Banff is at its best between May and September, when daylight stretches well into the evening and the coastal weather is at its driest. June and July offer the longest days — light until past ten at night — and the seabird colonies along the Banffshire coast are in full swing. The North Sea remains cold even in midsummer, so beach swimming is strictly for the hardy.
Spring is good for birdwatchers and for the salmon fishing season on the Deveron, which opens in February. Autumn brings dramatic light and the best salmon runs, and is the quietest time to walk the coast. Winters are dark, windy, and often gale-swept, but the town's compact Georgian core is appealing under a hard frost.