August - September

High season continues through August and September, peaking in the month of August. By September, students across Scotland will be going back to school, and accommodations, while still high in price, will begin to have more availability. Lines at many attractions will begin to thin out as the month of September goes on. August in particular is a very big festival month in Edinburgh, and the highest accommodation prices of the year in Scotland will most likely be found at this time in Edinburgh. The traditional end of the Highland Games season occurs in September; trips to the Highlands are a very big draw for tourists in that month.

Rain chances begin to rise in the western parts of the country, but will not reach their peaks until the final months of the year. In the Shetland Islands, highs average in the mid-50s with lows around 50. In Inverness, average highs peak in the mid-60s in August, retreating to about 60 by September, with average lows around 50. Aberdeen, like always, sees similar temperatures during the day but slightly cooler readings at night. Glasgow and Edinburgh`s average highs retreat from the mid-60s in August to around 60 in September; lows average near 50 and the upper 40s, respectively. The Scottish Borders on average see temperatures in the mid-60s in August, with lows in the mid-50s; these cool to averages of 60 and the upper 40s, respectively, by September.

Holidays and Festivals:

August - Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The world`s largest arts festival, over 5,000 shows are presented over the span of a month in 300 venues across the city.

August - Edinburgh International Festival, a large fine arts and culture festival which coincides with Fringe but is not related to it.

August - The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a celebration featuring music and marching performances from soldiers in the British Armed Forces and militaries of other Commonwealth nations.

First Monday in August - Summer Bank Holiday (Public holiday across Scotland.)

First Monday in August - Fair Holiday (Public holiday in Paisley.)

Mid-to-late August - Edinburgh International Book Festival. Started in 1983, it has grown to become one of the largest literary festivals in the world, and was a key reason for UNESCO naming Edinburgh their first-ever City of Literature.

Last week in August - Cowal Highland Gathering, Cowal Peninsula, Argyll and Bute.

First Monday in September - Late Summer Holiday (Public holiday in Elgin and Inverclyde.)

First Saturday in September - Braemar Gathering, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

First Sunday in September - Blairgowrie and Rattray Highland Games, Blairgowrie and Rattray, Perth and Kinross.

Early September - Largs Viking Festival, Largs, North Ayrshire. A celebration of local history, in particular the 1263 Battle of Largs, fought between the Kingdoms of Norway and Scotland.

Second Monday in September - Battle of Stirling Bridge. A commemoration of the 1297 battle in which the Scots, led by William Wallace, defeated the English in a key battle in the War of Scottish Independence. (Public holiday in Falkirk, Perth, and Stirling.)

Second week in September - Pitlochry Highland Games, Pitlochry, Perthshire.

Third week in September - Invercharron Highland Games, Arday, Sutherland, marking the traditional end of the Highland Games season. (The 2018 event, due to unforeseen circumstances, will not be held.)

Third Monday in September - Autumn Holiday (Public holiday in Edinburgh.)

Third Friday in September - Ayr Gold Cup (Public holiday in Ayr and Kilmarnock.)

Third weekend in September - Ayr Gold Cup, Ayr, one of the most prestigious horse races in the United Kingdom. It has been held nearly every year since 1804. A £200,000 purse is given to the winning stable and jockey.

Monday after Third Friday in September - Ayr Gold Cup (Public holiday in Ayr and Kilmarnock.)

Last Monday in September - Autumn Holiday (Public holiday in Aberdeen, Angus except Carnoustie and Monifieth area, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Paisley, South Lanarkshire, and West Dunbartonshire.)