Ray of hope as lockdown eases
SCOTS flocked to beaches and parks to soak up the spring sunshine yesterday as tough lockdown measures were finally eased.
Families and friends met up for socially distanced barbecues and picnics across the country for the first time in months.
The legally binding order to stay at home for all but essential purposes was dropped on Good Friday ahead of a blissfully sunny Easter weekend.
Temperatures reached 13C in some parts of the country with the mercury expected to hit 14C today.
But the surge of visitors sparked traffic chaos in some hotspots, with the picturesque village of Rowardennan, by Loch Lomond, seeing roads blocked by parked cars.
Police were also sent to patrol mobbed parks and beaches.
James Fraser, of the Friends of Loch Lomond, said: ‘It was utter chaos in the good weather last year as the authorities decided to keep car parks and toilets closed to discourage visitors.
‘We always knew that people would hit the road, given the stunning weather and the relaxation of the stay home message.
‘I’m happy to report people are acting responsibly, even if some don’t realise they are meant to stay within their own local authority area. Car parks in the usual sweet spots like Balmaha and Rowardennan were solid before lunch time.’
The day started perfectly in the east of Scotland with a spectacular sunrise at Portobello beach in Edinburgh.
While the Cairngorm Mountain ski centre remains closed for another three weeks, routes into the range were opened for the first time since February with the lifting of snow barriers. But forecasters have warned Scots to make the most of the sunshine as a cold snap is set to arrive tomorrow.
The Met Office has issued snow warnings for parts of the North, with temperatures set to plummet. Forecasters said no part of the country would be ‘immune’ from snow on Easter Monday.
Parts of Scotland including Fife, Strathclyde and the Highlands are likely to see gale-force winds and snow showers, poten
tially causing travel disruption. There could be as much as six inches (15cm) of snow in higher areas and temperatures could drop to -5C.
Met Office yellow warnings are in place from 6pm tomorrow until midnight on Monday.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: ‘After a taste of summer for a lot of the UK, we will see things turn much colder as we go through the second half of the Easter weekend. A lot of the UK will be prone to seeing some wintry showers as we go through the course of Monday but northern Scotland is where we will see the heaviest and most frequent snow.
‘That’s where there is most concern that we might see some disruption.’
Mr Snell said that although it was not unusual to see snow at this time of year, it would be a ‘shock to the system’ for many.
He added: ‘It will feel as if we are back in January or February. Temperatures
in Glasgow will be around 6C but if you factor in wind chill it will feel more like zero.
‘In the north of Scotland it will feel like -5C or -6C.
In 2013, a low of -12.5C was recorded at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on Easter Sunday.
The deepest snow recorded on an Easter weekend was in 2010 when 14 inches (36cm) was measured at Strathdearn, Inverness-shire, on Good Friday.