Spring has sprung!
Day-trippers out in force at parks and beauty spots as sun shines
SPRING finally felt like it had arrived yesterday as Scotland enjoyed cloudless skies, widespread sunshine and some of the highest temperatures in the UK.
After one of the coldest winters on record, day-trippers flocked to parks, beaches and beauty spots across much of the country.
In Aberdeenshire, more than 100 skiers ignored coronavirus travelling restrictions by heading to the Lecht Ski Centre to enjoy a day on the slopes, despite the facility being closed.
Further north there were dramatic scenes as a wildfire broke out close to the A9 in Portgower, Sutherland, on Saturday.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Police received a call around 12.30pm to a report of a fire in Portgower Village Road. Officers assisted with traffic management. The fire service is dealing with the matter.’
In Nairn, car parks were almost overflowing as families beat a path to the seaside. Some drivers even parked on the links after official spaces were filled.
It was the same picture in Glasgow, where the car park at Cathkin Braes was full with vehicles belonging to walkers and cyclists spilling onto the nearby road.
Similarly in Inverness-shire, Dores beach was busy with daytrippers, with dozens of vehicles parked along the main road.
In the hope of appealing to people’s better nature, Transport Scotland tweeted: ‘To minimise the risk of spreading coronavirus, Stay Home as much as possible.’
Marco Petagna of the Met Office said the North-East enjoyed the best conditions at the weekend, with a high of 15C (59F) at Craibstone in Aberdeenshire on Saturday.
The temperature, the highest in the UK, was caused by winds from the South-West warming up as they crossed land. Two weeks ago, the county had experienced -23C at Braemar.
Mr Petagna said: ‘There has been glorious sunshine across Scotland, with the North-East seeing the best of the weather.
‘After a cloudy start, the Central Belt warmed up nicely, too.’
However, the start of spring today may bring freezing fog to parts of Dumfries and Galloway and temperatures dropping as low as -4C tonight.
Yesterday morning, a low of -5.8C was recorded at Kinbrace in Sutherland. The day’s high was 13C (55F), recorded at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire.
Many places will still enjoy sunny spells today and things are expected to remain dry until the middle of the week. Ladbrokes cut odds on March being the coldest on record to 7/2. Spokesman Alex Apati said: ‘It looks like winter’s sting in the tail.’
But warm southerly winds are poised to send highs pushing towards 20C in Scotland by April.
A Met Office forecaster said: ‘A short colder spell is likely at the end of the week for a time. Frost and fog may occur.
‘Brief colder intervals are also possible from March 14-28, although temperatures are most likely to be around average.’ Former BBC forecaster John Hammond of weathertrending
‘Glorious sunshine’
said: ‘Much chillier north-easterly winds from Scandinavia may be cold enough for a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow in showers arriving across the North Sea.
‘But by late March southerly winds could perhaps send the mercury into the low 20s.’
Meanwhile, south of the Border, hundreds were seen walking along Newcastle Quayside, and police at roads to the beach in Barry Island in Wales checked if motorists were out on essential journeys.
Covid marshals were overwhelmed in Brighton, East Sussex, as thousands thronged the promenade and beach.