiful scenery and all that sort of stuff, but the weather can and most probably will turn very nasty very quick. I would leave off till easter tbh.
Someone mentioned the dreaded midge, dont really worry bout the little blighters unless you go up the west coast, they are killers up that way due to heavy forestation, anything over a 3mph wind and you wont be bothered.
I strongly recommend you DONT go climbing unless you have experience in doing so in the past and ALL of your party are strong climbers. The mountains up here are killers (literaly) and you dont normally here of us Scots being the victims (we know when not to climb up them
)
Someone mentioned the dreaded midge, dont really worry bout the little blighters unless you go up the west coast, they are killers up that way due to heavy forestation, anything over a 3mph wind and you wont be bothered.
I strongly recommend you DONT go climbing unless you have experience in doing so in the past and ALL of your party are strong climbers. The mountains up here are killers (literaly) and you dont normally here of us Scots being the victims (we know when not to climb up them
)
Muban said:Go to the Loch Tay area. Lots to see, Munros to climb, white water rafting, boating and canoeing. I even know an excellent B&B (my friends run it)Loads of good drives too if you are taking the car. Careful if you are going hill/mountain walking/climbing that you don't do it too early in the year. There will be snow on them there hills for a good while yet!
2nd recommendation for Loch Tay area and the adventure centre which does the white water rafting, quad biking, motor boats among many more was called croft na caber last time i was there. Which is at the Kenmore end of Loch Tay and at the Killin end is a nice set of tumbling waterfalls, lot of pubs, restaurants etc for a nice relaxing drink and meal.
If the midgies are chasing you the drink and meal will be needed to replenish the energy expended
If you are thinking of walking do something like the West Highland Way, as this will be slightly safer than proper climbing, as the weather can turn up on the hills and mountains in seconds.
SCM
Ive spent a lot of time in Scotland and its truly a magic place. The highlands are a very very beautiful place indeed. I climb mountains every year in the UK and abroad and i always return to the highlands. 
Without doubt the worst times i have had in Scotland are due to the dreaded Midge! The west coast can get particularly bad indeed. I remember one year camping just south of Glen Coe and it was so bad we had to abandon camp. I remember looking down at my fleece jacket and it was literally a heaving mass of the little blighters, truly a nightmare. The locals said it was particularly bad that year. Saying that nothing will stop me climbing and camping up there!
I usually go in May or September now to avoid the torment of the Midge.
In all my years of going there i have tried just about every commercially available repellent to no avail. In my opinion the only thing to stop em is a steady breeze, so find a nice high camp and sit back and enjoy the view
My recentest trip was to Inverpolly in the far north-west, its a truly magical landscape much like the lord of the rings. We climbed a mountain called Suilven, its a day i will never forget. Fantastic....
http://www.inverpolly.com/
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~markt/scotland-suilven.html
http://www.nafirchlis.co.uk/suilven.htm
Enjoy your stay
Albaba
Without doubt the worst times i have had in Scotland are due to the dreaded Midge! The west coast can get particularly bad indeed. I remember one year camping just south of Glen Coe and it was so bad we had to abandon camp. I remember looking down at my fleece jacket and it was literally a heaving mass of the little blighters, truly a nightmare. The locals said it was particularly bad that year. Saying that nothing will stop me climbing and camping up there!
I usually go in May or September now to avoid the torment of the Midge.
In all my years of going there i have tried just about every commercially available repellent to no avail. In my opinion the only thing to stop em is a steady breeze, so find a nice high camp and sit back and enjoy the view
My recentest trip was to Inverpolly in the far north-west, its a truly magical landscape much like the lord of the rings. We climbed a mountain called Suilven, its a day i will never forget. Fantastic....
http://www.inverpolly.com/
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~markt/scotland-suilven.html
http://www.nafirchlis.co.uk/suilven.htm
Enjoy your stay
Albaba
May tends to be a decent month for weather in Scotland, it's when the exams are on at school so the sun usually beats the rain away for a little while. As has been mentioned earlier this keeps the midges at bay as well.
Depending where you're going it might be worth walking the West Highland Way, that's easilly researched beforehand.
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/uswalks/westhighlandway/
I'm Scottish so can drag out an old stereotype if I want to. If you're going hill climbing then the required gear in Scotland is a bottle of Irn Bru in one hand and a daily record rolled up and stuffed in your back pocket, the primary outer garments are a string vest and pair of jeans.
Seriously though, there are stories in the Scottish papers every year about climbers/hill walkers getting into trouble due to a lack of preparation/knowledge or inappropriate gear so make sure you treat it seriously if you do decide to try it.
Depending where you're going it might be worth walking the West Highland Way, that's easilly researched beforehand.
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/uswalks/westhighlandway/
I'm Scottish so can drag out an old stereotype if I want to
. If you're going hill climbing then the required gear in Scotland is a bottle of Irn Bru in one hand and a daily record rolled up and stuffed in your back pocket, the primary outer garments are a string vest and pair of jeans. Seriously though, there are stories in the Scottish papers every year about climbers/hill walkers getting into trouble due to a lack of preparation/knowledge or inappropriate gear so make sure you treat it seriously if you do decide to try it.
Lots of quality places to check out, and surprisingly theres usually a lot going on if you read up in advance. Spring/Summer is probably the best time to check out Scotland.
However Snowboarding/Skiing has been pretty awsome last few days due to the huge snowfall we've had.
I'd certainly suggest a trip to Avimore, theres usually some fun things going on, and theres the odd open day where you can try a variety of different sports and so forth for free, and get a little training. Theres also some decent centers up here where they teach you how to ski and suchlike, while also getting to do some of the more adventerous things.
I don't know so much about the west coast, but its great fun with a few mates and few beers, theres tons of fun to be had if you look in the right places.
Wherever you go here though, I'd totally suggest checking out the tourist information as they will be able to point you in the right direction, also the shops(outdoor) usually can point you in the right direction.
However Snowboarding/Skiing has been pretty awsome last few days due to the huge snowfall we've had.
I'd certainly suggest a trip to Avimore, theres usually some fun things going on, and theres the odd open day where you can try a variety of different sports and so forth for free, and get a little training. Theres also some decent centers up here where they teach you how to ski and suchlike, while also getting to do some of the more adventerous things.
I don't know so much about the west coast, but its great fun with a few mates and few beers, theres tons of fun to be had if you look in the right places.
Wherever you go here though, I'd totally suggest checking out the tourist information as they will be able to point you in the right direction, also the shops(outdoor) usually can point you in the right direction.
