When To Travel - England/Scotland/Ireland

For England, I'd say May/June/July before schools close for the summer. I've been freezing in May (snow while showing brother and Texan wife Changing of the Guard - she wasn't impressed) and in July, but I've also roasted in July (this year and last had to hook up the portable a/c in the house - the middle of July was when summer left this year). August often is wet and cold and has worse weather than September which is another good month, the kids are back in school but the days are shorter.

I would say for the weather I would choose August.. The least rain.. everything is green over there for a reason.. August you will get the least of it. I doubt you will see crowds even at festivals right after a pandemic.

Claudia, another regular on here, swears by November and December in London. If she chimes in I am sure she can fill up the space with plenty of things to do.

Thanks for the quick responses. Hubby and I are hoping to do a trip from mid November until just before Christmas 2021 which will end in London. For this particular trip I’m more interested in good weather, such as that is. As for August in London being green, that was definitely not my experience in August 2006. The grass in the parks was totally dried up because of a heatwave that had occurred a few weeks earlier.

Crowds usually depends just as much on what you will be doing.
I hate rain and cold weather, but visiting London in November just felt very appropriate. Same with Ireland, which I visited in October (that week included a hurricane, but I think that was a fluke). I invested in excellent boots and took a good raincoat, and all was fine. Those were "bonus" trips, so I did not obsess over weather like I do on my regular vacations and in which I do a lot of outdoor activities. So, for example if you wanted to do some golfing or rambling in the countryside, I'd focus more on weather. Otherwise, I'd just go prepared.

Hi Andrea,

As an American who now lives in England (nearly 10 years) I personally would not recommend coming to the UK from November-March. I am someone who really enjoys spending time in the beautiful British countryside and it really comes to life in spring and summer. There's no place like it! But in those winter months... the cold, wet, and mud (do not underestimate the mud) and the short daylight hours just really make things not very pleasant. I could see how someone would still enjoy London in the winter as it is a vibrant city, but if you are hoping to enjoy the countryside, I would suggest waiting until the brighter months. If you can avoid the school holidays (just six weeks, end of July to first week in September) I wouldn't worry too much about crowds. Scottish and Welsh have slightly different school holidays but it's more or less the same.

Regarding festivals- The Fringe in Edinburgh is August is really crowded. I'd make sure you're up for it before you plan to go through there in August.

And if I can make a suggestion about Wales- we had one of our best family holidays on the Pembrokeshire coast. You can basically walk the entire coastline of the county. Stunning and not crowded! Rick doesn't cover it in his books but it is a gem.

Cheers.

Thanks for the good advice. If my husband and I are able to travel in 2021 (only if we are vaccinated and it’s safe where we will be going) our time in London will be to enjoy the holiday festivities.

For the trip with our friends (It will be the first trip to Europe for the husband of the other couple and the rest of us have been to London) we will likely spend a few days in London and a short visit to Edinburgh, we will probably focus primarily on small towns and nature. No golf, but some hiking. I was thinking some time period between May - October, trying to avoid school holidays. November- March is not what I was thinking for both weather and shorter days.

If it’s a 2021 trip, then I would aim for September. The weather is usually ok and places aren’t as busy as in July and August.

Covid-wise, it’s not just about you being vaccinated. There’s no point visiting somewhere where cafes, theatres etc remain closed or have restricted opening, which is likely to be the case in May. It’s going to be early summer before most of the U.K. is vaccinated.

Jennifer, this trip would occur in 2022. My husband and I are hoping for a trip from around mid-November to just before Christmas in 2021, that would take us to Germany and France, ending in London. We will only do either trip if it’s safe to travel and things are open.

As Nigel has said I’ve traveled to London most often in November and December. Has been my preference for years!

I’m not a night person, early riser so simply don’t care that days are shorter. I’ll do pre dawn hikes in the parks or along the Thames path. Nary a problem.

I go then simply because for years fewer crowds, cheaper room rates and with research good airfares.
I’ll readily admit as the years have passed its been more about comfort than cost savings but I digress...

Early November because I throughly enjoy the Lord Mayors parade. Mid November for gallery installments, pantos begin, Jazz festival, Christmas at Kew Gardens, switching on of Christmas lights Oxford and Regents Streets, and towards the end of the month Santa Runs.... The free Winter Wonderland is Hyde Park. A fun meander about.

In December the lighting of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, pantos and Santa Runs. Great chorale music, finding unique Christmas cards at Spitalfields and Portobello markets created by Local artists. Fun stuff like Eel Pie Island Artists Open Studios. Or dining in igloos set up along the Thames path.

Double check London Theatre website to see what performances are occurring. I love London theatre and most often get tickets for same night performances by stopping at the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square. However if through my research I know there’s a show I “ must “ see I’ll book in advance.

Some rainy days but over the years sunny blue skies with crisp Chilly temps have been the norm. I dress in layers and bring a pair of Keen slip ons and their low ankle hiking shoes. Both pairs have served me well. Comfortable, durable and amazingly light weight as I’m a carry on traveler.

In planning these excursions I research Time Out London, The Londonist, and the websites for the National Gallery, London Theatre, St Martins of the Fields.

I’m relating what I’ve enjoyed in past years, pre Covid.

Disappointed I won’t be in London for another Christmas . Hopeful for 2021 but until there’s a safe, and proven vaccine I have many memories and photos to enjoy!

Never been to Scotland or Wales. Been to Ireland and Northern Ireland on 3 trips.

PM if you’d like.

There's a handy climate-summary chart in the Wikipedia entries for most touristy cities. Here's the one for Portree (Skye, Scotland). You'll usually find more categories of data than that.

When I'm considering shoulder periods south of the Alps or southern Europe in the summer, I dig deeper by going to timeanddate.com to review the actual, historical, day-by-day weather stats from recent years. Monthly average temperatures don't cut it for me. I want to see the last 3 to 5 years' worth of data so I know how hot or cold it might get, and I'm not interested only in high temperature for the day. I've given you a link to Isle of Skye weather in July 2020; you will note that there were many, many rainy periods.

I don't know about Ireland (haven't ever researched it), but in general the western side of Great Britain is somewhat wetter and warmer than the eastern side, so where you plan to go can matter. I learned from one of our regular posters, who lives on the Isle of Skye, that the months of May and June are a bit drier than July and August on that island; that may be the case elsewhere along the western coast. I spent most of July 2019 in Scotland, and the rain kept me from doing some things I really wanted to do. I didn't have much problem staying warm, but the rain was an issue while I was staying in Oban and on Skye. There was also a good bit of rain while I was in Glasgow, but it didn't much matter there, because most of my sightseeing was indoors. My experience of less rain in Edinburgh and Dundee was consistent with the "less rain in the east" statistics. Rain has rarely been a significant issue for me in London. Trust me, Scotland, especially western Scotland, is considerably wetter.

I've been in London during several recent Septembers, and by that time of year I am aware that the days are getting shorter. I much prefer traveling in late spring rather than early fall. However, I am one of those people who really needs sunlight for energy; I'm sure September is fine for most people. But Scotland is a lot farther north than London.

One other thing about Scotland: The tourist season outside the cities is rather short; I suspect that is why the tourism infrastructure often seems a bit thin. There is often more demand than supply where lodging is concerned, and finding a table for dinner in popular coastal locations sometimes requires making a reservation--and I don't mean just at the fanciest places favored by gourmets. I avoided that by showing up at the door of a restaurant at opening time, but even that was not sufficient on Sunday, because a lot of places were closed that night but we tourists still wanted to eat.

Thanks for the information acraven.

Being from New England, I'm of the ilk: There's no bad weather, just bad clothing. Not quite the quote and I don't know who initially coined it. I've done a lot of winter and shoulder season traveling in the UK, and even some light trekking thru the fields in winter. It can be mucky so I'd bring an extra pair of appropriate clothes for field walking, regardless of season. However, I'll admit that tourist crowd and weather considerations, I find October and November or April and May to be the best compromise. In the UK, I'll admit I was once in the Yorkshire Dales at the end of June into July, and the flowers in the Yorkshire Dales were lovely. But there were tourists there as well... And we weren't being tourists on that trip...other than the Tour de France. Basically, do you want to see the buds after winter or the leaves falling after summer? I'm an autumn person...

We are from the American South and prefer warm weather, but did four weeks of driving in England and Wales during October 2017. The weather was very nice and not so chilly until the end of the month when we were in The Lake District.

We have been to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales during other months, like May and March. I would plan on avoiding the Summer crowds. I think September and October are better than Spring. Late May is still good.

Just a hint on your planning, don't try to do all four countries in even a month. We spend 4 weeks in S. Wales and England and didn't stay in London at all, or visit east or southeast of London.

You need 10 days to do Scotland and 8-9 days for Ireland.

Here is my detailed review of our 2017 self driving tour.
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

Andrea, thanks for starting this thread. Good info. I recently bought the RS England, Ireland, & Scotland guidebooks. I have bookmarked this discussion!

Geovagriffith, thanks for your comments. I am a California girl and don’t like to be cold. And I get cold easily. I’m hoping hubby and I can do a trip in November/December 2021 incorporating some Christmas markets, but that’s an exception. Our trip would end with a minimum of one week in London.

I haven’t been able to discuss an England/Ireland/Scotland trip at any length with our friends yet. The husband has never been to Europe and I know he tends to want to see more than is reasonable during a trip. We cancelled a trip (different itinerary) that was supposed to occur this year in September and October. He kept wanting to add places, but not add time, to the trip. I had to temper his expectations about what we could do. I’ve learned to go to fewer places for longer times. Otherwise a trip becomes a race and it all blurs together.

When they can tell me how much time they have to travel I will have a better idea about what we can realistically see. They may have to exclude a country or two. My hubby and I can arrive earlier and stay longer. People have given good advice for what time of year would be best. I’m leaning towards May/June (the friend’s birthday is in June and longer days would probably be her preference) or September/October.

A friend joined me for part of my summer 2019 trip. A reasonably comprehensive visit to Scotland and two weeks in London were both important to her, and she also wanted to visit a bit of northern England, including York. But she wanted to limit her time away from home to about 6 weeks, whereas I was willing to spend more time in Great Britain. We each put together lists of our target towns and sights, and I estimated (very roughly) the time those sights might require. We ended up with 19 days for her in Scotland (our first stop together) and 26 days for me, so it was clear I needed to get to Scotland a week before her.

Since I mostly needed extra time in Glasgow and Edinburgh, I started with four nights alone in Edinburgh, then moved on to Glasgow three days before my friend's arrival. Together we spent four nights in Glasgow, with me switching hotels. We ended the Scotland part of the trip with four nights in Edinburgh, adding up to a total of about a week in that city for me. Splitting my Edinburgh time and changing hotels in Glasgow (for financial reasons) was a bit inefficient and isn't something I would normally do, but it wasn't that big a deal. I was able to hit all my top-priority sights (closure of the Burrell Collection in Glasgow having saved me considerable time). For her part, I think my friend felt she would have liked more time in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. For what it's worth, we both liked Glasgow at least as much as Edinburgh.

Aside from often sightseeing separately even when we were in the same city, we diverged twice on travel days due to different priorities: My friend took an early train from Dundee to Edinburgh to maximize her sightseeing time in the latter city, but I (with more total time there) took a slow bus through the picturesque East Neuk villages. Later, in northern England, I spent an extra day in Newcastle so I could day-trip to a ceramics fair while my friend (more interested in history) went on to York.

We were using public transportation, which made sometimes traveling separately between cities not too much of an issue. We had that one night of paying for two hotel rooms (in Newcastle and York), but after Scottish lodging rates, we didn't flinch. I feel like we did a good job of dealing with quite different sightseeing preferences. And we're still speaking to each other. (You'd have to ask her whether she'd be willing to put up with me for 6 weeks again. That might be a "No.")

We have been to England ( London and elsewhere) multiple times since 2003. I have one to favor May and September for our visits. May does offer longer days, but September has the month-long Thames Festival t in London, with a broad mix of guided walks, art installations, concerts, and other events focused on the history and culture of the river. It is not the type of festival that draws a huge number of visitors, so it does not make London more crowded.

https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/artistic-programme/totally-thames/

You can get an idea of the programs offered from this year's offerings, although they were mainly virtual ( which means we can participate from afar.

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/43808913-totally-thames-2020

In May 2014 we traveled around the U.K. ( England, Scotland, and Wales) with my sister and her husband. The weather was nearly perfect---just one day of rain, in Glasgow. The rest of our week in Scotland was nice and sunny. (My husband says we should not go back to Scotland because it will never be that nice again).

In 2016 we spent the entire month of May in England, mostly in London, but also visiting York, Whitby, and Hadrian's Wall. And a quick 3-day trip Paris to watch the tennis (French Open). It was cold in York at the beginning of the month, but warms up rapidly and the rest of the month was nice, warm, and sunny.

Our longest September visit was a week spent in London in 2015 at the end of the month. Again, the weather was great. I think that was the year we discovered the Thames Festival.

We’ve made separate trips to Scotland, England, and Wales in May and generally had good weather. Likewise, our trip to Ireland was in early October and we also had good weather. By good weather I mean generally sunny, but rain from time to time. Light jackets were occasionally needed during the day, and almost always in the evening. We’ve been to London a 4 times in the last 6 years, in mid to late November and early to mid-December to celebrate my wife’s birthday, and have taken day trips to York, Bath, Windsor, and Hampton Court. On most days a heavier coat was required and gloves and hats came in handy on occasion. On our 2019 London trip, on the day we went to Bath, it rained and the temperature was just above freezing. We prefer traveling in May and September/October to avoid both any extreme heat or cold and the summer crowds. While we have been fortunate regarding weather on our trips, every year’s weather is different and of course will vary depending on which part of the UK you’re in on any given day.

Andrea,
I have traveled extensive visiting 78 foreign countries and living in Germany and Saudi Arabia for several years.

You must balance the scope of your travels with the time available. If you travel too much, you will waste time traveling from place to place. IF you travel too little, you will not see enough.

1) If you haven't been to Europe, you can spend several days in the major cities like London, Paris, Rome, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam and more. I have been to Paris several times, probably spending a total of 25 days there, but still haven't seen it all. Rome deserves a week but you can hit the main sites in 5-6 days.

2) Trying to visit several countries that are not close together will waste a lot of time. Even traveling from London to Edinburgh will take many hours. It is best to fly or take the overnight sleeper train.

3) Plan your trip day by day. Plan what you wish to see. Use TripAdvisor (things to do) for what the key sites are. Plan your travel and the time it takes to go from one place to another. You can save money in a city by doing it on your own, but some times using a tour company will save time since they will get you from place to place faster.

4) We like staying in B&Bs near the city centers. Five star hotels are nice, but we don't spend a lot of time in our lodging. You get a nice free breakfast and save on lodgings.

5) Driving in Europe is different than the USA, especially driving on the left in the British Isles, but the British and Irish people are good drivers and polite. Drivers in some countries can be more aggressive, like Germany or Italy, more unpredictable. Avoid renting a car in major cities, since parking is expensive and you don't need a car since public transportation is available.

Geovgriffith, I appreciate your thoughts. While I have not traveled anywhere as extensively as you have, I have been to Europe 9 times since 2006. We had 2 trips planned for this year that had to be cancelled. I have planned all of those trips myself, with the help of guidebooks, the internet, talking to friends and this forum. It’s much easier to plan for just myself and my husband than it is when others are involved. Depending on the trip and our destinations we either use public transportation, drive, or a combination of the two. I’ve driven in many countries, including England and Ireland.

I’ve been to Paris 6 times for a total of approximately 40 days, and I also haven’t seen it all. I’ve actually been to all of the cities you mentioned, some more than once, with the exception of Berlin. I expect we will get there one of these days but haven’t made it there yet, although I’ve been to Germany 6 times. I have family that live there.

When we took the train from Edinburgh to London I recall it only taking about 4.5 hours. Within Europe I have only flown once, from Milan to Prague. Generally I plan locations that are closer together.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on what is the best time of year to travel to these destinations.

Lola, thanks for the information. Those links are very helpful.

Concerning when to travel in the UK....could someone explain the school calendar? Schools are still in session into July? When are school holidays or vacations? I imagine the calendars may vary, but generally? Thanks.

Denny, that’s a great question. Apparently kids are out of school for other periods of time during the year as well. A friend, who has been to London numerous times, was there one year in February. Kids were out of school and the museums were mobbed with them. He said they were generally not well behaved and it was miserable. His worst trip ever.

There are some websites that purport to display that information. I can't vouch for their accuracy or completeness.

https://www.myskistay.com/date/en-schedule-of-the-school-holidays-Europe.html (this one excludes summer, I guess because it's not skiing season in Europe)

https://www.schoolholidayseurope.eu/

https://study.studentnews.eu/s/3693/75527-School-year-in-Europe.htm

It would also be a good idea to Google for the specific country you're interested in. For example: school holidays France.

Thanks to you both for the school information. That’s very helpful.

Thanks very much. It’s always been a mystery to us. We’re retired teachers ourselves, and generally school began end of August/early September and ended early June with a couple of days at Thanksgiving, two weeks in midwinter/Christmas and a week in Spring/Easter. One day I’d like to learn about forms and O levels et al. . Happy holidays.

Shows you what I know, huh. 🙂