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If you want a winter break for sunbathing and warmth, then Scotland is not the place for you. However, if that is the type of holiday you are looking for it probably wouldn’t be your choice mid summer either!
If you would like to spend a few days of site-seeing, visiting ancient castles, and seeing stunning scenery then we believe you should strongly consider Scotland.
Scotland’s Weather
Unlike many countries, our temperature doesn’t change much from summer to winter. Yes, we do get warm sunny days in the summer that can reach around 25 °C and freezing cold, snowy days in the winter that get as low as -2°C. You will find colder temperatures in the mountains and glens of northern Scotland. The truth is that the lowland areas don’t get snow every year so to find snow you need to go to the mountains in the Scottish Highlands. Weather statistics tell us that the average temperature in Edinburgh in January is 7°C and in July 19°C. This means that if you do visit Scotland in the winter, you will need jumpers and a jacket. If you plan to travel to the Scottish Highlands and spend some time outdoors then a hat and gloves will also be advisable, but you don’t need to dress for an arctic expedition. In fact, if you live in a warm country, and visit in the summer you will probably need a jumper and light jacket for the chillier days.
Touring Scotland in the Winter
The Hairy Coo operates many of its fun coach tours of Scotland throughout the winter. The tours are exactly the same as they are in summer except when you visit sites like Stirling Castle, the Quiraing on Skye and take part in a whisky tasting it will be a little bit quieter. This means you can get great photos without lots of people in them spoiling the view. If you are lucky and it has been snowing on the mountains you may get some stunning views with blue skies and white mountains. We can never promise what the weather will be like in Scotland at any time of the year so as long as you are prepared you will be able to enjoy your day out.
Another great benefit of winter touring is that there will be no midges. Midges are tiny fly-like insects that bite but aren’t dangerous in any way. They are very annoying and often found in the north and west of Scotland during the summer months. They love still, warm, damp days. So during winter you will be able to enjoy the delights of Skye without midges or thousands of other tourists.
The summer in Scotland means long days and very short nights. This means that during winter tours you will be leaving and arriving back in Edinburgh in the dark. This is not all bad news as you might get to view a stunning sunrise and sunset.
The Hairy Coo
All the Scottish tour guides at The Hairy Coo love Scotland no matter what the weather or time of year. They will be delighted to welcome you on one of their Scotland tours at any time of year and will do their upmost to ensure you leave our little country wanting to return again.
Edinburgh is also a great city to visit during the winter so we recommend leaving time before or after your tour of the Scottish Highlands to wander the old town, visit Edinburgh Castle and enjoy some time in our restaurants and bars.
