Scotland Weather, Places, Etc.

Be prepared to get all 4 seasons in 1 day! I'm in Scotland now and my primary shoes are waterproof walking boots. Granted, my primary activity is hillwalking hence the boots, but I highly recommend waterproof shoes as your primary pair. Dry feet are happy feet! I was at Glasgow for the autumn term as a student years ago and wore waterproof leather boots most days for warmth and comfort (I still have those boots and wear them on the 2 winter days that it's cold enough in the U.S. south).

I have 2 waterproof jackets with me, one is a lightweight jacket I use for hiking & as a windbreaker year-round in the States and the other is a heavier nicer jacket that I thought I might need but it's been quite hot some days. When the wind blows rain goes sideways so I've never found umbrellas terribly useful and you probably won't see many folks with them.

In Edinburgh, don't miss the delicious ice cream at Mary's Milk Bar. Aldi had lovely affordable Scottish smoked salmon for sale. In Glasgow, if you're there on the right evening, I once enjoyed a lively trad (music) session at the Ben Nevis pub. Also the Kelvingrove Museum is home to my favorite elephant, Sir Roger so do say hello if you go there!

Take hooded rain jackets, the longer the better. Ponchos blow in the wind, left right, & up. Waterproof(ed) shoes with grippy soles.

Hi -

Umbrellas and ponchos in Scotland are a bad idea because of the wind, which can be strong enough to destroy them - I once had the bright idea of wearing a poncho to cover my backpack as well as me and the wind shredded it, ripped it off me and the last I saw of it (I was in the Lake District) it was flying down the valley en route to the Irish Sea.

Stump up for a waterproof, lightweight hooded jacket from Columbia or similar. You’ll thank us if the weather turns. By all means bring a collapsible umbrella and disposable poncho, but don’t rely on them. Oh yes, fun fact: if the umbrella is in your hand luggage be prepared for British security to want you to open it before they let you through. Apparently they have caught people trying to smuggle knives on to planes in the folds of an umbrella. Not necessarily terrorists, but once anybody tries it they are on the alert for everyone with an umbrella.

Ian

P.S. See separate thread on footwear to wear in Scotland. Good advice there!

If you mean literally tennis shoes, as in cotton uppers, I'd advise not bringing them. They'll get soaked quickly. There are some brands of sneakers/running shoes with wool uppers that are water repellent and can be sprayed with additional water repellent product. However, waterproof(ed) leather ankle boots or higher are really the best because as soon as you start walking in grass you're likely to get your ankles wet, even if it hasn't rained for a day or so.

Ate earlier today at https://www.gordonstrattoria.com/, really good. Try the gnocchi with the blue cheese sauce. The portions are a bit large though, my calzone was the size of a 10 pound turkey.

Yeah, you meed to take a real rain jacket with a hood. I also suggest that you have plan B footwear. I would typically have shoes for sight seeing and then something else for evening. Give the shoes time to dry out. I suggest that you treat your shoes with some water proofing / water resistance as well. If you have nothing but dry days that will be awesome, but better to be prepared for damp.

I have been to Scotland a fair few times and never felt the need to wear special shoes or carry extra rainwear.
Of course if you are going to do some serious hiking that's a different matter

I recommend the Marmot Precip rain jacket -- fold away hood, lightweight. We wore it on the West Highland Way and it was perfect. Also, my new favorite sturdy walking shoes are by Dansko, style is Paisley. They are waterproof and super comfortable. Also, I find them better on uneven surfaces than tennis shoes.

We just returned from Scotland on Sunday, and I was extremely thankful that I decided to take my fleece-lined raincoat! I carried it on the plane with me, rather than trying to pack it.

Our first day in Edinburgh was in the 50s and rainy, and we spent the day walking around Dean Village, Stockbridge and New Town. I stayed warm and dry all day. I wore my waterproof ankle boots and wool socks, and I don't regret it. I had Skechers Go-Walks that I was able to wear the next day while touring the castle and the Royal Mile, as it was warmer and (gasp) sunny, but I was thankful for the waterproof ones on more than one occasion. We did the 3-Island Tour from Oban, and again, the warm raincoat was a lifesaver. I had to add a fleece headband and gloves on the boat, as it was windy and raining pretty much the entire time. On Skye, we had one day of miserable, low-cloud, steady drizzle, and even though we spent over an hour touring the gardens at Dunvegan Castle, I was warm and dry.

I did take a lightweight waterproof windbreaker that came in handy as well on the warmer days, but it didn't get nearly as much use as the heavier one.

Regarding restaurants, we found a charming one on Rose St. in Edinburgh (in New Town, a block off Princes Street) called Wildfire. It's small and cozy, and the food was delicious. I'd call it elevated traditional Scottish cuisine. We also found a great place for gelato, Vittoria on the Bridge (just off the Royal Mile). It's an Italian restaurant, and the menu looked great, but we weren't ready for dinner. The gelato, though, was amazing! We also ate at the Amber Rose pub on Rose Street, which was pretty standard pub fare.