I'm taking Rick's Scotland Tour in late July then going on another Norwegian fjord tour the first week of August. What are the high, low temperatures, windy, rainy? I want to pack smart and light. Will light weight slacks be all I need or crop pants too? I don't plan to do any heavy duty hiking. Thanks
Peggy, both Scotland and Norway are strongly influenced by their proximity to the north Atlantic and prevailing southwesterly winds. I'll get to average weather conditions in a minute, but in both places it is quite possible to have 3 seasons in one day in July or August. There is a good chance that the only difference between spring and summer will be that the rain is slightly warmer, but then again it could be dry and sunny. I wouldn't bet my pension on the latter! For details of average conditions see this website, but here are a few highlights: - Bergen in August has an average high of 17.5 degrees Centigrade (63 Fahrenheit) and 22 days with rain totalling 190 milimetres (7 inches) - Inverness in July has an average high of 17 degrees Centigrade and 18 days with rain totalling 70 milimetres (almost 3 inches) The highest recorded temperature in either place is 28 and 27 degrees respectively (say 82 Fahrenheit). You need layers, a waterproof jacket and small umbrella. Also insect repellent, for the midges.
We have visited Scotland in the summer several times, Norway once. Both were cool - like Pacific northwest weather. I was comfortable in jeans and a cardigan or light fleece jacket with two exceptions: in Bergen it was so cold (June 26) I wore a Norwegian sweater and a fleece and my rain jacket (I think this was a freak weather day however!) and one day at Urquhart Castle it was actually warm and sunny enough for an open shirt over a tank top to feel comfortable......For ten year weather averages anywhere, check out weatherbase.com.
Thank you Kevin and Cynthia for the info I needed. The places are cooler than I thought and I'll revise my wardrobe plans. Thanks, Kevin, for the mention of the midges. I've have read about them. I'll definitely bring bug repellent! I'll also visit the weather web sites you both suggested.
Peggy
Peggy, I always bring a convertible pants on my Scotland trips. The first trip I took I brought some shorts that never got worn, but on the very next trip I was very happy to "remove my legs" as we called it. And then there was the year that I got a Scottish Suntan. So, you can count on rain. But, you need to be prepared to never let a bit of rain stop you. Both countries are mountainous and surround by ocean. That means that the weather tends to be very localizes and to change often. It is so very different from Ohio or Wisconsin where I lived for years. Those are continental climates. Scotland and Norway have marine climates (although northern Norway is subarctic). What I found so different about Scotland, and what required the most adjustment, is the changeability of the weather. Unless there is a really strong storm coming in from the Atlantic, the weather can change two or three times a day. That's really different from the weather patterns I was used to. If rain starts in the AM in Madison WI, it may let up in the afternoon, but you would rarely get the rain in the morning, sun at mid morning, rain at noon, partly cloudy at early afternoon, a quick shower around dinner and then a gorgeous evening. : ) Of course it also went, sun in the morning, showers at mid morning, partly sunny for lunch, rain in the afternoon, a wee bit of sun at dinner and then showers in the evening. : ) If you have the right clothing, it won't stop you.
What Pam said. Last October or November I went from bright sunshine to bright sunshine. Interspersed were snow, sleet, hail, and rain, all with bright sunshine in between. It all happened within the course of an hour and I was humping so couldn't have covered but maybe three miles. Last month I took a good look around, left the rain jacket in the car and went dashing up the side of the hill. Within twenty minutes I was soaked so badly that the underjacket would not have dried overnight so I had to buy a new one when I got back into the village. A few years ago we were running the Caledonian in mid-summer in a boat with covered, but not enclosed, steering and halfway down Loch Ness the wind and rain got so bitter that we took turns with one of us staying outside to drive while the other one stood down by the heater. Summer in Norway is much the same, but not quite as sudden and extreme. I take shorts to Scotland. I use them for sleeping in hostels.