By Mary Lawless
Published: Jul 29, 2019More by Mary
By Mary Lawless
Published: Jul 29, 2019More by Mary
Autumn is a beautiful time of year to visit Scotland; the landscapes are ablaze with autumnal colours, the skies have a wonderful purple and orange glow, and the wildlife is thriving with activity.
What months is it Autumn in Scotland? Well it falls across September, October and November and personally I’d say the best time for autumn colours in the Highlands are the second last two weeks of October and this article will help you decide October is the month for you to visit. In September you can expect the daytime temperature to be about 16°C, lowering to 9°C in November, with an increasing number of frosty days, and also stormy days as autumn progresses.
Here are our top 5 reasons to visit Scotland in autumn, click on them to take you straight to the section:
Want to read more? Discover interesting autumn facts! Prefer a visual education? Watch our autumn video here.
Autumn is one of the best times of year to spot Scotland’s rich and varied wildlife and experience a real sense of change across our natural environment.
Many underrate autumn in Scotland saying ‘Scotland is full of evergreens’ but we think the golden hues of autumn are best viewed against the backdrop of the famous Scot’s Pine. The leaves on the trees start to change colour in early autumn and are in their full glory by the end of September right through to the end of October. Combine all of this with the deer-grass on the moors when it turns that wonderful russet red and you’ve got yourself a pretty nice photo opportunity.
It’s the perfect time to enjoy walks through multi-coloured landscapes as the lochs are nestled against a backdrop of red, gold and amber.
The stunning shades of gold and the active wildlife are not the only reason to come to Scotland in autumn. After a day exploring your wonderful surroundings you can indulge in some of the most amazing local produce from the autumn harvest.
The apples, plums, pears and damsons are at their most delicious and make wonderful jams and desserts. Lamb is at its most succulent in autumn and game is readily available.
Have you hear the old wives tale: Oysters and other shellfish should be eaten only in months with an “r” in them? Luckily our native Scottish oysters are delicious from October through the colder months. Finish off with a wee dram beside a roaring fire, what more could you want!
You will be happy to know that this stylish headpiece (midge net) Rupert is modelling won’t be required as you won’t encounter any midges in autumn. Scottish highland midges normally start hatching in May or early June and they hover around being pesky during the summer months….although if the breeze picks up to 4 miles an hour you’ll be safe, as they can’t fly in it.
Once autumn arrives and at the first signs of frost the midges start to die off leaving us to enjoy the wilderness in peace.
As the tourist season ends Scotland has an even more remote feel to it, the paths and trails all over the Highlands are near deserted. With mainly just the Scots left you can immerse yourself in the true Scottish experience.
We time our tours to coincide with the best of the colours, as Autumn gradually works its way across Scotland. This means that you are assured the most magical show of colours and the majority of visitors have left already, meaning you have the place to yourself. To see all our tours which take place in Autumn please visit here.
This time-lapse captures the last days of a golden autumn in the Scottish Highlands. It was filmed throughout the Cairngorms National Park, Glen Affric and Glenshee.
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