My wife and I are planning a trip to Europe in 2022 to allow things to hopefully improve and restrictions get relaxed.
We are looking at either first week of September or early October. Our first stop will be Glasgow/Edinburgh and down to London to complete our trip. Total of 10 days.
Is the weather ok during those time frames? If we decide to stay in Edinburgh what is a good location to set up home base for 4 days?
Thank you.
The weather wouldn't be OK for me in October, but it might be for you. It's the wettest month of the year in Edinburgh, but it's hardly the sunniest city in Europe at any time of year, so you might judge that it's worth risking coolish, wet weather in exchange for fewer tourists. Do keep in mind that days will be getting noticeably shorter as you move through the fall.
You can check out actual, day-by-day weather statistics for about the last 10 years on timeanddate.com. I usually look at the most recent 5 years. I don't like to depend on averages when I make decisions about the timing of my trips.
I travel to Europe during this time frame every Autumn , for ten weeks ( last week of August to the second week in November ) .Several of these sojourns have been to England and Scotland and I have had no negative issues with unfavorable weather in September and October . The weather starts to get a bit dicey toward the very end of October . Needless to say , I have had to cancel my upcoming trip ( Back to England and Scotland ) due to the virus , but I' will rebook it for next year , pending the availability of a vaccine .
Well it really depends on your definition of "OK". If you will be mainly in cities visiting galleries and museums it will be fine. If you want to be out and about hiking in the hills (particularly in Scotland) then it's probably not the best time of year to visit. I'd keep my visit to early September if I were in your position. Weather is likely to be much better then than in October, especially in Scotland.
Best wishes
Skyegirl (Jacqui)
My definition of OK is regarding temperature. I am used to cold weather I referee soccer in all sorts of weather. My wife not a fan of cold weather but if temps are in 60’s during the day feel we will be good.
For now the most outdoors we might be will walking around Edinburgh visiting castles and if have time taking a bus ride to ride the Jacobite and get a scenic tour along the way.
We were in Scotland in July and it wasn’t too hot, pretty cool in fact. Wore pants and a light jacket.
Don't fall into the trap of looking at average high temperatures and assuming that's about what you'll get when you head to a museum at 9 or 10 AM or to dinner at 7 PM. Those are mid-day averages. Plenty of days will be colder than that between noon and 2 PM, and probably nearly every day will be below the monthly average high when you step out of your hotel in the morning.
Edinburgh's average high for September is only 61.7F, and the figure for October is 55.6F, according to Wikipedia. It's definitely not safe to assume the high temperature will be in the 60s on any given day in either month. You should expect to need a warm layer and a rain jacket.
You can never accurately predict the weather, but early September is generally better than October plus you will have longer hours of daylight.
I was in Scotland a couple of years ago and according to a local, it was the same daytime temperature that day (21 June) as 21 December - 12 degrees, which I think is early 50s. One day in June, we had a chilly 7 degrees daytime temperature.
I would aim to stay in New Town in Edinburgh, but it’s a compact city with good transport links if you want somewhere quieter, slightly further out.
I was in Edinburgh in early July for almost a week and highs were only in the 50s with some rain.
The days were really long which was nice.
I would do earlier rather than later.
Was in Edinburgh a few years ago at the end of Jun. Had just left Normandy and London where there had been a heat wave. Got to Edinburgh with just a light knit jacket and rain poncho. BIG mistake. Ended up finding a sporting goods store to buy a fleece pullover. Wasn't too rainy but the wind was pretty stiff. Tour continued South into the Lake District and Wales along with several days of cold rainy weather. Got so tired of being cold and wet that I bought a rain coat. By the time we were back in London it was hot and sunny. You need to be able to layer and adjust as needed.
You might want to define what you mean by location. Do you mean the part of the city or the type of accomodation. We stayed at the Sheraton. Fairly modern but well located,.good service and excellent food.
If you want to do the Jacobite train then I would pick September. Daylight hours will be longer than October. The odds of getting damp cold weather will increase as you get closer to October and rain and mist will obscure views as well as just make the day less comfortable. I can deal with the cold here in the Midwest, but the UK is very damp and heating in hotels/B&B's can feel chilly to Americans. I prefer not to visit the UK between October and March and I grew up in the South of England! I do hope you decide to spend some time out of Edinburgh - Scotland is beautiful.
Margaret
In Edinburgh we stayed at A-haven guesthouse B&B. It wasn’t right downtown, but it was right on a bus line where we could reach downtown in about 5 minutes. Is was a nice walk to get to Leith. Whether you want to stay at a hotel, B&B, or. AirBnb will partially decide for you. Then you need to decide if you mind taking a bus into town, or if you want to walk everywhere.
Our first choice will be September for sure. Trying to to tie in a holiday in the states so not to use day of vacation.
Layer dressing is easy thing to do and like many have said be able to adapt to changes.
Now gathering info on getting from Glasgow to Edinburgh, then to London.
Thank you for all the responses. Just hope things are settled down by the time we are ready to travel. It will be our biggest trip we have planned for.
Continue to be safe.
I've stayed in Edinburgh 4 times with each a wonderful experience.
Two that stand out for great locations:
We stayed at The Hub at Premier Inn off of Princes Street. To us, it was centrally located for the tram, shopping, and places to explore in New Town. The price was reasonable, it was super clean, and they will also store your luggage for you until you are ready to check in. From the location, it took only a few minutes walking time to reach the Royal Mile.
The other, was a self-catering apartment beside the castle. It was all about location. I loved having my coffee in the morning, looking out at the castle in one direction and Arthur's Seat in the other. It was convenient to open the door and step out into the action without having to take a taxi/bus/train to get to the center of town. You can look on many accommodation websites, i.e. booking.com or Airbnb.com.
As for Glasgow, we stayed in a boutique and trendy hotel (Z Hotel), which was near the pedestrian area and very close to the bus and train station. They had a great wine and cheese in the evenings and a tasty (free) breakfast in the morning.
As for weather, I tend to travel in the shoulder season. My favorite months to travel are Sept/Oct. Prepare yourself, the weather can change in an instant. Wear layers, take a rain jacket and umbrella, and invest in some good water resistant or waterproof shoes with non skid soles. I made the mistake of not bring the right shoes one time and slid all over the wet cobblestone streets of Edinburgh!
Good luck on all your travels!
We were in Edinburgh and Glasgow last August. Weather was mild to cool, and downright frigid one night while we were at the castle watching the Tattoo! Take a medium-weight fleece or rain jacket with you when you leave your lodging each day, and you'll be good. I think my general outfit each day was hiking pants or jeans, sturdy walking shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt, coupled with a fleece tucked in my day bag.
We stayed at a small hotel in the New Town on Princes Street in Edinburgh, but I can't say that it was anything more than fine. We were there in August at the peak of the Fringe and Tattoo, so our main concern was good location at a not-crazy price. A tough combination to find in Edinburgh at that time of year.
New Town was a great area, and we'd stay there again. It's 5 minutes to the Royal Mile and feels slightly quieter than Old Town. No need for a vehicle there (I think it would actually be a nuisance).
We ended our trip in Glasgow and I randomly booked a room at the Hotel du Vin. It's apparently where the diplomats and dignitaries stay - we had no clue, but wow, now I totally understand why - but it was significantly less expensive than the shoebox hotel room in Edinburgh. Different cities, different markets at that time of year, I suppose. It was walkable to the adorable Ashton Lane, where we had a great dinner and capped off our night at the Wee Pub.
