St Swithin’s Day fears for a gloomy summer… but Scottish travel agents are rubbing their hands

Scots fed up with our glummer summer are begging travel agents ‘Get me out of here!’. Barrhead Travel report a 25% jump in last-minute bookings as the weather here shows no sign of improvement.

Families are clamouring for flights to foreign resorts where sunshine is guaranteed, like Turkey, Spain and the Canary Islands. Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel, said: “There’s clearly an appetite for Scots to escape the rainy weather this summer.

“With the Euros coming to an end, the General Election behind us and with little signs of sunshine at home, we’re expecting a strong late market throughout the summer period. Last week, July was still our top-selling month in our Scottish branches. There are fantastic prices for last-minute trips to European favourites such as Turkey for families while there are also still good deals for the final availability on cruises departing from the UK.

“This week, we’ve already seen a 25 percent uplift on last-minute bookings departing between now and the end of the Scottish school holidays compared with the same time last year. We’re predicting a busy couple of weeks as customers turn to agents to help firm up spontaneous travel plans.”

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The Met Office say this summer has been duller and cooler than average, with rainfall around the amount you would expect for the time of year. The mean temperature – the average between night and day – was just 11.17C up to July 10, 1.61C below the long-term average.

We saw 171.8 hours of sunshine over the same period, down 2 per cent on what’s expected at this stage of summer. With just a month to go until schools resume after the summer holidays, there is little in the long-range forecast to suggest a heatwave is just around the corner.

Indeed, Monday could determine what happens in the foreseeable future, if ancient legend is to be believed. July 15 is St Swithin’s Day. According to traditional folklore, whatever the weather on Monday will see it continue in the same vein for the next 40 days.

So if it’s wet where you live today, expect something similar each day until the schools go back. However, the forecast looks good for almost everywhere, before low pressure brings wet weather for the rest of this week.

Scotland is great for a holiday… no matter what the weather!

The nation’s tourist board insists Scotland is still attracting visitors, despite our reputation for gloomy skies. A VisitScotland spokesperson said: “Scotland offers a wide range of options for domestic visitors looking for a day trip or holiday no matter what the weather.

“Famously known as a destination where you can experience four seasons in a day, we know from our own visitor surveys that the weather isn’t the deciding factor for people choosing Scotland for a trip. Instead, visitors are drawn to us for a number of reasons, including scenery and landscapes, history and culture, people and food and drink. Regardless of the weather there is also a packed programme of live events taking place across the country this summer.”

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