WARM weather and sunshine is forecast to continue across Scotland after Easter, with temperatures hitting over 20C on the Bank Holiday.
Temperatures are well above the average for the time of year and are due to remain relatively high with outbreaks of sunshine.
The warmer weather brought with it an earlier than expected school of basking sharks which traditionally arrive at their summer feeding grounds across the Hebrides in May.
The school of 10 delighted fishermen and researchers by making an early surprise appearance off the isle of Coll on Easter Sunday.
In parts of the UK the Easter break saw temperatures rise to a balmy 21C, with the mercury rising as much as 10C higher than what is normally forecast for April.
The average UK temperature for April is 11.4C (52F) and for England is 12.4C (54F), according to the Met Office.
In Scotland the north east has seen the warmest weather, following on from the Easter Sunday high of 20.7C (69F) in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.
In Glasgow, the city's parks witnessed an Easter Monday influx, especially after the morning mist cleared after lunchtime, while in Edinburgh Portobello beach was unseasonally busy.
The good weather looks set to continue for the rest of the week as high pressure ensures conditions in most areas remain settled.
Most parts of the country should see sunshine breaking out on Wednesday and Thursday.
In Aberdeen, Friday is predicted to the be the sunniest day.
On Thursday the temperatures will rise slightly with most Scottish cities predicted to reach a peak of around 14C.
However, the north-west is expected to see some cloud developing, bringing with it outbreaks of rain.
Met Office Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "We are going to hold on to that high pressure which is going to keep things settled. We should see plenty more decent spells of sunshine."
The best of the UK weather is set for Exeter, Bristol and south Wales, while most of Northern Ireland, particularly the east coast will enjoy the sunshine.
Basking shark expert Shane Wasik, who was out on a research boat trip monitoring porpoises, when he saw the school said it was "both intriguing and amazing to have them early".
He said: "They were spread around a lot but we managed to get a few pictures of individual sharks.
"We heard from some of the fishermen that the sharks had turned up and we sighted around 10
individuals during the trip."
Satellite tagging has confirmed that basking sharks move thousands of kilometres during the winter
in search of the plankton blooms they feed on.
Mr Wasik believes that good feeding conditions has brought the creatures back to the Hebrides earlier than usual.
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