Scotland has a very changeable climate. One minute the sun could be splitting the stones, the next minute it could be lashing rain. Throughout the day, there are often wide variations in the climate. There are also wide variations over small distances.

Although Scotland just touches on the Arctic Circle, the Gulf Stream winds manage to keep the temperatures relatively mild.

In the Highlands, the weather can turn extreme at any time - and very quickly too.

Scotland’s East Coast tends to be cool and dry. In winter the temperature rarely drops below freezing. On the West Coast, it’s a lot milder and wetter with average highest summer temperatures of around 19°C (66°F), in summer. Scotland’s driest months are May and June; the warmest are July and August. In northern Scotland the summer sun barely sets while during the winter months it hardly rises at all.