Making generalisations about Highland weather isn't easy because of where the Highlands are. On the edge of the land-mass of Europe, they lie between the stable air of the Continent and the Atlantic weather-fronts to the west. It is the meeting of these two weather systems - high pressure and low pressure, continental and maritime that makes the weather so changeable and a conversation topic wherever you go.

Warm sea waters, comparatively speaking, surround the Highlands on three sides. In the west, the North Atlantic Drift (part of the Gulf Stream) takes the edge off any extremes of temperature, most noticeably in winter. It also explains why, for example, tender plants flourish at Inverewe Gardens near Gairloch as winter frosts are so infrequent at low level by the coast. It's also the reason why what are claimed to be the world's furthest north palm trees grow in Scourie which is situated 50 miles north of Ullapool.

So when should you go? Unless you have a season-dependent interest, like skiing or gardens, there is no specific best time. But whenever you choose to go, be flexible in your packing to cover all eventualities. Whatever the forecast, the weather in all its variety will be an abiding memory.