// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Coolcations: 'They used to joke about our weather - now they can't wait for the rain'
Esther and Nick Cochrane have spotted the business opportunity in promoting Scotland's cooler climate
It's a beautiful day on a sea loch near Glencoe with light winds and calm waters.
The seals are out but they are not basking in the sunshine and neither are the holidaymakers who've come to kayak on Loch Leven's placid surface.
While much of Europe and large parts of England and Wales have sweltered in record-breaking heat this summer, the weather here is overcast and relatively cool.
But for an increasing number of tourists that is part of the attraction - they are heading to Scotland not to sunbathe but to seek respite from the heat on what have become known as "coolcations".
Cloud and fresh temperatures are the norm in a Scottish summer - but that's what visitors are looking for
Esther and Nick Cochrane who run a self-catering holiday cottage business called Beside the Loch have noticed the uptick in visitors who say they have come here for lower more bearable temperatures.
At first they arrived from the continent – France, Italy and Spain – but now many are heading north on coolcations from within the UK as well.
This year, says Nick, "coolcationers" have also been coming up from the south of England. "That has been a real surprise," he adds.
Seizing the opportunity to turn Scotland's notoriously unreliable summer weather into a positive, the couple have begun marketing their cottages as coolcation destinations.