Don't know what happened to Mad Jock as used to love his posts but haven't seen him post for a long time ??
He used to claim that it was always windy in Scotland and that students were used to dealing with strong winds!
The only way is a baptism of fire and I too would recommend choosing a strong wind day, going up with an instructor and see how you do !
You cannot learn to fly in bad conditions unless you fly in bad conditions and that is far safer under the eyes of an experienced pilot than learning yourself because you have been caught out by weather on your own
Pace