Clothing Tips for Cities

You will not look out of place no matter what you wear, but most will be wearing shorts/trousers and boating shoes or trainers, not dresses and sandals simply because these are more comfortable for all the walking that you will be doing and these will keep your feet drier for when it rains. The area round the castle in Edinburgh is cobbled, so flats are best.

Today the weather forecast said that Glasgow will be 8 degrees lower than the seasonal average at only 14 degrees! Emma is right - they are having a miserable summering Scotland.

Today the weather forecast said that Glasgow will be 8 degrees lower than the seasonal average at only 14 degrees! Emma is right - they are having a miserable summering Scotland.

Nah, not miserable. Just that the lawns are getting out of control.

Might need to buy some sheep.

Emma is right in that the weather for August will be finalised sometime in September following a parliamentary investigation.

I always bring my sandals to Scotland. I also have closed toe walking shoes and my boots for the walking part of my trip. But, that said, it has been a cold summer in Scotland this year. On the other hand, maybe the good weather is waiting for you. :) I often bring along at least one skirt for dressing up, but even in the good weather, I'm usually wearing slacks when Glasgow or Edinburgh. I wear the sandals if it is warm out--which for me is anything above 60 degrees--but if it's raining I default to the closed toe shoes unless I know it's quitting soon. My feet do love sandals. :)

Pam

Thank you all for your replies. Good to know that most people will not be dressed up. You never know with different cities. I agree that anything above 60 degrees Fahrenheit would be good for sandals. They are so much more comfortable for wearing with skirts and dresses, which I enjoy wearing. And I can walk so much further in them than many other types of shoes. I have some flats that are great for walking, made by Keen, but they are not very dressy. We will see what we can do about bringing good weather with us :)

The only possible reason for all the filthy weather in Scotland this "summer" is that they are being punished for wanting a referendum and putting all those SNP people in power.

See what you get!!!

Hmm, Nigel, I didn't realize that you were one of those wacky posters to The Scotsman's articles. Oh, wait, you're probably actually joking! : )

Footwear! It's the bane of my packing existence!

A few years ago I spent 2 weeks in Scotland in August, including 2 days in Glasgow and 4 days in Edinburgh. The weather was never above 65 degrees F that I remember, and usually much lower. We usually leave our lodgings early in the morning and are gone all day, so we dress accordingly.

For that trip, I took Chaco sandals (very comfortable, imperious to water, and double as my shower shoes), Keen low cut hikers (also waterproof), Merrell Mary Janes (my "dressy" shoes) and Merrell knee high almost flat black boots (waterproof). In the cities, I exclusively wore my boots with a skirt or dress, and even bought a pair of tights to wear underneath, except for the day we hiked up Arthur's Seat (do it!) when I wore the Keens. In the highlands and around Stirling, I usually wore the Keens as well. The Chacos were perfect for the borders region with pants. Didn't break out the Mary Janes with bare legs at all except for the plane ride, returning to 90+ degree weather at home.

I know, I know, 4 pairs are too many. My adult sons teased me ("it's always the shoes, Mom!") But, I figured I had a range of conditions covered: very cold to hot!

Currently, I am struggling with the same dilemma, only this time it's a week in London, a few days at Bath and the Cotswolds, and then 5 days around Glasgow, including Oban and Iona, I hope. My activities range from a Saturday evening at the theater (Benedict!!!) to the Scotland v. Germany soccer game, with hiking and museums and sightseeing. I could fill my suitcase with just appropriate footwear.

My suggestion to you is to plan for a range of temps. Sandals may be adequate for you, coming from Oregon, and choose with comfort in mind. I chose the boots over the sandals for the cities so to keep my legs warm. Emma's suggestion about leggings under dresses is a good one. I may try that in London, since I don't think I have room for my boots on this trip.

Enjoy your trip--Scotland is fabulous!

We just got back, mostly Glasgow, one day in Edinburgh.

I wore capris, sandals, another semi-open shoe. Some of the days I wished I had my jeans and boots! Some days it was warm. And I am from San Francisco, so no stranger to dressing for the cold during the summer!

I almost didn't take my fleece jacket and I would have died without it. Sometimes, especially when semi-wet (which was a lot of the time) it was downright frigid. I wore both my ball cap hat, and my wool knot hat.

Moral of the story - pack layers. Next summer could be very different, but I would not have been at all happy in dresses and sandals. Brrrrrr.

I would pack capris, since they can kind of serve both ways, with sandals if warmer, with a jacket and closed shoes if colder. And a rain jacket for sure!

Kim

For a best estimate- check the forecast before you leave to see if it is supposed to be on the warmer/cooler/wetter side of things. I was in the UK for the last week in August a couple of years ago. I wore my sandals for the southern UK part of the trip but not in Scotland. During the day, when the sun was shining, I was fine in a short sleeve shirt, sometimes wiht my jacket on but unzipped. But night was chilly. Jacket was zipped up with a scarf and hat.

Only you know what your temperature tolerance for sandals will be. But remember "cool" feels "cooler" and "warm" feels "warmer" when you are outside touring all day.

Brooke, you're from Oregon. Where people are different! Actually, we're very outdoorsy....like the Scots. You're going to Scotland which is even colder. In Oregon, we wear runners/sneakers and raggedy pants or capris. You're brave to consider a dress and sandals. I challenge you, right now, to walk out your door in your cute dress and sandals, and walk ten miles in that outfit. If you're a proper tourist, hoping to see lots of things in Scotland cities, you will probably want to consider something else. Sorry, my dear, maybe I've traveled too much and see too many people wearing reasonable outdoor clothes and comfortable (really comfortable for loooooong distances on pavement) shoes. No one will judge you or give a hoot about what you look like or what you wear. Oh, and watch out for those midges on your bare skin...worse than mosquitos (I'm told).

So, first let me say that we DID bring good weather with us. We were in Scotland for 16 days, and only had one day when it rained most of the day (our day on Iona :). It was sunny much of the time and we were frequently "hot" in Edinburgh, and not just because of all the Fringe festivities! We planned for rain and cold, so were pleasantly surprised.

With your help, I decided against sandals and am glad I did. In the west and the highlands I wore mostly my tennis shoe/low hikers. In Glasgow and Edinburgh I wore mostly my Keen Mary Janes, which went with my causal dresses and skirts just fine. I did wear leggings which helped keep me warm, and I could take them off when it got hot. The weather changed from moment to moment, and many of the establishments do not have air conditioning or even cross ventilation, so it was nice to be able to peel off layers as needed. You were correct, the majority of the people had on pants and walking shoes, except for those in kilts and boots :)

Scotland and her people are amazing. We can't wait to return.