Autumn & Winter

For many people, Autumn is the most spectacular season of the year in which to visit the Highlands of Scotland. The green tones of summer give way to spectacular autumnal tints, usually accompanied by relatively mild weather conditions, whilst the wildlife is busily preparing for the harsh winter season that lies ahead.

Autumn and Winter promise an element of tranquility as there are far fewer visitors around than during the summer months. Despite the long nights and chilly days, winter is a great time to visit Applecross with its crisp, snow-dusted hills and shoreline. There is a wonderful sense of being able to ‘have all this’ to yourselves - such a privilege.

To make the most of an autumn or winter break, preparation is absolutely key – not just being sure to take the right sort of clothes for getting out and about, but finding somewhere warm and cosy to stay.

Unlike the way it's sometimes presented, Scotland's climate is actually moderate, if changeable, and only rarely extreme at either end of the temperature scale. As an old Scottish saying goes, "there's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes!" So even though Scotland isn't blessed with year-round sunshine and tropical temperatures, that doesn't mean to say that the weather needs to get in the way of having a great and relaxing autumn or winter break - quite the reverse in fact.

Come back from a bracing coastal walk or a gentle stroll through the Applecross Estate, close the curtains to the outside world and relax in front of a roaring log fire.

And if the weather is really atrocious, there’s nothing quite like watching the angry sea dashing against the rocks from the snug comfort of the sitting room whilst listening to the shipping forecast as the windows are lashed by the storm.

On clear frosty nights the stars shine so brilliantly in a dark sky unaffected by light pollution that you feel it is possible to reach out and touch them. In the depths of winter, should the conditions be right, you may even be lucky enough to be treated to a show of the Northern Lights. And should you also be lucky enough to be staying when there is snow on the ground, you’ll marvel at the transformation of the landscape.