Winter 2022

Snow on Skye at low levels is a rare beast , the chances of freezing conditions would be higher in the Vale of York.

You could get any combo of weather, a winter storm might blast the hills at 150 mph or it could be clear and settled and low 60s.
On averages it's dramatically more stormy on the west coast ( low levels) over the year than the east ,same with rainfall.Truthfully forecasts can you be relied on 4/5 days ahead
Accomodation might well be spotty too,hopefully our girl in the know from Skye will rock up soon

Likely a must do ,the Cairngorm Raindeer herd at Loch Morlich.

For castles and other historic buildings you need to look at the following websites for opening times and prices. Some places might well be closed for the winter when there is traditionally a lack of tourists and it's not cost effective to open, others may continue to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

www.nts.org.uk

www.historicenvironment.scot

As already mentioned the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd might be of interest and if you contact them they will be able to tell you where you can see the reindeer, other than their home paddocks near Aviemore. At Christmas time the reindeer used to be taken to events up and down the country, but Covid-19 put paid to that for two years. It may be that by the end of this year they will be back to attending Christmas events, but to make sure you need to contact the centre direct

www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk

Another place in the area which might be putting on a special Christmas events is the Strathspey Steam Railway which you could contact for more information if of interest.

www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk

The weather can be unpredictable for sure. Last year friends of mine were due to man a stall at an outdoor event near to where they live, but sadly for them Storm Arwen scuppered their plans.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but you couldn't have chosen a worse time of year to come to Skye. Skye itself doesn't get much snow as low levels, although the Cullin Hills (mountains) should have a decent covering. Neither do we see that much ice on the roads due to our proximity to the Atlantic Jet Stream. However, the weather at that time of year is often dismal and daylight is in short supply (it gets properly light at around 9am and is dark but 3.30pm). Add to that the fact that most B&Bs will have long closed for the winter season (because there are very few visitors) and many restaurants will also be closed. The two castles on Skye Armadale (a ruin) and Dunvegan will both be closed for the season too.

However, Highland roads on the mainland could be a different story. The main A9 north from Stirling to Inverness is often affected by snow and ice. The A82 and A87 which are the main routes north from Glasgow, via Glencoe to Skye, likewise. The weather is highly unpredictable and road closures happen. There is a fleet of gritting trucks and they do their best to ensure the road surface is safe and drivable, but nobody can tell you for sure that it won't be an issue.

My suggestion would be to stay a little further south and if you want to get an island fix maybe try Arran (known as Scotland in miniature), which is an easy ferry ride from the mainland and pretty close to Glasgow. You would then not have to drive up in to the Highlands.

Also, while you will find Christmas dinner on the menu (turkey, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce etc) in Scotland as elsewhere, the main event up here is Hogmanay (New Year). That's when the celebrations really ramp up in Edinburgh, with fireworks etc
Tickets are required to get in to the festival area - see here

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

I will say Deeside is a lovely lovely spot.Think Banchory often posts mind blowingly warm temps and after treeless Skye, the woods up at Linn of Dee and Derry lodge are very welcome

Main roads are salted if there is a risk of ice. However, minor roads may not be so you could encounter ice, particularly in frost hollows on the smaller minor roads. Black ice is the worst.