In Scotland and Wales, a viable backup solution could be Hydroelectric - just turn on the taps at a few dams and instant hydro-electricity. Naturally though, that probably wouldn't last long as the water drains, but it is a good form of near instant power-up for when the wind drops.
What about the merits of importing electricity? I'm sure France who has already invested greatly in Nuclear power would be willing to sell some of their surplus, and the likes of Spain, Italy could sell some of their sunshine, and Iceland their geothermal. That saves having to go down the route of a 'dirty' fossil fueled backup, and reduces the reliance on less stable nations to supply gas and oil.
Then when the wind picks up, export it to our neighbours to lower their reliance on whatever systems they have in place there.
I think some sort of renewable-energy trade system should be put in place throughout Europe, or even the world. There are so many countries that have near guaranteed weather/environment conditions, that it would be possible to run all countries off 100% renewable; i.e.
UK - good wind and water
Portugal/Spain/France/Italy - good sunshine
Northern Africa - permanent sunshine
Iceland - permanent geothermal
If transmission of electricity over distances is a problem, why not convert the electricity into a more useful fuel like hydrogen, then transport that? It may be quite a wasteful process of conversion, but then again, it's produced by energy which we are already wasting by not harnessing it.
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