What to wear in scotland during fall/winter?r=1218049455

Question

my daughter is going to glasgow to study abroad for the fall. I'd like to know what makes the best sense clothing-wise considering she needs something to take to start & will probably buy some there.

Answer 1

Something to keep out the damp !!!  and rain . In winter there is quite high rainfall

In Autumn (fall) it can vary quite a lot , between quite mild where it is possible to go out in quite summery clothes , to cold wet and windy

The one thing your daughter can be assured of in the Werst of Scotland is very variable weatrher !!!  even in the same day

But the locals are friendly and there is lots to do for young folks  

Answer 2

The weather in Glasgow is very unpredictable. We sometimes get all four seasons weather in one day! For fall/winter it will most probably be raining (probably quite heavy) and expect sleet and snow too. For your daughter I would suggest jeans, trousers, jumpers, cardigans, jacket with a hood, gloves, hat, scarf and umbrella too. At night time anything goes! Tell her to go to a shop called Primark which has great clothes at very reasonable prices. I hope she has a great time in Glasgow!

Answer 3

I moved to Scotland from Michigan a few years ago, and if you're familiar with 'four season' weather, think of it as the 'late fall/beginning of winter' type weather in the States.  It rains a lot here so I would advise packing sweatshirts, long sleeved shirts, long trousers, jeans, long skirts, a couple of good raincoats (a warmer one and a lighter one), a winter coat with a hood, an umbrella or two, comfortable shoes (everyone does a lot of walking, even though it's raining!), gloves and a winter hat.  During the day most people dress pretty casually, but when going out at night people dress much the same (no matter the weather) as going to the bar in the States.  Whatever your daughter is used to wearing in the colder weather to her university just now should be just fine for Glasgow.

I would suggest that your daughter visit Marks & Spencer (http://www.marksandspencer.com) when she gets to Glasgow to buy an umbrella, because they have really small ones that break down to the size of an eyewear/glasses case and can fit in her purse.

Also, if she has a particular addiction to certain things like peanut butter, ranch dressing, grape anything, etc. I would pack a few jars in her suitcase as a surprise, because you can't get them here!

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

She will definitely need an umbrella; comfortable shoes which will withstand some rain; a raincoat (mac); sweaters, jeans etc.,  The best advice would be to pack clothes which can be layered, and put on/taken off as the weather dictates.

Good suggestion from hallawayii to buy an umbrella which folds down small.  I have one - and rarely venture outside without it!  except in summer, and sometimes even then! :O

Unlike North America, mainland Europe etc we do not get the extremes of 'Continental Weather', our climate is much more moderate, but very changeable within those moderate limits.  Because the weather is so changeable, we half-joke that we get four seasons in the one day. We also say, 'If you don't like the weather,  then wait for twenty minutes'

Although on the same latitude as Moscow, our temperatures are much higher in winter, because of the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. This is a stream of warm water that begins in the Gulf of Mexico, travels across the Atlantic Ocean and then washes on the west coast of the UK, generally making the west of Scotland milder and wetter than the east coast; indeed it is not unusual for spring to arrive in the west coast two weeks before it arrives in the east coast area.

The River Clyde which flows through Glasgow is at about the same latitude as the St. Lawrence in Canada which freezes every year. The River Clyde only froze a few times during the whole of the Twentieth Century and then it was big news in Scotland, because it was so unusual. The Gulf Stream not only brings mild temperatures it also brings rain - lots of rain. Unlike most countries, most of the rain in Scotland falls in the winter (about five / eights of the annual total), but if you visit Scotland in the summer you could be forgiven for thinking that most of the rain falls then - because we can get a lot of wet weather at any time of the year.

However,  there are some benefits of this large rainfall: the air is cleaned of dust and pollen particles, the vegetation is lush and green and the rivers, lochs (lakes) and waterfalls  in the surrounding areas are spectacular. The rain also gives clean, renewable, hydro power to Scotland - generating one tenth of all our electricity supplies. Few countries can have such refreshing drinkable water - straight from the kitchen tap.  

I would disagree about not being able to get peanut butter in Glasgow.  This can be found in most supermarkets.  I know that Tesco has their own brand of ranch dressing and (Paul) Newmans ranch dressing too... I don't know what grape anything is???  But she won't starve here, I can assure you! :o)

I hope your daughter enjoys her time in Glasgow, despite the rain!   The only trouble is she may not want to come home!!

Answer 5

Well our winter (fall) can be pretty nasty so a heavy jacket, a scarf and maybe gloves to be on the safe side, its not siberia but can be quite cool and most definately wet

Answer 6

Coats, jackets scaves, umbrellas, sunglassses, gloves litterally everything the weather is unpredictable

Answer 7

I no longer live in Scotland. The one thing I don't miss is the rain. The fall as you call it can actually be quite nice around the Clyde Valley, but I would expect the worst and that could mean rain, fog, cold winds and a type of weather you only hear the scots talk about it, when its cold, wet, drizzly and foggy, they say it's driech, pronounced dreech with an accent on the "ch".

I do hope your daughter does well. There are no finer people than the Scots, especially the Glaswegians.