Western Highlands accessible from, and south of, Glenfinnan (Road to the Isles) and Glen Spean (includes Creag Meagaidh). This area includes Ben Nevis and the mountains around Glencoe. In the east, from Ben Alder south to Loch Lomond and Trossachs NP. Also Arran and Mull.
West Highlands
Thursday 6th August 2026
Last updated
Wed 5th Aug 26 at
3:58PM
Blustery with showers into Scotland and northern England in the morning; wind and rain easing, sun breaking out with time, mild high temperatures. Risk more frequent showers and strong wind in the Peak District through morning, improving afternoon. Rare early showers in Wales, cloud clearing most hills.
Few early showers; clouds lifts, breaks forming
Northwesterly 25-30mph early, soon easing and shifting westerly 10-20mph well into the day.
Fairly small, but feeling rather chilly in exposure to breeze on higher terrain early in the day.
Brief showers but most hills dry; rain returns late
Well scattered light showers, often dry, showers most likely to come and go near the coast and islands during the day. Later, patchy rain returns from the west, increasingly frequent into and overnight.
Lifting with breaks to tops
Most cloud soon above 700-800m in the morning, lifting higher. Patches likely to come and go above 1000-1100m, best breaks above summits inland towards Bridge of Orchy. Tending to lower over coastal tops later in day.
Rising to 50%
A patchwork of cloud and sun. Visibility very good.
5C rising to 7C afternoon (a degree cooler Lochaber coast); staying elevated into night. Feeling below freezing if exposed to the wind on tops.
Only just above freezing point on Ben Nevis summit early in the day.
West Highlands
Friday 7th August 2026
Last updated
Wed 5th Aug 26 at
3:58PM
Southwesterly 20-30mph, strongest north. Strengthening, top speeds to 50mph Mull and Lochaber, nearer 25-30mph Arran.
Blustery from dawn, deteriorating to challenging walking with significant wind chill over northern Munros.
Most rain early
Frequent or persistent rain in the morning, heavier bursts forming that will drift inland. An easing tendency, but always a risk of drizzly patches, perhaps more often raining until late Mull and north.
Shrouding high terrain
Extensive at dawn, to lower slopes Mull and north, ragged patches to forest canopies. A lifting trend, breaks approaching 900-1000m Ben Lomond to Rannoch Moor, some chance of more improvement; further west and north, only small improvement.
30%
Mostly cloudy, a little weak sun may break through, best chance south. Visibility poor along coastal hills, improving below cloud well-inland.
6 or 7C, rising a degree, or locally 9C south and east Munros. Feeling like 0 to -5C in direct wind.
Above the summits.
West Highlands
Saturday 8th August 2026
Last updated
Wed 5th Aug 26 at
3:58PM
Southwesterly 40-55mph, strongest speeds north where stronger gusts over tops are likely. May lessen later.
Challenging conditions in exposure with significant wind chill; strongest gusts can knock you over.
Incessant rain sets in, often heavy
Showery rain from the southwest sets in through the morning, constant heavy falls forming over most mountains well into the day; becoming very wet underfoot.
Extensive
Varied cloud in the early hours with coming and going of rain, any breaks above 1000m unlikely, cloud soon filling in extensively to middle slopes with ragged patches increasingly forming from forest canopies upward.
10%
Soon overcast and dull with very poor visibility.
8 or 9C, mildest south and very humid. Feeling like -5C in direct wind (or colder northern summits).
Above the summits.
Westerly winds prevail into the weekend and further weather fronts will come in off the Atlantic, bringing rain and low cloud to most mountains. Saturday into Sunday in particular will see extensive cloud and heavy rain across Scotland with strong wind, bands of rain passing to the south and east into England and Wales. A ridge of high pressure returns early next week for warmer temperatures and clearer hills, though western Scotland likely remains fairly cloudy with some drizzle on the high tops. Following this high pressure, west-southwesterly flow returns and a series of low pressure systems will pass west-to-east across the British Isles with periods of strong wind (sometimes gale-force), rain, and low cloud, western hill groups aways most affected. Unsettled conditions likely persist into next weekend.