Edinburgh weather: Bank Holiday Monday forecast as capital gets ready to head to pub beer gardens now lockdown has lifted

The combination of tomorrow’s May bank holiday and the re-opening of pub beer gardens might seem like a perfect opportunity to let our hair down but Mother Nature may well put a damper on proceedings.

Wrapping up warm and finding a beer garden with some shelter will be the priority for those still looking to take advantage of the national holiday to down some pints and catch up with pals.

According to the Met office forecast for Monday, temperatures will be hanging around at a chilly 6° with a high of 7° at noon and a low of 4° going into the evening.

As if that was not bad enough for the many revellers who were probably looking to get out for a few social beverages after a long layoff due to lockdown, there is a 90 per cent chance it will be bucketing it down throughout the afternoon.

The weather may not be as kind to customers who want to indulge in some outdoor drinking in Edinburgh on bank holiday Monday

The Met forecast for the optimum beer garden drinking times between noon and 8pm states it will be wet and cloudy all the way through with the winds gusting as high as 31mph as the afternoon moves into early evening.

The Three Sisters in Cowgate may be a good location to visit due to its overhead canopy, as will the Anchor Inn, in West Granton Road, which also has a sheltered area and there are many other local venues which have invested a lot of time and money to adapt their premises for outdoor drinking in the troublesome Scottish climate.

Scottish Government guidance states a structure “should also be at least 50 per cent open - not all sides enclosed” and encourages businesses to consult their local environment health teams for an assessment when it comes to creating their beer garden areas.

If there are brave souls out there who can stand the wet, wind and low temperatures, the pubs – under level three of the lockdown easing process – can now sell alcohol outside until 10pm.

Beer gardens with some form of shelter will be the places to be if you are planning to head out drinking in Edinburgh on bank holiday Monday

From May 17, when the whole of mainland Scotland is expected to move into level two of the coronavirus restrictions, when it is expected hospitality premises will be allowed to stay open until 10:30pm indoors, with alcohol permitted, for two hour time-limited slots.

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