Discussion
GetCarter said:
Come back soon guys. Do it in April and the place is empty.
That's when we do it and why. We have had amazingly good weather for the last 4 years - much better than you might think would be the case. And best of all it's too early for those ferocious midges!Already counting down the days to next year's trip.
AWG said:
Thanks, a lot of people are telling me i've chose the wrong time to go (end of Sept). Have I chosen monsoon season or something!
Thought it would be the driest time of the year?
April / May are the driest. Jan the wettest (though not for the past 3 years). August is also a particularly wet month (jet stream chucks it all this way). Sept CAN be great. It's not a bad time to come as weather moves through quite quickly. Lots of rainbows. It won't be warm mind!Thought it would be the driest time of the year?
I'm just back from a great trip through the highlands, then down through the islands, I'll get some images uploaded once I've sorted them out. If anyone is reading this wondering if you should go, you really should!
AWG said:
Out of curiosity what is the phone reception like around the highlands and Hebrides?
Everything I saw seemed to imply that Vodafone was best on the islands and that O2 was the worst, I'm on O2 and the signal wasn't great, some places I couldn't get signal at all. My girlfriend's phone is on Orange and that seemed to fare better. I found the best place to catch up online was on the ferries, although I could only get GPRS signal.Great stuff, I look forward to seeing those pictures.
Just researched the 'climate' if you like around the region in May and it would appear a lot better. Thing is, as I am camping I can be quite flexible about how late I chose to go. Of the three guys I spoke to at work they all recommended I pospone til April. A bit annoying as I have been looking forward to this but don't want to do the thousand mile round trip if it has more chance of raining everyday!
I'm on O2 so not to worry! Hay it's a holiday!
Just researched the 'climate' if you like around the region in May and it would appear a lot better. Thing is, as I am camping I can be quite flexible about how late I chose to go. Of the three guys I spoke to at work they all recommended I pospone til April. A bit annoying as I have been looking forward to this but don't want to do the thousand mile round trip if it has more chance of raining everyday!
I'm on O2 so not to worry! Hay it's a holiday!
I would just go - I used to go on car tours up there regularly in September and had far more dry than wet days.
The best ever trip I had in terms of weather was at the beginning of November last year. You can be lucky.
Wind wise it is supposed to be worse then, but I have been sailing plenty times at that time of year and while not balmy, the weather had not been "wild".
More chance of snow in April IME - I've led a convoy of Honda S2000's over the Lecht in blizzards, had falling snow on the Tongue - Lairg road plus Lochinver - Drumbeg stretch, and seen the Bealach closed - all in April. Very unlikely to see such conditions in late Autumn.
Vodafone I generally find has the best reception.
The best ever trip I had in terms of weather was at the beginning of November last year. You can be lucky.
Wind wise it is supposed to be worse then, but I have been sailing plenty times at that time of year and while not balmy, the weather had not been "wild".
More chance of snow in April IME - I've led a convoy of Honda S2000's over the Lecht in blizzards, had falling snow on the Tongue - Lairg road plus Lochinver - Drumbeg stretch, and seen the Bealach closed - all in April. Very unlikely to see such conditions in late Autumn.
Vodafone I generally find has the best reception.
I'm going two weeks tomorrow in my MX-5 with a tent in the boot, can't wait. How bad the weather could be was something I spent five minutes looking at, I've spent hours on end planning the route, looking at maps and looking at this site for tips on various roads to take. If the weather is bad there is nothing I can do about it so I'm not worrying about it
AWG said:
Thanks, a lot of people are telling me i've chose the wrong time to go (end of Sept). Have I chosen monsoon season or something!
Thought it would be the driest time of the year?
People told me this when I said I was going in July. I had a week of pretty much wall to wall sunshineThought it would be the driest time of the year?
It's always hit and miss here. As mentioned, Late April/May driest & sunniest. Last few years have been astonishing. Often hotter & sunnier than Rome >> http://www.stevecarter.com/3/3.htm We have had a drought here every year since 2010
Sept & July are generally good months - but there are midges and tourists (which is why April / May are the best times to be here). Autumn can be stunning, when it's good it's fab, but you can hit weeks of wall to wall rain. Just avoid August... which is the worst month, and when everyone turns up and complains.
Sept & July are generally good months - but there are midges and tourists (which is why April / May are the best times to be here). Autumn can be stunning, when it's good it's fab, but you can hit weeks of wall to wall rain. Just avoid August... which is the worst month, and when everyone turns up and complains.
Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 29th August 17:46
Just to add further grist to the mill, we were there two weeks ago in the height of the August tourist season and it was just blissful. Outside of a short stretch around Loch Lomond which was rather clogged (not with tourists but HGVs), the roads were traffic-free.
I think the conclusion is that whichever time of year you go, you are likely to enjoy it.
I think the conclusion is that whichever time of year you go, you are likely to enjoy it.
coppice said:
April ..not ideal.
Disagree. See below from a resident expert.GetCarter said:
It's always hit and miss here. As mentioned, Late April/May driest & sunniest. Last few years have been astonishing. Often hotter & sunnier than Rome >> http://www.stevecarter.com/3/3.htm We have had a drought here every year since 2010
2009 was an absolute corker. Not a cloud in the sky for 4 days. Until that is we reached Bealach na Ba on the final one. Halfway up it was like driving into a fog bank except it was low cloud. By the time we had reached the Inn at Applecross the sun was back again.GetCarter said:
Sept & July are generally good months - but there are midges and tourists (which is why April / May are the best times to be here). Autumn can be stunning, when it's good it's fab, but you can hit weeks of wall to wall rain. Just avoid August... which is the worst month, and when everyone turns up and complains.
Totally agree. That's why we always go in mid-April. The lack of midges and tourists is a major factor. There can surely be nothing more frustrating than 35 miles from Laxford Bridge to Lairg following some t
t in a SUV (usually from some English conurbation) who doesn't understand the etiquette and resolutely refuses to use one of the passing places to let faster traffic overtake.Gassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff