Are you looking for places to go in the summer holidays and you’re thinking about having a summer holiday in Scotland? Wondering what adventurous activities you can do there? Here’s a list of some super adventurous activities to do in Summer in Scotland.
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Activities To Do In Summer In Scotland
Why Scotland?
Staycations are becoming more common so if you’re starting to think about holidays in the summer and wondering where is best for summer holidays, we think Scotland ticks many boxes.
Scotland’s summer is the best time to visit for being able to do adventurous activities and you might even be rewarded with some sunshine and bright blue skies.
The summer months in Scotland are the warmest and with the least amount of rainfall, although you’ll probably still have a bit of rain. It is quite far north after all. The average temperature in Scotland in summer is 17°C which makes it warm enough to enjoy outdoor activities and the seawater.
So, if you’re wondering what adventurous activities you could in Scotland on your summer holidays, read below for some of our suggestions.
Don’t forget to check out all of our relevant Scottish posts at the bottom too. We love Scotland and think you will too.
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The isle of Coll Summer in Scotland
Swim With Basking Sharks
The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world and they can be found off the west coast of Scotland around Oban, Mull and the smaller islands of Coll, Tiree and Canna during the summer months.
These gentle creatures are no threat to humans, despite being 10 metres long and weighing in at 7 tonnes, they only eat plankton. If you’re not sure about swimming with them you can also choose to stay in the boat and watch from above.
As well as basking sharks, you might also see Minke Whales, Dolphins, Grey Seals and Porpoise. There are more than 700 sightings of whale sharks every year and with numbers increasing so your chances of spotting them are good.
Swimming with the basking sharks: Basking Shark Scotland & Dive Oban
Boat Tours: West Coast Tours&Sea Life Adventures
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Adventurous Activities In Scotland In Summer
Fly To Scotland With Skyscanner
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Gorge Walking
Gorge walking or scrambling gives you the opportunity to explore Scotland’s rugged beauty with friendly natural water slides, pools, waterfalls and some cliff jumping if you fancy it.
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Fly To Scotland With Kiwi
Plunge Into Canyoning
Scottish canyons are a mix of rocky waterfalls, deep pools and rural scenery that you’ll need to jump, slide, crawl, climb and swim.
More challenging than Gorge Walking, you’ll see some lush glens, fast-flowing rivers and hopefully some narrow gorges. The best places to visit for canyoning are Perthshire, Aviemore, Oban, Loch Lomond and Fort William
If you like cliff jumping, abseiling, sliding over natural waterfalls and wild swimming, this is the activity for you. Canyoning is harder than Gorge Walking but more fun.
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Hold Your Breath For Freediving
If you fancy working on your breath control and diving to roughly 20 metres, sign up for a course with one of the below providers, one of whom is located in the Outer Hebrides.
The longest time underwater for a woman on a single breath is 9 minutes 20 seconds but most of us find it difficult to get to 2 minutes! What do you think you can do?
Freediving: Benbecula Freedive and Fitness, Basking Shark Scotland and Freediving Scotland
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Activities In Scotland In Summer
Self Drive Scotland With Rentalcars
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Limber Up For Via Ferrata
Latin for ‘Iron Way’ a Via Ferrata is a climbing route that uses steel cables, rungs or ladders, fixed to the rock. Climbers use a harness and two leashes to secure themselves to the metal fixtures which limits the danger of falling.
Scotland’s only Via Ferrata is in Kinlochleven near Fort William and ascends a 60-metre waterfall while traversing its pools at the top. The Kinlochleven Via Ferrata is a family fun activity for those aged over 8 years.
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Catch The Train To Scotland
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Head For The Winds & Kite Surf
Scotland is famous for its cloudy weather and strong winds so there’s almost nowhere better for kite surfing than Scotland and it’s certainly a high adrenaline sport!
So where can you kitesurf in Scotland?
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Book Your Stay In Scotland This Summer With This Interactive Map
Swim With Inquisitive Seals
Diving and swimming with sea lions was an amazing experience for us and if you thought Scotland was beautiful above the water, wait until you see below it.
Diving in Scotland you can expect to see everything from molluscs and octopus and minke whale and basking sharks. Albeit cold, Scotland’s pristine waters are home to thousands of sea creatures.
If you’re an experienced diver some of Scotlands dive sites can be found here if you’re wanting to learn, there’s plenty of dive schools too.
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Bungee Jump & Swing
If you’re super adventurous and have kids who love adrenaline, head over to the Killiecrankie bungee jump which is open all year round! It’s a 160ft jump over the River Garry in Pitlochry. Tandem jumps are available. Minimum age is 14 for the bungee however kids over 10 can do the swing.
If you can’t make it up there, there’s also a crane bungee jump in Glasgow run by the same company.
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Want To Find Cheap Hotels In Edinburgh, Scotland? Use This Map.
Go Hiking In Scotland
Ben Macdui is the second-highest mountain in Scotland after Ben Nevis and the highest in the Cairngorms National Park. The summit elevation is only 1,309 meters though. Whatever the height and whatever your needs there’s a walk in Scotland for you.
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Beach Buggying (Land Yachting)
Racing along the sand in a boat with the wind in your hair, land yachting is perfect for Scotland’s long beaches and windy climate.
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Book Your Stay In A Hostel Through Hostelworld
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Reach For The Sky & Paraglide
See Scotland’s best scenery from the skies. Paragliding offers a unique perspective of the landscape and the thrill of flying. All companies off tandem glides.
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Go White Water Rafting
White water rafting isn’t just for those tropical climates, white water rafting Scotland’s rivers and rapids is a brilliant way to get that adrenaline pumping.
Go earlier in the summer months when the snow melts for a true adventure.
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Rock Climbing & Bouldering
No surprise that Scotland has many crags and walls perfect for both climbing and bouldering, both on the mainland and on the islands.
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Wild Swimming
I love these 54 photos of people wild swimming in Scotland, taken by Anna Deacon and it was these photos that really got me interested in wild swimming.
This Wild Swimming website is a great resource for crowd-sourced wild swimming locations in Scotland. The beauty of wild swimming is that you can go alone. Read here for Scotland’s top ten wild swimming locations however you can also book tours and guides.
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Other Activities To Do In Scotland
Jump Into Coasteering
Coasteering combines wild swimming with scrambling, climbing on low cliffs, exploring caves and small cliff-jumping. Scotland has the largest coastline in Europe and so is perfect for Coasteering.
In my opinion, coasteering is one of the best activities in Scotland in summer to really test yourself. It’s something that really scared me but that I absolutely loved.
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Ziplining And Tree Top Walks
Do you know how much we love ziplining? We’ve been ziplining in Guatemala and Romania and we just love the height and the exhilaration of gliding above the trees.
Some of the longest ziplines in the UK are found in Scotland which has some brilliant aerial adventure parks.
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Ice Climbing Even In The Summer
Even though it’s summer you can still learn to ice climb or practice your ice climbing skills. The indoor ice wall here is 12m high and made from 500 tonnes of real ice and it’s VERY cold in there.
Learn to indoor ice climb at Kinlochleven, near Fort William with Ice Factor.
Photo: Clearly not in Summer
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More Activities To Do In Scotland
Fall Out Of A Plane & Skydive
Scotland was one of the first places in the world to have skydiving and during WWII, special forces used Lochaber as a practice area for perfecting their technique of dropping into enemy territory.
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Explore The Water & Sea Kayak
Scotland has some wild and rugged regions and there’s no better way to explore the coastline than sea kayaking. This way you can get close to wildlife and stop off on some of the off the beaten track islands and even camp overnight under skies that have zero light pollution.
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Plunge Into A Sphere
Climb into a 12ft inflatable ball and throw yourself down a hill! Also known as zorbing, you have to try it once and you can do it in the dark and on water too.
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Can You Run The Loch Ness Marathon?
Coming to Scotland for a run might seem strange but how many marathons follow a jaw-dropping route along Loch Lomond?
This epic Marathon is actually in October so I am really pushing the summer theme there but I wanted to include it because I felt it was iconic to Scotland.
Book your marathon place here.
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Dive Scottish Sea Caves
Scotland’s volcanic rock means that many of its coastline benefits from strange-looking rock, submerged caves, tunnels and sea arches.
Caves that you can dive include those of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides and Fingal’s Cave near Mull.
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SUP / Paddleboard
With Scotland’s beautiful scenery and a bountiful supply of water, Scotland is the perfect country to try paddleboarding.
Whether it’s the Northern Sea of St Andrews, the sheltered waters of Eigg and Rum or around the magnificent Castle Stalker, Scotland is a phenomenal place to go SUP boarding.
Gutsy Girls (female only holidays)
Scotland Stand Up Paddle Board Company
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Fancy Visiting Scotland? Use This Map To Search For Accommodation
Learn How To Surf
Although the autumn and winter are better for surfing, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn in the summer.
Thurso, the northernmost Scottish mainland town, is known for its surf and hosting international competitions. Tiree is an island in the Outer Hebrides which is also famous for its waves and it also hosts competitions.
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River Tubing
You’ll need to hold on tight as you spin over rapids and hold your breath as you go through the white water.
River tubing is available for anybody of any ability or age.
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