The Costa del Kinlochewe as Scots bask in 26C heatwave

Published on Friday 29 May 2009 22:24

SUNNIER than Sicily, balmier than Barcelona and as hot at Athens. Scotland basked in a heatwave yesterday as temperatures soared to almost 26C – and the good weather is set to continue this weekend.

The warmest place in Scotland was Kinlochewe in Wester Ross at 25.4C, which matched anywhere in the UK and was on a par with Majorca, Rome and Alicante – and better than the likes of Corfu, Malta and Ibiza.

Around the country, scores of sun worshippers filled parks and lined beaches and riverbanks to soak up the first signs of the "barbecue summer" predicted by forecasters.

The mercury reached 24.5C in Aviemore, 22C in Glasgow and 20.7C in Leuchars, compared with an average for late May of 14-15C. The hottest day of the year so far was only bettered in Europe by hotspots such as Lisbon and Seville (31C), and Milan and Madrid (28C).

Forecasters said the sunny spell is due to high pressure from Scandinavia and is likely to last across the country until early next week. A Met Office spokesman said: "It's going to be glorious. More clear skies are expected over the weekend. It will be another warm few days for most although as always there will be a few subtle differences.

"We are expecting patchy rain to come on land about mid-week but it certainly looks like it will be barbecue weather over the weekend."

The heatwave was a welcome bonus for the 2,000 passengers on the Eurodam cruise liner that berthed in Invergordon en route from Norway to South Queensferry.

The warm weather also brought a bumper day for ice-cream sellers and businesses stocking garden furniture and barbecue accessories.

Malcolm Ross, 23, from the Black Isle, emerged from a garden centre in Inverness with two 7.99 garden chairs. He said: "I intend to do a lot of work in the garden over the weekend then relax with a few beers.

"I was going to watch the Scottish Cup final on the TV but it looks like it will be too warm to be inside, so it will be the radio outside."

With fewer holidaymakers going abroad this year, firms are stocking up on summer goods. Tesco said the recent bank holiday brought a 364 per cent jump in barbecue sales and the supermarket believes it will sell about 1.2 million burgers this weekend. Last weekend it sold 40 per cent more aftersun, 50,000 summer dresses and 250,000 vest tops.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has advised people about the risks of a cooling swim. It says that in previous years there has been a link between hot weather and an increase in accidental drownings, particularly in rivers, lakes, lochs and canals.

The society's most recent statistics showed 435 suspected drowning accidents in 2005.

The scourge of the Scottish summer, the midge, has yet to have an impact.

According to the online Scottish Midge Forecast, the insects remained at low or negligible levels across the country.