scotland timing

I haven’t been in April, we were there in July this past summer. Edinburgh (Royal Mile) was crowded. Everywhere else was fine. I would think the factors affecting your decision are cost, weather and crowds. Your call.

I took a look at the summary weather statistics on the Wikipedia pages for Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness, and they consistently showed both average highs and average lows for June to be 10 degrees (F) warmer than April. I assume there wouldn't be as much difference if you were comparing late April to early June.

June's likely to be considerably rainier than April in Inverness, however.

Hi, rc,

If you plan a lot of outdoor activities, you'll have about three more hours of daylight in June, as opposed to April. However, if you are planning outdoor activities, especially in the Highlands, you may be bothered by midges. Midge hats are readily available in outdoor shops (Tiso, Black's, Nevisport, etc.) Your question about midges was answered on another thread, but they are similar in nature to the North American black fly. But nastier.

You are right about airfare being cheaper in April. That's what they used to call "shoulder" season, as opposed to "peak" season. There shouldn't be that much of a difference in B&B costs, at least not enough of a difference to influence your travel plans.

School holidays in Britain don't generally start until the end of June, so you won't have the competition for accommodation in either June or April. But you will encounter school/college groups from other countries vying for accommodation.

If you're in Scotland in mid June, expect daylight until about 10:30 p.m. You could still read a newspaper outside at 11:00 p.m. I've personally been in Scotland in April and June many times. In April, best to dress in layers, with a waterproof top. In June, the waterproof top would be all you need. Weather is unpredictable. You could have 60 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures in April, and 40 degree temperatures in June. In 2016, weather forecasters were predicting the warmest summer in years, so I told my wife that all she needed was a lightweight rain jacket. This was mid June. When we got to Aberdeen, it was 39 degrees, and windy, so she had to buy a winter jacket. Fortunately, they were on sale at Black's, so she got a really nice waterproof jacket with a liner for 40 pounds. It ended up being a cold summer, so the moral is, never trust a long term weather forecast.

All of that being said, if you live in Fort Myers, no matter when you go, it's going to be a shock to the system! :)

But no matter when you go, you're going to have a wonderful time!

Slainte!

Mike (Auchterless)

I've only ever been to Scotland in May (twice), but if I had to choose between April and June I'd probably take April. The daylight hours will be reasonably long, there won't be midges, and most places I'd be interested in visiting will be open after winter closings.

You will need warm layers of clothing and rainproof gear, even if you're not planning to spend very much time outdoors, because even a couple of hours of walking along the Royal Mile could get you soaked. (Umbrellas are fairly useless in wind-driven rain.) The clothing purchases will add to your trip cost if you don't normally need warm clothing where you live.