Help me convince DH that North West Scotland is a great holiday destination.

[IsabellaofFrance]

Please!!!

I think it will be perfect, fresh air, nice beaches, whale watching trips, Isle of Skye. He thinks it will be miserable (He is miserable!)

It will be fab IF the weather is kind. If it isn't, he'll never want to go again - but at least you'll have been once. What sort of things does he like to do?

Sit around a pool or sit on the beach. We have very differing ideas on holidays, so we normally do alternate years. Its Greece this year (his choice) so its my turn next year.

We would be going mid August.

Time of year makes no difference

It could be glorious with wall to walk sunshine on deserted perfect beaches.

It could be raining for the entire holiday and you can't see the water from the beach.

You just can't rely on the weather. If it's a beach holiday you want, go somewhere else. We camp nearly every year in NW Scotland but we are realistic. We always have alternate plans and lots of waterproofs.

NW of Scotland is my DP's favourite holiday destination. And all his extended family and various old family friends go to. It's not my ideal holiday - too breezy, and too many of the extended family around for my tastes. But we go sometimes, we're going next week. Camping, with a lot of waterproofs and watersports equipment. And other years we go to my choice of places - hot countries with interesting culture or scenery you can be outside in rather than view through a windscreen when the rain stops.

Sorry I'm probably not helping much here am I? I do like NW Scotland when the sun shines. And it lowers our risk of skin cancer, going on holiday there.

It is great when you get the weather. It may be really nice (last year I think it was good in August!) or could pour with rain for a fortnight. Then there's the midges...
We love the area around Lochinver - beautiful beaches, great walking, amazing scenery. But there is not much to do if it rains.

If your husband is a midge magnet then it will be an utterly miserable holiday for him.

OH is a midge/mosquito magnet and has had every holiday, apart from a week in Norfolk last week, ruined by being bitten, in spite of using gallons of insect repellant.

One word. Bugs.

Beautiful though. The bugs love me, so it makes me very reluctant to go back. I was covered in 10p-sized bites.

If you could find somewhere that also offered an indoor pool or hot tub, might that help? Not too rural, so there are some wet weather attractions?

What age are the children?

We are from Scotland but have taken our two on holidays up the west coast a couple of times. As has been said, you need to be prepared to take what weather you get - there are some amazing beaches but you could be there on a cold windy and wet day - for me that is fine - we just got our coats and boots on and mucked about on the beach anyway. You need to be prepared with activities to do, even if it is a forest walk or a boat trip or something like that.

The main thing is that it is mainly an outdoor adventure/history type of holiday, you will fill your lungs with fresh air and your head with adventure. I'd thoroughly recommend Skye - you could then go further up and then cross to Inverness for a bit of civilisation before heading back down south on the faster road.

At the end of the day, there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes :o