Five Things I wish Every Visitor knew about Visiting the Scottish Highlands during the Summer Months

It's the start of June, which can mean only one thing: summer season is upon us in the Scottish Highlands. If you follow me over on Tiktok, you might know that I regularly refer to this time of year as silly season in the Scottish Highlands. It's the time of year when we have the most international tourist visiting our home, and it is generally a pretty busy time of year for those who have chosen to make this part of the world their home.

If you've followed me for a while, you probably already know that I have quite mixed feelings about this time of year in the Scottish Highlands. Although I love living in our home in the Scottish Highlands, it can feel a bit jarring going from the quiet and darkness of the winter months to the constant rush of the summer months.

If you are planning a visit to the Scottish Highlands over the next few months (or indeed planning on visiting during the summer months in the years to come) I hope this guide will be an encouragement for you to visit in a responsible way.

Sorry, we Cannot Predict the Weather

I wish this were the case, but unfortunately we cannot control the weather here in the Scottish Highlands. The likelihood is that, during the summer months, you'll experience all kinds of weather in the Scottish Highlands. Generally speaking, the months of June, July and August are some of the wettest in the Scottish Highlands. Although you might get manage to come during a dry few days, most of the time the weather is fairly mixed and unpredicable.

I think that's one of the reasons I'm always telling people on this blog to make sure to plan ahead. If you are prepared for bad weather, the likilehood is you'll still be able to enjoy your time in the Scottish Highlands.

Places will Be Busy (even if Instagram tells a Different Story)

The summer months are the busiest time of year for tourists in the Scottish Highlands. So if you are planning on visiting some of the most popular spots during the summer months (such as the Isle of Skye or Glencoe) just know that you will also be visiting at a time of year when thousands of other people are also visiting.

Often I meet visitors at time of year who are really annoying by just how busy this place is. It's so easy to see one thing on social media and expect that to be the reality. But the reality is that the Scottish Highlands have been an incredibly popular place for tourists to visit for a number of years now. Although there are beautiful quiet spots throughout the Highlands, many of the places you see on social haven't been quiet for a number of years now.

At this time of year, the Midges will be out in full force

The damp, warm weather of the summer months are just the perfect conditions for one of the biggest nuisances of summer in the Scottish Highlands: the dreaded Highland Midge. There's really no way of avoiding them during the summer months in the Scottish Highlands. I shared a pretty in-depth blogpost about midges and how to avoid them last summer, so check that out if you want to know more about not let midges ruin your Highland adventure.

If there is a specific Restuarant or Experience you want to do, Make Sure You Book Ahead

This is one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you about visiting the Scottish Highlands during the summer months. If you have a really specific thing you want to do or see during your visit, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BOOK IT IN ADVANCE.

Throughout the summer months through my job meeting people in our coffee shop, I meet tens of people who are left with the feeling of disappointment because the thing the had hoped to do on their visit to the Scottish Highlands (whether that's visit a specific restuarant, go on a specific exurcision or even stay in a specific location) has already been booked up for months. Unfortunately, the summer months in the Scottish Highlands are so busy now that you will need to make sure you book the things you want to do in advance.

One area that a lot of people are surprised they have to book in advance is eating out in restuarants, especially in busy tourist areas such as the Isle of Skye. There are limited restuarants on the Isle of Skye and most of them typically only run dinner service between 6pm and 8:30pm. If there are any specific restuarants on the island you want to visit (such as Kinloch Lodge, which I visited earlier this year) you will need to plan this in advance.

If you are looking for food recommendations for throughout the Scottish Highlands, you can my foodie recommendation by clicking here.

Your Experience in the Scottish Highlands is what You Make of It

This is probably one of the most important things about visiting the Scottish Highlands during the summer months. Your visit to the Scottish Highlands is what you make of it. There's no getting around the fact that this time of year in the Scottish Highlands is busy, it's the perfect time of year for midges and often the weather isn't fantastic. If you are planning a summer trip to the Scottish Highlands expecting quiet roads and perfect summery weather, you will probably be disppointed. But if you go into your trip to the Scottish Highlands knowing that there might be changes and are flexible to what might happen, you will be sure to be surprised by all the incredible scenery, amazing places and fantastic people you will meet on your trip.

If you have any specific spots you want to visit during your trip to the Scottish Highlands, make sure you have an explore of my blog. I have posted a ton of blogposts about exploring the Scottish Highlands over the years. I have also visited 17 Scottish islands over the years (I'm hoping to visit 30 Scottish islands before my 30th birthday) so be sure to check those out when planning your next Highland or Island adventure.