This site gives some indication of the relative changes and is useful for the long term view;

http://www.theweatheroutlook.com/twodata/datmdlout.aspx

The warming weather at the challenge start suggests full burns and rivers from snow melt.

Good luck.

If you read the opening paragraph from the Final Challenge notes you will get a pretty good idea of what to expect.
If anyone can do better please also tell me the winner of the Derby!

Hi
What is considered "normal rain and Temperature " in May?

Not long before I start to Pack.
William

We arrived in Glasgow yesterday, drove to Skye today.

Rained all the way :( The amount of water crashing down off the mountains was very impressive!

Driving past Morvich the hills were well capped with snow. Temperatures on the high passes never got below 2C. I guess it would have been sub zero overnight, and there was snow beside the road on the pass above Loch Garry.

Currently recovering from the jet lag on Skye and looking forward to next week!



Mike

I think Scotland is doomed to lousy weather, while Mr Salmond is in charge.
I blame all those bl00dy wind turbines disrupting the air flow.
I am expecting 4 seasons of weather.
That is why I will NOT be going Ultralight.
Mind you, lack of willpower plays a lot in that.
I will be wearing shoes though.
Because I don't have any boots at the moment.
All that said, it's lovely down here in the Flatlands.

I do remember there was lots of bloody awful weather in May during years before Wee Alex came to power, anyone else remember 2003? It's Scotland in May and you are going to get all 4 seasons on the Challenge. The good news is the weather can change dramatically for the better in a day or so, remember the contrast between the first and second weeks last year? The bad news is it can change just as quickly from good weather to bad. Some years, on the weeks before the Challenge, the message board is full of dire warnings about hill fires, it then normally peas down for the first week and the main difficulty is getting across swollen rivers. To me a large part of the joy of the Challenge is having to cope with whatever the weather throws at you, if we had 2 weeks good weather it wouldn't be the Challenge.

Whatever the weather brings, to me, it's the best two weeks of the year. Roll on Friday.

Ian C.

"Wee Alex"? More accurately, "Fat Eck" (Eck being the vernacular for Alex)

I remember '83 when it rained every day and I remember '86 post Chernobyl when everyone was told not to drink the water and I remember '03 when I sat in control for 13 days when the sun shone from dawn to dusk in Montrose while Challengers were drowning while walking across from the west coast. Happy Days!