What to Do in Scotland During Winter

Sharing is caring!

In 1640, the Parliament of Scotland passed an Act abolishing Yule. The Reformation kirk had frowned on Christmas since 1560, and now it was the law of the land. The Act was eventually swept away, but the habit stuck. Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958, and Boxing Day had to wait until 1974.

So Scots did what Scots do. They moved the party. For centuries the real celebration came at the turn of the year, a stretch of feasting, visiting and merriment the poet Robert Fergusson called “The Daft Days.” And that is the secret of a Scottish winter: the darker it gets, the brighter the country burns.

Yes, the days are short. In Shetland at midwinter, the sun is up for less than six hours. But those long nights are exactly what make the season special — fire festivals, northern lights, castles in low golden light, and a dram by the fire after a bracing day on the hill. Here is how to spend winter in Scotland the way the Scots do.

Bring in the Bells at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay runs from 29 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. It opens with the Torchlight Procession, a river of flame winding through the Old Town to pipes and drums. The Night Afore follows on the 30th, and on Hogmanay itself the Street Party and the Concert in the Gardens build to the bells, when fireworks burst over Edinburgh Castle. On New Year’s Day, the brave (or the daft) take the Loony Dook, a plunge into the icy Firth of Forth.

At midnight, strangers cross arms for “Auld Lang Syne,” the song Burns sent to a song collection in 1788, saying he had taken it down from an old man’s singing. Then the first-footing begins. The first person over your threshold after the bells sets your luck for the year, and a tall, dark stranger bearing coal, shortbread, black bun or whisky is the most welcome guest of all.

Away from the capital, Hogmanay gets wilder. In Stonehaven, locals swing blazing fireballs around their heads along the High Street at midnight before flinging them into the harbour. In Comrie in Perthshire, the Flambeaux procession carries flaming torches through the village before casting them into the River Earn.

Good to know: The Street Party and Concert in the Gardens are ticketed, and Edinburgh fills up fast — book your accommodation months ahead.

See the Old New Year Blaze in Burghead

When Britain switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, eleven days simply vanished. Most of Scotland moved on. Burghead, on the Moray coast, kept the old New Year anyway.

Every 11 January (or the 10th, if the 11th falls on a Sunday), the Clavie — a barrel filled with tar and staves and nailed to a pole — is lit at 6pm. The Clavie Crew, led by the Clavie King, carry it clockwise around the streets of the old town before setting it down on Doorie Hill, on the ramparts of the ancient Pictish fort. Smouldering embers are snatched up for luck and even posted to “Brochers” living far from home. The kirk tried to stamp it out — in 1689, the village’s young men were rebuked for “superstitious worship” — but the Clavie burns on.

Watch a Viking Galley Burn at Up Helly Aa

On the last Tuesday of January — 26 January 2027 — Lerwick in Shetland turns into a Norse saga. The Guizer Jarl and his squad march through town in full Viking dress, and that night hundreds of guizers hurl their flaming torches into a hand-built replica longship.

Here is the wow fact: it is not as ancient as it looks. Up Helly Aa grew out of rowdy tar-barrelling in the 1800s. The first torch procession on Up Helly Aa day took place in 1881, and the first galley was burned in 1889. The name comes from the old Scots “Uphaliday,” marking the end of the Yule holidays. Since 2023, women and girls have been able to join the Lerwick squads too.

Good to know: The morning march and the evening procession are free to watch. If you miss Lerwick, smaller Up Helly Aas take place across Shetland through February and March. Reach Shetland on the overnight NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen or by air to Sumburgh.

Chase the Mirrie Dancers

In Shetland and Orkney, the northern lights are the Mirrie Dancers. In Gaelic, they are Na Fir-chlis, “the nimble men.” Whatever you call them, Scotland’s long winter nights give you the best chance of seeing them shimmer green and crimson across the sky.

Head north and find a clear northern horizon well away from streetlights. Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, the Moray coast, Lewis and Skye are all favourites. Sign up for AuroraWatch UK alerts, dress for the cold, and be patient. Sightings are never guaranteed, but even a quiet night under a sky this dark is unforgettable.

Stand in 5,000-Year-Old Sunlight at Maeshowe

Around 5,000 years ago, Orkney’s Neolithic farmers built Maeshowe, a great chambered tomb hidden beneath a grassy mound. They built it with breathtaking precision. For about three weeks either side of the winter solstice, the setting sun shines straight down the long entrance passage and lights up the back wall of the central chamber.

Centuries later, Norsemen broke in and left their mark — a scatter of runic graffiti and a carved dragon that you can still see on the walls today.

Good to know: Maeshowe is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland and is visited by guided tour, so book ahead. The solstice light depends entirely on clear skies, so keep your plans flexible.

Hit the Highland Slopes

Scotland has five mountain ski centres, and each has its own character:

• Cairngorm Mountain near Aviemore, with Scotland’s only funicular railway
• Glenshee, the largest ski area in Britain
• The Lecht 2090, friendly and ideal for families and beginners
• Nevis Range on Aonach Mòr near Fort William, home to Britain’s only mountain gondola
• Glencoe Mountain, Scotland’s first commercial ski centre, with the longest and steepest runs, beneath the mighty Buachaille Etive Mòr

The season usually runs from December into April, but Scottish snow is famously fickle, so check conditions before you set off.

Meet Britain’s Only Free-Ranging Reindeer

Reindeer once roamed Scotland but had long since died out. Then, in 1952, the Sámi reindeer herder Mikel Utsi and his wife, Dr Ethel Lindgren, brought a small herd over from Sweden. Today, around 150 reindeer roam free in the Cairngorms, and a frosty hill walk to meet them is pure winter magic.

Good to know: Visits start from the Reindeer Centre at Glenmore. Hill trips pause for part of the winter, so check dates before you go.

See Scotland’s Castles in Winter Light

Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle stay open through the winter, with fewer crowds and a low sun that sets the old stone glowing. At Stirling, the restored Great Hall shines with its golden limewash even on the greyest day.

Good to know: Many smaller castles and stately homes close between November and March, and most sites shut over Christmas, so always check opening times before you travel.

Coorie In with a Dram

Whisky’s Gaelic name, uisge beatha, means “water of life,” and there is no better time to understand why than on a raw winter’s afternoon. Many distilleries in Speyside, on Islay and across the Highlands welcome visitors through the winter, and with the summer crowds gone, tours often feel wonderfully personal.

Good to know: Winter hours are often shorter, and many distilleries close over Christmas and New Year, so book ahead.

Stargaze Under Some of Europe’s Darkest Skies

In November 2009, Galloway Forest Park became the UK’s first Dark Sky Park. In 2018, Tomintoul and Glenlivet in the Cairngorms followed, becoming the most northerly Dark Sky Park in the world at the time. The tiny Hebridean isle of Coll has no streetlights at all. On a clear winter night, the Milky Way pours across the sky above all three.

Raise a Glass at a Burns Supper

Robert Burns was born in Alloway on 25 January 1759 and died in 1796 at just 37. Five years later, on 21 July 1801, nine of his friends gathered in his birthplace cottage to toast his memory — the very first Burns Supper. It was such a success that the tradition moved to his birthday, and it has spread across the world ever since.

A proper supper starts with the Selkirk Grace. The haggis is piped in and addressed with Burns’s own “Address to a Haggis” (1786), then come the Immortal Memory, the Toast to the Lassies and the Reply, and a ceilidh to dance it all off. Burns Night 2027 falls on Monday 25 January.

Good to know: Visit the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway to stand in the cottage where it all began.

Winter Travel Tips

• Pack warm layers, waterproofs and sturdy boots, and plan drives for daylight hours.
• Check Traffic Scotland before driving through the Highlands, as roads can close in snow.
• Island ferries can be cancelled in rough weather, so build a spare day into your plans.
• Book Hogmanay and Up Helly Aa accommodation as early as you can.
• Check opening times — many rural attractions close between November and March.

When you are ready to plan your trip, our Scotland trip planning guide has everything you need.

“In Scotland, the darker the night, the brighter we burn.” — Love Scotland

A Scottish winter is not something to endure. It is something to celebrate. This is a country that once had its Christmas taken away and answered by lighting up the whole of the dark season instead — with torches in Edinburgh, a burning barrel in Burghead, a Viking ship in Lerwick and a haggis piped in on a January night.

Now we want to hear from you. How do you bring in the bells? Have you ever been first-footed, or seen the Mirrie Dancers? Share your stories with us in the Love Scotland Group — we love hearing them.

Sharing is caring!