© Chris Robinson and Eileen Finlayson 2008
Scotland’s climate is remarkable for its infinite variety throughout the year. In spite of Robert Wanlock’s assertion in his Moorland Rhymes that There’s three months o’ bluister tae ilk’ ane o’ sun, there are sunny days in Scotland at every season. In summer there are days when a haze ripples above the grass and the sound of droning insects is punctuated by the cracking of broom seedpods in the heat. But at high latitudes the sun is not always particularly warm and the weather can change in moments. In winter, sunny days and clear, starry skies at night bring frosty weather and, sometimes, a clear view of the aurora borealis. Even hard frosts do not usually persist for long periods in lowland Scotland. Surrounded by sea except on the English border, Scotland’s climate is generally temperate, a fact noticed by Julius Caesar, if J. Leslie’s The Historie of Scotland translated by J. Dalrymple (1596) is to be believed: Caesar said, he fand heit and calde less vehement in Scotlande than in France. So be prepared with your sunscreen, a thick sweater and your wellington boots for four seasons in one Scottish day.
The unpredictability of the Scottish weather is its greatest advantage. If the weather is bad, it won’t stay that way for long. We rarely suffer from prolonged heatwaves and, even at the height of summer, grass is usually fresh and green. Our cities have extremely good air quality and, at least in the lowlands, roads are only affected by snow for a few days most years. In a country of breath-taking scenery, every change of weather shows the landscape or seascape in new lights and new atmospheres.
The weather provides an unending and topic of conversation. For an island nation which has traditionally relied on farming and fishing (although fishing is now sadly curtailed), it is a matter of vital importance. Most of the time we complain about it, but if we are away for any length of time, even more than Scotch pies, mince and tatties and the sound of oor ain tongue, we miss our weather.
As Billy Connolly said There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. At least if it is raining or snowing, there are no midgies about. Every cloud has a silver lining. And always remember:
The dowfiest day has aye the sun ayont it, an’ the wather-gleam is aye the bonnier for the mornin’s rain
(A. J. B. Paterson A Mist from Yarrow 1896).