When Is the Best Time of Year to Visit Scotland?
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at
1:08 pm
Eich asked:
This will be a first trip to Scotland. My great grandparents were from Edinburgh and I have always wanted to explore Scotland. I am very proud of my heritage.
Thanks NeoNerd! Any other times of the year that stand out for festivals, that type of thing?
Stanley, thank you. I enjoyed reading your info. Thanks.
Thank you both Jada and Bob for your great answers. I appreciate this very much.
This will be a first trip to Scotland. My great grandparents were from Edinburgh and I have always wanted to explore Scotland. I am very proud of my heritage.
Thanks NeoNerd! Any other times of the year that stand out for festivals, that type of thing?
Stanley, thank you. I enjoyed reading your info. Thanks.
Thank you both Jada and Bob for your great answers. I appreciate this very much.
Tagged with: Best Time • Info Thanks • Stanley
Filed under: Scotland
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scotland
Summer – the weather is usually decent enough. If you’re coming to Edinburgh, come in August – the Edinburgh Festivals are on throughout the month, and the city is packed with people from all over the world.
The Edinburgh Festival really stands out – it’s the worlds biggest arts festival. There are few others. My favourite is the boat festival in Portsoy, up in the north. There are beautiful marble cliffs, and spending three days sailing, watching dolphins and eating barbecued kippers (smoked herring) is very nice.
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Hey.
I went to Scotland last year to see family.
I went at Summer time, that’s the best in my opinion.
You should go seeEdingbra Stirling and Glasgo! the 3 main cities, oh and climb a mountain wile your there!
In Stinlin (or stirling) there is william wallices monument (a tower dedicated to william Wallace, its a museum inside.
There is also the sight of the Battle of banikbern, which was the last time Scotland ever defeated England in a battle. (it was a big battle where the English outnumbered the Scottish by man and had better troop, but the English lost). Also, Stirling bridge (where another Scottish victory against the English happened) and stirling castle.
Don’t forget Edinburgh castle too! And the Festival! The world biggest festival i think?
Also! wile your in scotland, get a train into England to Liverpool or somewhere (a train to liverpool from Edinburgh only took me 2 hours)
Liverpool is England great port city and is Famous for being where the beatles came from. It was also capital of culture for the European union last year. The accent is very weird too. You could even go to London (about a 4 hour train journey from Edinburgh) London has MANY great places to see. (oh and if your interested in History, there are castles and old Cities all over England.)
Oh! and you might get lucky to see a haggis eating Competition like i was! lol, a American won it though, the scottish were a bit upset about that
.
Good luck, hope you Enjoy it!
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Either Christmas/Hogmanay or August are the most popular times for tourists.
Edinburgh’s Christmas
Christmas, or Xmas for non-believers, used to be a quiet period in Edinburgh. It’s less so now, although (Hogmanay night aside) it’s still not quite as mad as the hurlyburly of the Edinburgh Festival.
“Edinburgh’s Capital Christmas” is a program of Xmas events that was first launched in 1999 to complement the extensive millennium Hogmanay celebrations. Together they’re known as Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals.
Smell the glühwein
The “traditional” German Market is popular – last year it attracted more than 250,000 visitors – with its steaming mulled wine (more than 15,000 mugs of which were drunk last year), bratwurst, cheeses, roasted chestnuts, and other hearty food served off wooden chalet stalls.
You wont miss the brightly lit giant Christmas tree from Norway which is erected at the top of the Mound, and George Street and Princes Street are decked with fairie lights and yuletide decorations.
The switch-on of the Christmas lights is watched by several thousand people at the end of November. In 2007, a large crowd braved their gusty night air for an aerial performance in Leith of the popular Christmas poem, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.
Winter Wonderland
You can get your skates on at the temporary ice-rink in Princes Street Gardens and there’s rides on the Edinburgh Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel that rises and falls beside the Scott Monument.
A programme of popular storytelling events are held in Hata Kata tents tents from Lapland.
The ‘Great Scottish Santa Fun Run’ attracted a record 2,257 registered runners and raised more than £38,000 for the ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ charity.
The 33 metre high Edinburgh Wheel does over 2 million rotations during the festive period.
Meanwhile, in West Princes Street Gardens will be home to 10 live reindeer from 15 December to 23 December. You can post your letters in his special letterbox at Santa’s Reindeer Garden.
Organisers
In 2007, Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals selected County Durham, Ireland based event production company She’s Gott It! to produce the Winter Festivals programme. Previously it was run by Pete Irvine’s Unique Events.
Carbon footprint
There are over 200,000 individual bulbs that light up Edinburgh’s Christmas, with over 10 kilometres of cabling.
Weather
To some extent the weather dictates. If we’re lucky the city is crispy chilled and dry. But it can be dreich, windy and wet.
For more info on Edinburgh’s Christmas go here.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a four-day winter festival that takes place at the end of each year. The headline event of the festival is Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party where 100,000 revellers jam into the city centre to see in the New Year.
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In August
With over 2,000 shows at over 250 venues, the Edinburgh Fringe is reckoned to be the biggest performing arts festival of its kind. There’s waaay too many shows and venues to list here, but you can follow our coverage of the Fringe and festivals within the Fringe – The Edge Music Festival, The Edinburgh Comedy Festival, and the Free Fringe.
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The flagship Edinburgh International Festival, a high-brow assembly of some of the world’s best opera, theatre, and ballet companies, was launched in 1947 as a stage for peace and unity in Europe after the Second World War. The programme is highly selective, but the shows are usually a high quality, large international productions.
The 2009 Edinburgh Military Tattoo celebrates its 60th season, while paying tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, set against the world famous backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
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All through the year
Too many attractions to list all of them but here are some;
Edinburgh Castle
Arthur’s Seat A huge hill near the City Centre
Scottish Parliament Building
Royal Scottish Academy
National Gallery of Scotland
Royal Scottish Museum
Museum of Scotland
National Library
Princes St Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens
John Knox’s House
St. Giles Cathedral dating from the 12th cent.
Real Mary King’s Close, narrow streets and buildings that were buried underground in the 18th cent.
Edinburgh Zoo
Royal Yacht Britannia
Royal Mile
Greyfriar’s Bobby Statue & Graveyard
Grassmarket
St James’ Centre
Dean Art Gallery
Meadowbank Stadium
Dynamic Earth
Holyrood House
Cramond Village
Portobello, Edinburgh’s beach
Leith Docks, Edinburgh’s Bistro bar area
Murrayfield National Rugby Stadium
Dean Village
Calton Hill
Playhouse Theatre
Get a day pass for Lothian Buses for £3.00 & explore all day.
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Hey
I would say summer is the best time, hopefully less rain more sun though seriously it rains constantly
. You have to go to edinburgh castle and the other ruins that are scattered about the country. And Linthgow palace for some history.
Also there are so many places in Scotland you should visit, depending on how long your here; i’d say Edinburgh, Aberdeen, St.Andrews, Glasgow and Linthgow. In the summer there is the edinburgh festival, music, stand-up comedy, it rocks. Edinburgh is beautiful, the prince’s street gardens are always full of people and in summer its lovely to chill there after or before shopping
On the other hand if you come in winter, it may be freezing cold, raining and windy. But you can also see Edinburgh lit up with gorgeous lights and the other festivals that take place at Christmas. You may even get snow…but only maybe.
I hope you enjoy your visit