The Island of Tiree, West Scotland: Is this the sunniest destination for your staycation UK holiday?
Sunny Facts about Tiree:
Tiree officially is the sunniest Scottish island
In May, Tiree is sunnier than many holiday resorts in the South of England including Newquay (Cornwall) and Bognor Regis
Tiree's average annual sunshine hours are higher than the average for Scotland and UK as a whole.
(Ref: www.metoffice.gov.uk)
The Isle of Tiree and so nicknamed the ‘Hawaii of the North’ has often been spoken of because of its unusually high sunshine hours.
How do we know so much about the island’s weather?
This tiny island off the west coast of Scotland has its own meteorological station and airport, which is unusual for such a small place but owes much of this infrastructure to World War II.
Tiree's Weathermen and World War II
Tiree's history with weather played an important, if not pivotal role in World War II. During World War II, Tiree became a RAF base for around 3000 military personnel. Among them were the 518 Squadron who flew dangerous missions from the island, out into the Atlantic to collect meteorological data. Weather could only be predicted by this method before the station was built - physically flying out into the Atlantic in all conditions to see what weather was heading to the UK and Europe. The weather data recorded by this Tiree base squadron was passed onto meteorological advisors reporting to US General Eisenhower. The data collected by these Tiree weathermen persuaded General Eisenhower to change the date of the Allied invasion and ultimately ensure its success, leading to the end of World War II, as a storm blew in shortly afterwards which would have delayed the invasion for two weeks.
So how Sunny IS Sunny?
With 1476.6 average annual hours of sunshine recorded between 1981- 2010, Tiree enjoys higher than the national average sunshine than the rest of the UK.
May the sun shine
Many people ask when is the best month to come on holiday to Tiree with July and August, traditionally being the busiest months. According to data from the Met Office, May is officially the sunniest month on Tiree with an average of 238.8 hours of sunshine. This makes the Isle of Tiree sunnier than many holiday destinations in the South of England including Cornwall. Perhaps in May, Tiree does top the tables for the sunniest place in the UK for your holiday.
Tiree is THE sunniest Scottish Island
It’s official! Tiree is the sunniest Scottish Island. Sunnier than Barra, Colonsay, Skye, Lewis and Orkney. Although all the Scottish islands have their uniqueness and beauty as holiday destinations, as the Hawaii of the North its clear to understand why Tiree was given this name. Suntanned faces in the Tiree Co-op have often hinted at this sunny reputation but now its officially official!
Crossapol beach, a 15 minute walk from The Reef Inn, Tiree