Which month would be, on probability, the best month to trek on the Isle of Skye, Scotland?
I am an experienced hiker/hillwalker and plan to tackle the Trotternish Ridge on Skye , possibly a few other coastal walks, whilst also taking a reconnaissance look at The Cuillin. My plan is to spent 4-5 days on the island with wild camping for 3 of them.
Although an experienced hiker and Team Medic I have not spent a great deal of time between 600m and 1200m in Scotland. Would May be an optimum month?
I understand that the primary concerns would be
- The Scottish Midge
- Changeable weather patterns made worse by coastal conditions
I am hoping to have the best chance of
- Low rainfall
- Excellent morning and evening light for photography
- Dry ground
I am not particularly concerned with cold climate as I have the experience and equipment; however I get grumpy if I am not dry or being bitten. ;-)
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tricky,
Rain - Scotland is pretty wet but May and June look to be your best bet.
Light - Skye gets very long summer days which stretch out the 'golden hour', the summer solstice is in June
Midges - apparently the first midges start hatching May-June, unfortunately the best time to go to avoid them is winter but this isn't the best time for your other interests.
Bonus route suggestions - The Clach Glas Traverse is a good choice for those working their way towards the Cuillan Traverse.
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You're going to have to take a chance. The west coast of Scotland (where Skye is) is the wettest part of the UK. If you're up there for 5 days, it might rain everyday regardless of time of year.
That said, statistically, the driest time of the year is between March and May. This also has the advantage of being out of midgy season. I don't believe that Skye is badly affected by midgies; the sea wind tends to keep them down (when compared to, for example, the central highlands anyway)
I spent a week on Skye a couple of years ago, in about March. It rained about 50% of the time, but the weather was warm and we walked in the Cullin's and Trotternish but we weren't camping.
May would likely be a good month, though you're likely just as good either side of that, i.e. Apr-Jun. Be prepared for being wet still. As a backup I'd look into the youth hostels (there are several in Portree). That way you've got a good backup to get dry if worst comes to the worst.
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