We live around 100 miles from Glasgow and have very similar weather.
My view on winter tyres is - better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.
Last winter was mild, but at the very end there were a couple of days of frost. That caught a lot of people out. My wife's friend told me he could not get his car in for a service as the local garage was full of damaged 4x4s. 4 wheel drive will get a vehicle moving, but it will have little effect with emergency braking and cornering. Four wheel drive will get you up a hill. It will be little use coming back down.
We both fit 4 winter tyres (as required by the insurance company). My Goodyear Ultra 8s are good when it is cold, but not good with temperatures in the mid teens. My wife's Continental TS850's seem much better in all conditions. Check tyrereviews.co.uk.
My wife also just has the tyres - no alloys. So she can get the tyres fitted to her alloys when she wants. Her tyre storage bags with handles make this method simple. I recommend this for people who are not physically able to change their own tyres/alloys (or can't be bothered).
