Edinburgh weather: Christmas events in Edinburgh cancelled as city battered by '60mph wind gusts'

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Brutal gusts reaching up to 60mph are causing chaos in Edinburgh on Saturday (December 21), with several visitor attractions closed and disruption to road, rail and air transport expected.

It comes after the Met Office put weather warnings for wind into force across much of the UK as millions more people get away for Christmas. Yellow warnings for wind are in place from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.

Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens have said they will close early this evening. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), they said: “Please note: Due to high winds, Christmas at the Botanics is closed this evening, Saturday 21 December. Tonight’s ticket holders will be contacted shortly by their ticketing provider outlining the options available. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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Edinburgh Castle is also closed, while the venue’s Castle of Light is also cancelled tonight. Lauriston Castle's grounds will not re-open until Monday, December 23 at 8am.

Edinburgh’s Christmas sites, including the East Princes Street traditional markets and West Princes Street funfair were closed on Saturday morning but expected to reopen at noon.

Santa’s Stories, the Uniqlo Ice Rink and Polar Ice Bar are all open as usual, as is the Coorie Inn bar on George Street.

The Met Office said: “The strongest winds are expected across the far north of Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts in excess of 80mph in coastal districts including Orkney.

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“Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways. This period of strong winds may lead to some transport disruption, including ferry delays or cancellations.

“Frequent blustery showers will also be a feature on Saturday and may merge into a longer spell of rain for a time in the far north and north west.”

The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists said.

The RAC estimated seven million leisure trips will be made on major roads during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic.

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RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With the weekend bringing a mix of strong winds along with heavy, and in some places wintry, showers, it’s going to make many of the estimated seven million getaway trips by car a pretty exhausting experience.”

Douglas Cairns, from Transport Scotland, said road, rail, air and ferry services are “all likely to be affected by the conditions” with possible longer journey times, cancellations and restrictions on bridges.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said its 7.45pm Saturday ferry service from Douglas, Isle of Man to Heysham, Lancashire was cancelled due to the “forecast adverse weather”, along with its 2.15am Sunday service from Heysham to Douglas.

CalMac, which operates ferries to the west coast of Scotland, said possible disruptions and cancellations could affect each of its planned services for Saturday.

Winds will ease by Monday, but cloud and rain are expected to move in with increased temperatures.

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