The First Time is the Best a Travel Guide to Scotland
Anne Korff

When you should go?

We recommend you travel in summer (mid-May to mid-September) for your first trip, however,
never let anyone tell you that visiting Scotland is only enjoyable in summer. Scotland bustles with excitement and offers incredible beauty all year.

SPRING: It's chilly in Scotland so you'll need sweaters, gloves and a warm raincoat In rural areas, you might witness the miracle of lambing. In cities and towns, Flower shows are big events and fellow tourists are likely to be natives of England on holiday or perhaps college students on break.

Many interesting activities will be held indoors so it won't matter if it rains. There are good price incentives for visiting in spring. It's relatively uncrowded and you can see nature bringing flowers and trees back to life.

SUMMER: Festivals, (including the Edinburgh Festival and Tattoo), Highland Games, whisky trail
tours and other activities geared towards keeping visitors busy are abundant. Daylight hours are long; darkness arrives well after 10:00 at night ; the sun rises before 6:OOAM.

Tourist attractions are plentiful. So are tourists. You'll need reservations for sleeping
accommodations and for popular events. The weather may be warmer than you expect and few bed and
breakfast establishments have any but nature's own air conditioning.

Trains run frequently to outlying areas and ferries to remote islands are apt to offer smoother sailing. Room rates and meal prices are escalated and air fare is more costly during this popular time.

AUTUMN: This is our personal favorite time to visit. The Highlands and the Lowland hills are covered in blooming heather. Craft Fairs and local community festivals offer entertainment.

The weather is crisp and cool but not cold. The flying insects that
sometimes plague coastal areas have gone for the year.

You're more likely to meet native Scots than American tourists wherever you go. Rates for food,
lodging and air fare are a bit lower than those of summertime. Trains and busses still offer frequent travel opportunities and hikers find a paradise unlike any other.

WINTER: The temperature in Edinburgh or Glasgow is only a few degrees colder than that of the
mid-Atlantic States. Shopping in winter is wonderful. The January sale at Jenner's in Edinburgh is unforgettable.

Symphonies, ballet performances and good theater entice the winter traveler. Christmas celebrations are quieter than those in the States, but no less joyful. Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) festivities will provide more entertainment and fun than any you've ever been part of. Winter travel rates are reasonable too.