Weather--Ireland/Scotland/London--and clothing

I know others disagree, but I like pants made of a cotton-polyester blend and Tshirts of a cotton-lycra knit. I usually also take some cotton button-up shirts. Some don't like these as they don't dry quite as quickly as some other fabrics, but I haven't had a problem.

In Scotland it can be warm and it can quite cold. You can likely count on rain no matter what. ; ) When I go I take blends. And, I always take a good goretex rain jacket with a hood. I fine that if I can keep part of me dry, I'll be able to keep touring in anything but a raging down pour. If you're looking to check out fabric types, you might want to also look at Tilley. They use a fabric called Tilley Silk which is microfiber. Also, I buy clothes from REI as well. All of these dry quickly and don't take up a lot of room either! Pam

The worst part in Ireland was the wind - I was there in June and although it was in the 50s and 60s (mild for me, a Pacific Northwesterner) many in my group were freezing. Take layers - lightweight, waterproof and windproof outer layer, and lighter clothes you can layer underneath. You won't need shorts even in July, unless there's an unexpected heat wave like last year.

Look for rayon, polyester, or modal blends. You don't have to buy fancy travel clothes either - I've found plenty of travel friendly clothes at Target and chain department stores. I recently found bargains at the Goodwill - a Columbia brand GRT fabric shirt (washes and dries in 4 hours), a White Stag rayon shirt (the 'wrinkle' fabric so it already looks wrinkly), and a stretch fabric black skirt. Pants are harder, so I invested in two pairs of Royal Robbins nylon blend travel pants - look like slacks but wash and dry overnight.

Good luck!

I go to Ireland every summer & find the following items perfect for the changeable climate. Jeans,one black, one blue. They can be worn lots of times without being washed! A long denimn skirt is also easy to match tops with & can be worn to sightsee or out for dinner. Terrycloth pants are comfy to lounge in, walk in, and can easily roll up for a sunny beach day. Comfy slip on clogs. Nice cotton t shirts & cardigan(s), as well as a fleecy jacket. The fleece keeps out the cold, and some of the mist. If it's pouring buy an umbrella or bring one of those anoraks that smush into a ball. Rain is almost certainly guaranteed but you might not want to have a hooded raincoat as your only outerwear. I pack a few cotton tank tops for an unusually chilly day. Capris are always handy.

We were in northern Ireland & Scotland last August and needed sweaters & rain jackets almost every day, and on some nights, wool caps. At the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in mid-August we froze. We never put on any "summer" clothes the entire two-week trip. Of course this year it'll probably be hot!

You can't be sure from one year to the next, but to paraphrase Mark Twain: The coldest winter I ever spent was an August in Scotland.

In August I took long pants and capris, long and short sleeved tees or "shell" type tops, a light sweater, and a rain jacket. I never wore the short sleeves and I was glad I had some wool socks. But if it does happen to be warm, I like shirts made by companies such as Columbia and North Face. They "breathe" and are easy to wash.

I have to disagree with the suggestion to bring jeans. I think they are the worst thing to take to Ireland, Scotland or any place else that gets a lot of rain. The reason? They don't dry! If you've ever gotten stuck in jeans on a rainy day, you will know what I mean. It is really unpleasant to walk around in wet jeans all day. I have a lot of 100% cotton pants that dry way faster than jeans. Synthetics are even better.

Jeans roll up, don't wrinkle, can go a whole trip without a wash and can be worn anytime of day.They can be worn anywhere from a church service to a pub crawl and can be be dressed up with a nice belt, blouse sweater or jacket. I've been to Ireland over 30 times in every season and jeans are easily dried draped next to the radiator in your room. This si an easy way to dry your towels.

Ardith, I also wear jeans in Ireland. I've never had occasion to have to wash them on a trip, but if I did I would just find a launderette.

The problem with jeans not drying is if you get stuck somewhere and have to wear them when they are wet. They'll be wet long after everything else has dried. If you can get back to your room and change, then it's not a big problem. They're not great for sink-washing, but you probably won't need to do that unless it's a long trip.

I agree that everything else about jeans are great, but if you've ever spent an entire day in wet jeans, you would know why I won't take wear them in Ireland and Scotland.

I really appreciate all of the ideas you folks have shared, and I'm checking out the websites; thanks!
I'm thinking no jeans, tho...they do take forever to dry, and with my luck, I'll fall into the first bog I encounter. :)
I'm beginning to think that a gore-tex jacket is necessary tho.....would only need to sub for 2-3 days to pay for one.....

From the point of view of someone who live in the UK (a part famous for rain at that,) the jeans argument is quite interesting. I'd say most people here wear jeans most of the time, so they're not that unsuitable, although most of us aren't dressing out of a carry-on.

I think people have skipped past the most important thing when discussing the suitability of jeans - what will you be doing whilst wearing them?

If you're touring in cities, towns or villages then jeans are perfectly practical. How wet are you going to get unless you stand in the rain?

On the other hand, if you plan to hike in the countryside then jeans are a liability. If you plan this type of holiday then you really do want the hiking clothes and technical fabrics recommended above.

Peter, I understand what you're saying about jeans being perfectly acceptable for touring in the city. You wonder how much time one would spend in the rain while touring. The answer would be more than you think. ; ) I find that walk to more sights when I touring or I wait for buses longer than expected because I'm not sure where I'm going. And, while some people have managed to get jeans to dry in a B&B in the UK over night, i've not succeeded at that task!

I think that the final analysis for me, is that they take up more and are heavier. While lots of these fabrics are good for hiking, they are many that look terrific. I use a lot of them in my business travel as well because they look good and make for light-weight travel.

Pam

This past Sept I did Ireland, Scotland and Amsterdam. That old saying if you don't like the weather just wait 5 minutes came in play. In Ireland it was freezing and raining. The first few days in Scotland that freezing rain had moved in from Ireland, but by the end of the trip we were in short sleeves and capris. To only be back in the coats and boots by the time we hit Amsterdam.

I did travel with 2 pairs of very thin jeans. Both made of very thin material. The rest of bottoms where of like Khaki material. I would get soaked and the car heater would dry me out. But my friend who wore jeans stayed wet and cold. Also her jeans got to smelling BAD!! I carried layering clothing. T-shirts and quater length sleeve button up shirts to go over them. She carried a couple of big pullovers that also got to smelling sour after a few days.