Scotland in Spring
31st March 2021
The chicks are chirping, the days are getting longer and there is a fresh, hopeful feeling in the air. It must be that magical time of year when the cold winter fades and the vibrant Scottish spring bursts into life!
Spring is the most joyful time to visit Scotland; Scots are a welcoming bunch any time of year but in the spring you’ll find us extra cheery as we are able to enjoy spending more time in the great outdoors. It is a lovely time of year for walking in the woods and spending days sitting on the beach or by the loch, relaxing with friends and family. Below are all the reasons you should book your next tour of Scotland in March, April or May.
A floral dream
Bright yellow gorse and daffodils can be found all across Scotland accompanied by a whole host of colourful flowers. Scotland is the prefect climate for flowers, shrubs and trees to grow and it becomes an outdoor art gallery once the Spring arrives. Bright pink and red rhododendrons and blue bells are two more of Scotland’s spring staples and the very start of spring is welcomed in by pearly white snow drops. The best places to see an array of flowers is perhaps the gardens of Scotland’s various castles and stately homes. However, all of the flowers I have mentioned were grown in the street I grew up on in the heart of Glasgow, the most urban part of Scotland. So no matter where you are in Scotland, you can expect to see plenty of natural Spring beauty.
Baby animals
Little lambs frocking in the field; speckled baby deer wobbling as they learn to keep upright on their skinny legs; blue tits zipping back and forth between their nests and the cutest of all… big fluffy baby Highland Cows! Scotland’s fields and forests are full of cuteness that never fails to put a smile on my face. May is also one of the best months of the year to spot Dolphins and Whales in the waters around Scotland.
Baby Highland Cow - Charlie Firth
Delicious Scottish produce
This is the best time of year to visit the many farmer’s markets which pop up all over Scotland, particularly if you are looking for fruit and vegetables. Having just come out of a wetter season into the warmer spring months, this is the best time for finding delicious, fresh produce.
We hand pick all of our accomodation and we take great care to ensure that enjoy the very best Scottish food for your evening meal. Much of the food you will eat during your tour will be sourced within Scotland, so Spring is a great time of year to travel with us if you are a foodie!
May is Scottish whisky month!
If you are a fan of ‘a wee dram’ and you are looking forward to trying out a wide range of whiskies in their homeland, May is the perfect month to do it. You will find events all over Scotland celebrating our national drink including the Highland, Stirling, Campbeltown and the Speyside Whisky festivals along with various events within Edinburgh whisky bars. If you are vacationing Scotland at the beginning of spring, check out the dates for the Fife Whisky festival which normally takes place in March (dates will likely differ from normal in 2021).
Don’t worry if you can’t make it along to any of the events, just pop into any of our distilleries that run tours and I am sure they will have some great samples for you to try. If you happen to be on the Isle of Arran during your trip, I can vouch for their tour being excellent. They also have an award winning Irish cream liquor for those of you who like me, prefer a sweeter beverage.
Take a look at our 5 Day and 10 Day Malt Whisky & Castles Tours.
If you are fan of great beer - the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival usually takes place in the Spring too. We have hundreds of micro (and not so micro) craft beer breweries all over Scotland and we are now almost as proud of our craft beer as we are our whisky.
Best Scottish Tour clients enjoying a Whisky Tour
The beginning of Edinburgh’s festival season
The Edinburgh Festivals are famous worldwide with most taking place in the summer months. However, there are a couple of great festivals in the spring which kick off the season. The Edinburgh International Science Festival is a wide variety of events including interactive children’s events, workshops, debates and expert led talks which take place across nearly 30 venues over two weeks at the beginning of April (dates for 2021 will be different). One of the coolest events takes place at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens - Gardening the Earth. Edinburgh’s sprawling botanic gardens are a real wonder just on their own, but this interesting exhibition explains how we can produce food in a more sustainable way. It is also a free to visit which is always nice.
If you’d like to hear some authentic Scottish bands play live, the popular Edinburgh Tradfest takes place at the end of April into early May. The organisation who runs Tradfest is a charity and it is very much a community event enabling up and coming Scottish acts a chance to play alongside our most seasoned musicians within the many venues of our capital city.
We start and end many of our tours in Edinburgh and if you decide to stay in Edinburgh for a few nights to enjoy these events, you could check out Cheaprooms.co.uk for an affordable hotel room. We can also arrange pick up/drop offs in Glasgow or in other locations for Private and Bubble Tours.
The weather
Spring brings the best weather in Scotland, warm with blue skies. You may assume that summer is the best time to visit for good weather, but in recent years the spring months have been lovely here in Scotland with the summers seeing more rain. The warm, clear weather also provides some of the most colourful sunsets.
The weather means it is the best time to take part in outdoor activities. There are of course wonderful walks and cycling routes all over Scotland, but there are also many adventure centres dotted across the highlands where you can try out rock climbing, horse riding, wind surfing, white water rafting, kayaking… the list goes on. One of my favourite outdoor activities is paddle boarding and it is growing in popularity in Scotland with many companies offering taster days. Scottish lochs are the perfect place for beginners because they usually aren’t too choppy on a calm spring day.
You will also avoid the worst of the pesky midges!
Rest and Be Thankful - Ian Cylkowski
The blossoms
My favourite thing about Spring is seeing blossom trees line the street where I grew up, it’s like a street full of pink clouds. Then of course the blossoms fall and for a week or so you can walk along this stunning pink carpet. The Edinburgh meadows is one the best places to visit the blossom trees. The time of bloom varies so there are no guarantees but if you are visiting in April or early May you might get lucky enough to see the cherry blossoms at their best.
Spring blossoms in Edinburgh - Adam Wilson
If this has you gazing out of your window, picturing yourself roaming through a lush Scottish glen, listening to the birds tweeting and the lambs bleating, then its time to book your tour of Scotland for next Spring!
We can’t wait to welcome you to Scotland.
Scottish Thistle - Gary Ellis
