The Scots would die without this

Scotland's Climate

The Scottish climate is not soft or gentle. Scotland is at the northern end of an island in the Atlantic Ocean that is at the same latitude as Hudson Bay in northern Canada. (see the red line in the picture: Hudson Bay is on the left end, Scotland on the right end). If it weren’t for the Gulf Stream the Scots could freeze to death. With the Gulf Stream, the average temperature in the winter is 37 degrees Fahrenheit, while the summer is a balmy 59 degrees F.

And it rains a lot; 80 inches a year in the west, and 30 inches in the east. (By comparison Richmond VA, where I live, gets 40-44 inches per year).

When my family toured Scotland in 2018, it was sunshine and in the 70s the entire week. My ancestors must have been smiling at us..