Is it ever warm enough to swim in Scotland?
In the summer. Not in winter. Parts of the west coast of Scotland are warmed by the gulf stream so the water is sometimes quite warm. There are beaches in Aberdeen and Edinburgh but these are on the east coast so the water might be colder.
Scotland should be top of any wild swimmer's bucket list. Not only does it have a wide range of lochs, burns, waterfalls and seas to swim in, but Scotland's open access laws mean you have a right to responsibly enjoy inland water for recreational purposes.
Curious travelers seeking the best beaches in Scotland are in for a pleasant surprise: the perpetually overcast country has a plethora of gorgeous coastlines to explore. Granted, Scotland is no tropical playground – its frigid North Atlantic waters are rarely warm enough for a swim.
Today the warmest water in the region is recorded in Керн North Cairn. Its value in this location is 53°F. And the coldest one is in Aberdour, its value 48°F.
As such, there's a few things you should do to stay safe: Wetsuit: Even in summer, Scotland's waters are very cold. A wetsuit will help keep your body warm, and provide buoyancy. If you plan on swimming more than a few minutes, consider wearing a wetsuit.
WHAT IS THE MAGIC NUMBER? Petty officer Brian McCrum, of the United States Coast Guard District 9 public affairs department, told The Weather Network in 2019 that anything below 25°C (77°F) is considered cold and has risks associated with it.
Iron and manganese Occasionally, in northern and western parts of Scotland, a reddish-brown colour in the water is apparent and is due to high concentrations of iron and manganese. The acidic upland surface waters tend to dissolve these metals from soils and rocks in the local area.
(Scotland – East Coast, UK)
The water temperature (48 °F) at Aberdeen is very cold. Despite the sun, surfers will need plenty of neoprene. Wear a quality winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots. A windchill factor of (41 °F).
With 22 lochs, the National Park is the perfect place to enjoy an invigorating and inspiring swim. Open water swimming in particular is a popular activity, and each year thousands of people take the plunge during mass participation events in Loch Lomond.
Scotland occupies the cooler northern section of Great Britain, so temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the British Isles, with the coldest ever UK temperature of −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains, on 10 January 1982 and also at Altnaharra, Highland, on 30 December 1995.
Which is the warmest part of Scotland?
Kelso and Stirling have Scotland's highest average summer temperature of 19.5°C – a balmy 2.5°C above the Scottish summer average.
June, July and August are normally the warmest months in Scotland, with average maximum temperatures ranging from approximately 15°C (59°F) to 17°C (63 °F). Scotland's high latitude means that we enjoy lovely long summer days and often an extended twilight.
As a general rule, the temperatures in Scotland are typically a few degrees colder than those experienced in England due to the Atlantic Ocean and the country's hilly terrace.
Scotland is the coldest part of the UK throughout the year, and has average minimum temperatures of just -0.2oC during the winter. It is also the wettest place every month of the year except May, June and December, and almost always the cloudiest too.
Temperatures are warmer by spring, with averages of 43°F to 59°F, although there will still be snow in the mountains of the Highlands and the Cairngorms. The summer months (June through August) are the warmest of the year, with extensive daylight hours in July and August the further north you go.
Urinating inside a dry wetsuit is definitely not a good idea - it will start stinking and corroding the seams and stitching of your second skin. While in the lineup, if peeing is the only option, let some saltwater get in and drain out, avoiding lying down on your board for a long time.
Generally speaking, anytime the water temp is below 70 degrees, a wetsuit can feel pretty good. And anytime the water temp is below 65, a wetsuit might actually be advised in order to keep the swimmer from having a reaction to the cold.
Hiking/rain pants – Again, jeans are usually fine for everyday wear, unless you're doing some hiking. If you're planning on hiking, bring a pair of specialized pants: Men / Women.
15 to 25 degrees is around the temperature that most swimmers find comfortable with initially feeling cold once they have entered the water and then being able to swim for several hours at a time at no risk.
Yes you can swim for a short time in water temperatures from 10 to 15 degrees without a wetsuit but you will be cold and you will get colder when you get out. If you are not acclimatised to the cold water, you will probably need a wetsuit for temperatures below 15 degrees until your body gets used to the cold water.
Is 15 degrees warm enough to swim?
12-16 DEGREES: Fresh
In a wetsuit you may find you can swim comfortably for a while, outside of one the water is fresh, doable for the brave, and not a problem for hardened open water lovers.
Scottish Water is a wholly public entity directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament. It offers lower bills than any of the English companies, and invests around 35% more in infrastructure.
Treated waters from different areas have different tastes. Hard water from a chalky area will have a very different taste from soft water from a reservoir in the hills. In some parts of the country, Scottish Water can supply treated water from different sources.
Most drinking water in Scotland is classified as soft
Rain water may pick up these minerals as it seeps through soil and rocks. Chalk or limestone rocks contain the greatest amount of these minerals, but they are not common in Scotland, so most water supplies are classified as soft.
The sun is rarely seen in Scotland. However, the sun is relatively more frequent in May and June, when the days are also very long. From November to January, also due to the very short days, the sun is almost never seen.
Even though we share the same latitude as very cold places such as Moscow in Russia, Canada and parts of Alaska. Scotland is very temperate and nowhere near as cold. Even countries further south in Europe, such as Germany have much colder winters than Scotland.
Portobello Beach, a few miles from Edinburgh city centre, is a charming seaside suburb, with two miles of sand making it perfect for swimming and sunbathing.
Bertram (1939) found Helobdella atagnalis in Canna. Reynoldson (1952) in listing six leech species from Islay included H. medicinalis, the first Scottish record for a eer~tury. Weerekoon (1956) dealt with the ecology of two species of leech in Loch Lomond.
Loch Lubnaig, which means elbow in Gaelic, near Callander, is the warmest place in Scotland to go wild swimming at the moment.
Inversnaid, Loch Lomond
The little sandy beaches at Inversnaid offer the perfect launch pad for a dip in one of Scotland's most famous bodies of water, with Milarrochy Bay on the east side also a popular site for wild swimmers.
Is it warmer in Scotland or Ireland?
Both countries have cool and mild climates with a lot of cloud coverage and rain year-round. Scotland has more extreme weather in comparison to Ireland. It gets colder during the winter and when the weather is bad, it will be worse in Scotland than in Ireland.
Average Annual Sunshine Chart The best of the sunshine is for Ayrshire and the south-west coast, Lothians, Angus and Fife, the least for the mountains in the Highland region. The peak in sunshine hours falls in May and June and the least sunshine is for December and January.
Mid-June to mid-September are the warmest months in Scotland with the best chance of sunshine.
To have the most sunlight and best weather, many people head to the Scottish Highlands in the summer, between May and September. Starting in October, the weather can be unpredictable: freezing temperatures, gale-force winds, and snowfall are all possible.
Galashiels has been named the “happiest place to live” in Scotland, as part of a UK wide survey. The Scottish Borders town, which ranked number two in the UK, was joined in the top 10 with Perth being ranked number five and Stirling at number nine.
Scotland's climate is generally cool and wet. It is influenced by the North Atlantic Drift, a warm sea current from the Caribbean, which keeps Scotland's coast ice free in winter.
Average Temperature in Scotland
The cold season lasts for 3.1 months, from December 1 to March 5, with an average daily high temperature below 47°F. The coldest month of the year in Scotland is January, with an average low of 25°F and high of 38°F.
During the period in consideration, the highest amount of rainfall in Scotland was recorded in December 2015 at 323 millimeters. In comparison, rainfall in December 2021 amounted to 133 millimeters. The driest month during this period was April 2020, when just 30.2 millimeters of rain fell.
Come between late September and late May
If you arrive in Scotland, before the weather has warmed up too much you are unlikely to see many midges. Also if you visit in May or early September, you are also likely to encounter the best weather conditions Scotland has to offer.
Wild swimming, sometimes known as outdoor or open water swimming, is an extra special watersport in Scotland. Here, it means gliding into a still loch in the shadows of Munros and castles, or slipping straight into the salty seas of the Atlantic Ocean or North Sea.
What is the warmest it's ever been in Scotland?
The highest official temperature recorded was 35.1 °C (95.2 °F) at Kelso, on 19 July 2022. For the last 100 years, the coldest winter was in 1963 (average temperature 0.19 °C or 32.34 °F) and the mildest was in 1989 (average 5.15 °C or 41.27 °F).
Where can people swim? In Scotland swimmers have a right to swim as part of their right to responsible access, which means they can swim freely in open spaces.
Scotland's bathing water quality continues to improve with 38 out of 87 (44%) rated as 'excellent' for 2023, according to new figures issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
The Scottish Wildcat is Britain's only wild feline and only remaining large predator. Scottish Wildcats are classified as Critically Endangered and it is estimated that there are between 100 and 300 in the wild, concentrated in very remote locations.
Those in Scotland, however, are well accustomed to such a conundrum and therefore have a simple trusty weapon — layering. Start with a vest top or bodysuit, add a tee shirt, and then perhaps a thin cotton jumper.
Temperatures usually average between 15-20C in Scotland and Ireland, and around five degrees warmer in much of England.
Kelso and Stirling have Scotland's highest average summer temperature of 19.5°C – a balmy 2.5°C above the Scottish summer average.
Dalwhinnie sits at an altitude of 351 m (1,152 ft). It is one of the coldest villages in the UK, having an average annual temperature of 6.6 °C (43.9 °F), making it suitable for winter walking and mountaineering.
You can find the best beaches in Scotland all over the country, from the southeast coast of East Lothian to the far reaches of the Outer Hebrides. Some spectacular Scottish beaches are even found on freshwater lochs far from the sea.
The Dál Riata Channel Swim, previously known as the Mull of Kintyre Swim, is a newer and shorter 17 km (10.5-mile) course between Scotland and Northern Ireland pioneered by Wayne Soutter from Mull of Kintyre in Scotland to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland in 2012.
Is it safe to swim in Loch Lomond?
As Loch Lomond is a freshwater loch and not a saltwater loch, it is not tidal. This means that there are many activities that can safely take place on or in it; from open water swimming to canoeing and boating, there is something for everyone.