Best month to walk
Pick a hill area and compare the twelve months on rainfall, rain days, temperature on the tops, wind and daylight — blended into a single walking score so the good windows stand out. An estimate from long-term averages, not a forecast.
Walking score by month, 0–100 — higher is better. Highlighted bars are the top-scoring months.
| Month | Score | Rain | Rain days | Summit temp | Wind | Daylight |
|---|
Low-scoring winter months are not off-limits, but short days plus snow and ice on the tops mean winter skills and equipment — read the safety notes. Check sunset for your actual date with the daylight planner.
These figures are indicative regional averages compiled for planning, based on public Met Office climate summaries for the 1991–2020 period. They are not station-exact normals: values are rounded, smoothed and represent valley level at one point in each area, while conditions on the tops are far harsher. Verify against current Met Office climate averages before relying on them, and always check a mountain forecast before you go.
How the score works
Each month gets a mark from 0 to 1 on five factors, which are then blended with the weights below and scaled to 0–100. Every factor is a straight line between a “best” and a “worst” value, so the formula is easy to check:
- Rainfall total — 30%. Full marks at 40 mm/month or less, zero at 280 mm or more.
- Rain days — 15%. Full marks at 8 days/month with ≥1 mm of rain, zero at 22 days.
- Summit temperature — 20%. Best around 11 °C on the tops, falling to zero 14 °C either side (so roughly −3 °C and 25 °C both score nil).
- Wind — 15%. Full marks at a 10 km/h valley-level mean, zero at 26 km/h.
- Daylight — 20%. Zero at 7 hours, full marks at 17 hours between sunrise and sunset.
Summit temperature and the lapse rate
The climate averages describe valley level, but you will be walking high above it. Air cools by roughly 0.65 °C for every 100 m of altitude gained (the environmental lapse rate), so the table shows the valley mean minus that correction at a typical summit altitude for the area. Wind chill, cloud and freezing summit conditions can make it feel far colder still.
Daylight
Daylight hours are computed for the 15th of each month at the area’s representative grid point, using the same solar equations as the daylight safety planner. Northern areas swing harder: a Highland glen gets around 18 hours in mid-June and under 7 in mid-December.
See also
- Daylight safety planner — sunrise, sunset and twilight for a specific date and place.
- Walking-time calculator — how long your route will take.
- Browse hills by region — find peaks in the area you have picked.