Scotland in June- weather and clothing

For your first trip to Europe, be sure to get RS book on Europe thru the Backdoor and his book on England/Scotland/Whales. The latter will have a few pages on the weather. We took the RS E/S/W tour several years ago but dont remember if we stopped at the Urqauhart Castle or not. You would be best to e-mail the RS Tour Department and pose that question to them for the most current information. And, be careful you don't get hooked on going to Europe regularly like we did! Happy travels.

You should always take a good raincoat--goretex--with you when you go to Scotland. When you do that the weather will never slow you down. Layers are best. A good jacket and a fleece are a good start. Then pick up a wonder woolen sweater when you're there. I'm wearing one I got in Ullapool right now and it's keeping me toasty in a Wisconsin winter. It looks like the tour gets to Urquart Castle on Day 6. What you read is what you get with Rick Steves tours. It's really reliable. The light in Scotland in June is fantastic. You have the white nights.

Pam

Be ready for rain. You may get lucky and get dry weather or unlucky and get rain everyday, most likely some of each. The trick is not to be stopped by it.

That requires a waterPROOF shell and shoes, don't settle for water resistant. Goretex is best but other types are available. A hood is a must. A parka that will keep your bottom dry is better than a shorter jacket.

For an economical option buy a breathable rainsuit at Costco, It's small and can be rolled up in your daypack when the weather is good. Use the top for your shell and pack the bottoms to put over your pants if it's really wet.

Many brands of walking shoes have waterproof options now.

You'll be much happier if you stay dry but don't buy a heavy coat and shoes, just a light waterproof shell and waterproof walking shoes. Use light-weight wool sweaters and layering to stay warm if it's also cold.

Greetings

The above posters are right on target. June could be warm (70s) and sunny or cold and damp. Or you could get all of the above in one day (this past weekend we had rain, snow and blue skies all within a few hours).

A good waterproof jacket is vital - an umbrella will be useless if there is any wind. Fleece is great, as are nice wool sweaters. And layers - you can wear a shirt, fleece and waterproof, then peel off as the temp and precip allows.

Comfy, solid walking shoes are also a must because many of the cities and towns are full of uneven setts (cobbles) and we specialise in large mud puddles! I've taken to wearing the SmartWool socks as they stay warm if a bit damp and keep my toes warm & unblistered no matter the weather.

Kate

Kate, can you comment on one of the previous responders mention of the "white nights". I know the days are long, and I'm just wondering how long they will be.

Sue, I'm also scheduled on the RS tour of Scotland (6/24-7/4) Maybe I'll see you there!

You'll find daylight in Scotland almost 18 hours long in the summer. We forget how far north the British Isles actually are. Edinburgh, for example, is at 56 degrees North....Inverness at 57.5 degrees north. At the summer solstice in June, the sun will come up around 430 in the morning, and not go down until 10 at night. It seems the sky barely gets dark before it starts to brighten with the dawn.

I'll be headed that way the end of April, so I'm expecting weather in the 50s and rain. I had planned on tennis shoes instead of my slippery (but oooh so comfy crocs) but wonder now if I should see about finding something more solid like hiking boots and save the Mary Jane Crocs for dinners.

Can I expect long winter nights at that time or will I have "white" nights?

CIE Tour of London, Scotland and Ireland

S-L

I spent June in Scotland in 2002 from Glasgow to the Orkneys. The one thing I was really glad I had brought were my Gore-Tex hiking boots (under $100 from LLBean). There was plenty of rain and I wore them in the cities on a rainy day as well as for country walks. Didn't have an actual raincoat but used my umbrella often. I also had a rain poncho but never used it since it was never too windy for the umbrella. Otherwise, I packed very light with two pairs of pants, a skirt, a cashmere cardigan, a fleece shirt, 3 Coolmax knit shirts, a silk turtleneck, a pair of SAS walking shoes, a change of underwear, and my "safari jacket" with lots of pockets. I never wore the skirt. I wore my cotton headscarf a lot in the outdoors. It was so damp my hair really got the frizzies so next time I will get a short haircut.

Arlene
Pennsylvania, USA

Thanks everyone- for helping with my questions. They are all very useful!
It sounds like Scotland is much like my home town on the Oregon Coast - "If its not raining- wait a few minutes", was our motto. So now I know what to pack!
Sue

Shari-Lynn: You said you're expecting temps "in the 50s" in April in Scotland. You might get lucky and have 50's that time of year, but the average temps in the Edinburgh area of southern Scotland in April are an average low of 39 and average high of 51--so the mid to upper 40's during the day is a bit more likely than "in the 50s" for that area of Scotland. People are often surprised to know that southern Scotland is the same latitude (north of 55 degrees) as Moscow, same latitude as a point in between Prince Rupert, British Columbia and Sitka, Alaska.And Sue: You're right about the Scotland temps in June being comparable to, say, Astoria Oregon (and as you already know, cooler than Portland).

Greetings

39 would be a bit chilly for April actually. It can easily get into the 60s or even warmer at the end of the month. But if often feels much colder because the sun can hide for days at a time. I would anticipate 50s in the days and chilly, but not cold nights. They're actually calling for it to approach 50F here tomorrow and Saturday, so you never know what you'll get!

As to 'white nights'. In mid June (when it's completely clear) you can still see sun on the horizon at 11:30 at night. Up in Skye it's still broad daylight at 10:30pm. The sun rises by 4:30 am.

In April each day in Edinburgh will be two or three minutes longer than the previous. (Though it's actually still light after the official sunset). On April 1, sunrise is at 6:43, sunset 7:52. April 31, they're at 5:31 and 8:51 - big difference.

Kate