Clothing for Scotland

Although I've not done the Road Scholar Best of Scotland I did do a Scotland tour with another tour company in early June 2018. That was the ONLY time on 11 tours with that company and 11 Road Scholar tours that I wished I had brought my waterproof rain pants! It was on the day we traveled by ferry from Oban to Mull to Iona. Yikes - we were soaked.

So...in light of that,

- I'd take waterproof shoes. My current waterproof shoes (which I got AFTER that trip, lol) are just waterproof athletic shoes and they are excellent. I have horrible feet so only wear Altra brand zero drop shoes which I can wear right out of the box. If you need to get waterproof shoes, I'd do it right away so you can put some miles in on them before your trip.

- I'd want a waterproof jacket with hood. It's very windy in Scotland so umbrellas and ponchos are useless. I like a jacket that comes down over my behind so I've got more coverage. Water resistant is useless in my view - just stops the rain for a few seconds before you are drenched. No need to spend lots of money if you don't have a waterproof jacket but I'd get a decent one - You can probably find one in the $100-$150 range. Maybe less if you can find one on sale. Waterproof also = windproof

- I'd take a puffy vest or puffy jacket to layer under your waterproof layer. I'm pretty cold tolerant so I can manage with a puffy vest but if you are from a warmer climate you might opt for a jacket. My current puffy vest is a 32 Degree brand from Costco - it was maybe $15 or so and has been a workhorse. I did not need a puffy vest in June but many on my trip wore puffy jackets every day. As mentioned, I'm cold tolerant so what I'm comfortable in might not be enough for you, depending on where you live.

- I'd take glove liners or light gloves. I have Smartwool glove liners that I use for shoveling snow and for all my activities here in Idaho but I'd not want to spend that kind of money on lightweight glove liners if you live where you'll never wear them again! Light fleece is a good option.

- Consider waterproof rain pants. Get the kind that zip up the side so you can get them on and off over your shoes. I'd not go with something as expensive as Gortex but I'd get some that are light enough to fold up small so you can have them in your day bag the day you go to Mull/Iona. You won't really need them in the cities.

- I'd have a warm hat or headband - lightweight fleece would be perfect. Nothing big and bulky but something you can stuff in your pocket.

- I am a light packer so I'd also pack 3 LS tee shirts (I use Lands End cotton/modal tees), 2 SS tee shirts (depending on weather forecasts about a week out if it doesn't look warm enough for SS, I'd add another LS tee). I used to always pack a cardigan or two but have switched over to Macy's Ideology quarter zip dri-fit shirts for another LS layer. They are light but warm and pack down smaller than the cardies do. I'd have 3 pr of pants. This time of year I'd have jeans for all my pants. I do sink wash so all my jeans are poly-cotton blend and will wash and dry mostly overnight. On a very damp day in Scotland they might take 24 hours to dry, lol.

That is probably more than you want to know, right?

~Pam

Although I've not done the Road Scholar Best of Scotland I did do a Scotland tour with another tour company in early June 2018. That was the ONLY time on 11 tours with that company and 11 Road Scholar tours that I wished I had brought my waterproof rain pants! It was on the day we traveled by ferry from Oban to Mull to Iona. Yikes - we were soaked.

So...in light of that,

- I'd take waterproof shoes. My current waterproof shoes (which I got AFTER that trip, lol) are just waterproof athletic shoes and they are excellent. I have horrible feet so only wear Altra brand zero drop shoes which I can wear right out of the box. If you need to get waterproof shoes, I'd do it right away so you can put some miles in on them before your trip.

- I'd want a waterproof jacket with hood. It's very windy in Scotland so umbrellas and ponchos are useless. I like a jacket that comes down over my behind so I've got more coverage. Water resistant is useless in my view - just stops the rain for a few seconds before you are drenched. No need to spend lots of money if you don't have a waterproof jacket but I'd get a decent one - You can probably find one in the $100-$150 range. Maybe less if you can find one on sale. Waterproof also = windproof

- I'd take a puffy vest or puffy jacket to layer under your waterproof layer. I'm pretty cold tolerant so I can manage with a puffy vest but if you are from a warmer climate you might opt for a jacket. My current puffy vest is a 32 Degree brand from Costco - it was maybe $15 or so and has been a workhorse. I did not need a puffy vest in June but many on my trip wore puffy jackets every day. As mentioned, I'm cold tolerant so what I'm comfortable in might not be enough for you, depending on where you live.

- I'd take glove liners or light gloves. I have Smartwool glove liners that I use for shoveling snow and for all my activities here in Idaho but I'd not want to spend that kind of money on lightweight glove liners if you live where you'll never wear them again! Light fleece is a good option.

- Consider waterproof rain pants. Get the kind that zip up the side so you can get them on and off over your shoes. I'd not go with something as expensive as Gortex but I'd get some that are light enough to fold up small so you can have them in your day bag the day you go to Mull/Iona. You won't really need them in the cities.

- I'd have a warm hat or headband - lightweight fleece would be perfect. Nothing big and bulky but something you can stuff in your pocket.

- I am a light packer so I'd also pack 3 LS tee shirts (I use Lands End cotton/modal tees), 2 SS tee shirts (depending on weather forecasts about a week out if it doesn't look warm enough for SS, I'd add another LS tee). I used to always pack a cardigan or two but have switched over to Macy's Ideology quarter zip dri-fit shirts for another LS layer. They are light but warm and pack down smaller than the cardies do. I'd have 3 pr of pants. This time of year I'd have jeans for all my pants. I do sink wash so all my jeans are poly-cotton blend and will wash and dry mostly overnight. On a very damp day in Scotland they might take 24 hours to dry, lol.

That is probably more than you want to know, right?

~Pam

What a great answer, Pam! I don't go until August, but I am sure your information will be really helpful. Thanks!

Thank you Trish! Can you tell I love to think about packing, lol.

For August I’d probably do 4 SS tees and just have 1 LS tee as a “just in case” but would be watching the current temps a week before I left. I would have either something like a Dri-fit or cardigan as a layering garment. Definitely still would have a waterproof jacket with hood but I take that on all my trips. Probably would have the glove liners too.

I probably would not need a puffy layer that time of year but your tolerance might be different than mine.

Enjoy Scotland!

Pam