Why Visit Scotland in April?

If you love spring flowers, then April is a great time to come to Scotland. The whole country erupts into colour as comely pastels dot the machairs of the west coast and the inland woodland floors are carpeted with bluebells. Yellow is a common sight with the combination of rapeseed flowering in the fields and coconutty gorse growing just about everywhere else. Immerse yourself in a cornucopia of spring blossoms by visiting a castle garden or city park, or the best place to see an abundance of wildflowers would be at the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The banks of both Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond are lined with ramson, primroses, bluebells, wood sorrel, and wood anemone, amongst other flower types.

Walk along Loch Lomond on our guided and self-guided West Highland Way adventures.

Did you know there are more sheep than people in Scotland? This is especially true in April when lambing has commenced, and the fields are filled with adorable wobbly-legged lambs. It’s not just frolicking lambs that will melt your heart. Many other animals in Scotland have their young at this time of year, like highland cows, stoats, and red squirrels. Importantly, the latter are more difficult to see, and in most cases, visitors are advised to keep a respectful distance.

There is more than just cute animals being born that’s interesting for wildlife watchers in April. Many birds will return to Scotland in April from warmer climates, like puffins, swallows, and osprey. Therefore, keep your eyes to the sky and watch out for large flocks travelling back to their breeding grounds for summer.

Photo Credit: David Russell, www.highlandwildscapes.com

Although April can be a challenging time for photographers with the harsher light during the day, there are a couple of reasons why this CAN be an incredible month for photography. Firstly, the golden hours are still accessible. Not too late or too early on either end of the day, which makes it challenging in winter and summer when it clashes with sleep hours or working times.

Secondly, spring’s morning light is absolutely stunning, especially if you manage to capture the morning mists with it as pictured above. Lastly, the changing landscapes are really something to behold and provide interesting contrasts for landscape photographers. Macro-enthusiasts can focus their lenses on the various spring blooms or insect life that’s at it’s busiest this time of year.