Teach me how to cold-weather

[whatsinmypockets]

Just moved to the Scottish Highlands after 15 years in a tropical country and I'm staggeringly underprepared for what's coming this winter...

I've set aside a reasonable budget for updating my wardrobe over the next few months, but I don't want to fritter it away on things I don't need or aren't the smartest investments – so I'm looking for advice!

If you were starting from scratch for a UK winter, what would be your first purchases?

Where do you look for practical, warm, weatherproof and stylish stuff?

And if you're in the Highlands, what do you know that I should know?!

I'm 5'4, size 8-10 hourglass, light spring colour palette, if any of that helps.

I would also recommend getting a daylight lamp. As if you come from the tropics you might really miss daylight in a few months. And lots of vitamin D.
I would be a lot less worried about colour palette than layers, warmth and dry from head to toe. And I'd look at places like Mountain Warehouse and Decathlon. A decent padded and waterproof coat is a good investment.
(I have lived in Aberdeen)

That isn't a UK winter, that's a Scottish highlands winter. It's another level!!

I'm on Skye. Outside walking the hound a couple of hours a day, volunteering with a group who care for a local woodland one day a week, and hopefully out and about a fair bit as I need to meet people and make some friends!

I'd rather not have the heating on at home constantly, too – so cosy things for indoors will be helpful. As someone who currently only owns one pair of socks, I think I've still got a fair bit of work to do!

Very glad to hear it's not likely to be as bitter as I've heard, though!

Oh I don't know. I lived 23 years in south east Scotland and now I am in south Wales I cannot imagine ever moving back. its just so much nicer being warmer. Moving from the tropics to the Highlands - that's going to be tough.

Windproof, You want windproof clothes,. I spoke to a GP on the Highlands who reckoned the high depression rates there were due to the constant sense of battling the wind. The wind in South East Scotland could get bad enough. Sometimes when the wind briefly dipped I would realise it was actually quite warm, but wind chill took all the warmth away.

This is very true. And a hood with draw strings so you can pull it in tight around you to keep it up in the wind and help keep the wind out. Ear bags are great too for putting over your ears to keep the wind out, which can be painful on your ears in the the cold weather. If you get a hat, make sure it covers your ears too.

Sometimes it would be so cold and the wind so sharp I felt it was taking layers off the skin on my face. So a scarf or something you can wrap around your lower face is good when its like this.

And loads of that vaseline lip balm for your lips.

Move?

Merino base layers?

Well yes and I did acknowledge that relative to where OP has come from it'll be cold, but it's hardly Alaska. What'll it be, minus 2C maybe? Rarely lower. The wind and rain is the worst bit, not the temperature as such.

OP I find jumpers like these really good for dog walking. A thermal underlayer, a t-shirt, a fleece, and a Rab jacket like this, and I'd probably actually be too warm once I got a pace up 90% of the year. Plus gloves! And a woolly hat. Keep your extremities warm and dry and you'll be grand.

ETA - I know this doesn't sound very stylish, but it's what people will be wearing for the activities you describe. Nothing looks dafter than someone in a wool coat and heeled boots when it's blowing a gale and pishing down. Think the main character business woman in the first 10 minutes of a Hallmark film 😂

Uniqlo heat tech tops and bottoms. Warm chunky wool socks.

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www.schoffelcountry.com/collections/mens-shooting-collection www.zara.com/uk/en/search?searchTerm=Skirt&section=WOMAN]]

Oh, Acai for waterproofs. Or just Decathlon for more practical cheaper stuff.

Skye is supposed to be milder than some places. But windproof will be crucial - and you will miss the sunlight. And I can't imagine going most of winter without heating - hopefully you are living somewhere well insulated.

Long sleeved thermal tops and leggings to go under everything. Only buy wool or cashmere jumpers, synthetics don't keep in the heat. A big down filled coat, with a shower proof finish. Good gloves, scarf and hat. Waterproof shoes or boots (look at the Aquatalia brand, expensive but worth every penny).

No when I lived in Scotland, the 1st September was the day when winter hit hard and the christmas trees seemed to go up very soon after. My DM was just extraordinary for Christmas decorations - she really went for it, but so did everyone else. It think it was to make up for the constant sheets of rain that went on from Sept to the beginning of the study leave period for school exams the following summer. I grew up in the west.

Good grief. I've never seen that. I've lived in Scotland all my life.

As others have said, get a 'proper' padded coat, not a fashion one. You need something that will keep the rain/sleet/snow out, as well as the cold. Synthetic insulation can sometimes be better than down for wet cold - it keeps working in the wet. Rab, mentioned by others, is an excellent brand. Trespass is good, too. Mountain Warehouse do very good thermals and bargainous merinos, but I've never been impressed by the durability of their outer layers. Didriksons for spring/autumn wet weather are IMHO unsurpassed. And they have hoods that stay in place in wild winds! I also like some of Rohan's stuff, though it's not cheap. Schoffel is very 'huntin',shootin', fishin' ' and costs a bomb, but has a good name.The socks I like best are by Bridgedale. Vastly expensive but very comfy and last years.

If you're going to be working outdoors then you'll need damp-resistant trousers (Rohan and other top brands do these) and/or waterproof overtrousers. These latter are wonderful when it's really wet, but invariably hot and sticky after a long day. Personally, I find wellies no good on damp rocks or black ice; you need decent boots and - if working on snowy/icy steep slopes - possibly something like YakTraks as well.

I've mentioned this before on Mumsnet, but keep country legwear to the straight and narrow; no flappy fashion jeans, except in towns.

Perhaps your phone has a good torch, but if not, get one that's bright and lightweight and long-lasting. Plus a spare. It's already dark enough up here to need one - so that any traffic can see you - when walking along narrow unlit country roads. If you're off-road, then you'll need one even more to see where you are going.

Just looking at my everyday winter wardrobe:

*Lands End silk underwear
*Bridgedale and Craghoppers socks
*Mountain Warehouse thermals/Lands End long-sleeve tee shirts
*As much merino knitwear of various shapes and sizes as I can afford. Mohair/alpaca are both very warm, but I find them unbearably itchy. Ditto most pretty FairIsle lambswool.
*M and S cosy jeggings - perhaps get one size too big if you want to wear tights or long johns underneath. They are warm, comfortable, wash well (mud!) and are long-lasting. Other companies - eg Acai -do posher versions.
*Didricksons waterproofs; Rohan ditto (old). Also various old anoraks for gardening or other outdoor work - Regatta, Brasher etc.
*Rohan long and lightweight padded coats with hoods. I wear a very old one of these indoors, just like medieval people used to put on a fur lined robe to sit down to read or write.
*Scarves of all kinds
*Gloves (always get wet, so take a change or two if planning gto be out and about all day). You can get posh waterproof ones, but I find them clumsy.
*Footwear - Ecco and Josef Seibel for town; for the country, Karrimoor, Merrell or whichever 'proper' brand suits your feet.
*Am not keen on hats, but I do have a fake fur one which is surprisingly warm and weatherproof.

All that is just my personal taste. You'll soon find what works for you. If you're going to be in a town, then a lot of the above won't apply.

It's often not very, very cold here, but (IMHO) damp West Highland cold and grey can be more chilling than freezing but sunlit Alpine snows.

Lots of thin layers.

Waterproof coats and make sure they are wind proof, the wind proof part will keep you much warmer.

Good sturdy waterproof footwear - dry feet are much warmer.

I was in the west, a little to the south of skye and the thing there was not the cold but the wet. It was fairly mild temperature-wise, but always wet.

Tbh our most important weather-proofing article was a car. We used to always "go out for a drive" and often spent our days out sitting in the car in the car park at the top of various hills, or in cafes.

When I went home to visit I noticed that a lot of Mums had the big silver cross coach built prams to cope with the rain, while in the south of England everbody had the bugaboo chameleons. I think the heavy rain just changes things a bit.

I live in the south of England now and it always weirds me out to see the rain falling vertically down from the sky. At home in Scotland the rain always came in at an angle, or horizontally sometimes, but never straight down.

What an amazingly comprehensive post @nameXname ! thanku ,feel the cold and I live in cushty London😃...taken note of all that info agree but wouldn't touch mountain warehouse with a bargepole, much better outdoors shops around 👍 have a warm Winter!
would add merino neck buffs are a lifesaver, live in mine wintertime

I’m in Scotland and have a good amount of cashmere items - jumpers and cardigans, cashmere mix trousers for the office.

for coats I have a wool coat from jigsaw which is smart for work and then a puffer coat which was very expensive but is worth it (I’ve had it years…) I also have a parka with fake fur lining and a large fake fir lined hood which is great for school run and things like cashmere long gloves that cover the wrists, and wool hats.

I actually don’t find I need any thermal layers with cashmere but then I am not in the highlands.

for working from home I go for leggings and a jersey dress with a nice cropped cardigan if I get chilly otherwise it’s jeans and t shirt

footwear I have some Ugg waterproof shearling boots which are warm and great for snow etc and wear chunky socks on the house. I don’t find the need for slippers or anything heavy duty as the house is kept well heated. I also wear trainers - the usual like everyone does - and for the office I buy smart boots in a size up to allow for a chunkier warmer sock.

I like to think I'm pretty good at staying warm, as I absolutely HATE feeling cold and have Reynauds. Here's my advice on top of the usual wool jumper etc.

1. Uniqlo or M&S for Heattech / Heatgen thermal long sleeve tops and leggings. Sainsburys TU also does decent tops. I wear the tops under everything in winter.

BUT they can get a bit sweaty if you're on the move, so if you're going for a walk / hike or similar I love merino baselayers - something like this https://bambooclothing.co.uk/shop/the-explore-half-zip-rib-knit-oxblood/

1. Thick long wool socks - to wear in bed, with hiking boots, wellies, or slippers around the house

1. Mittens rather than gloves - either Nordic wool, or Uniqlo (again) does some

1. Insulated walking / snow boots. Never have cold feet

1. Thin down or insulated jacket to wear as an extra layer under a waterproof, wool coat etc. Again, Uniqlo and M& S usually do these, I quite like the look of this

https://www.marksandspencer.com/stormwear-quilted-jacket/p/clp60631642?color=BLACK&extid=ps_ps-pla-pmax_ggl_ww_ch__-_UK_-_-_bau_smec_counterfactual&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw9eO3BhBNEiwAoc0-jVu_8rvKDwAW9ZZO3JEQb2vpAmScf1rnzhl9nmZiorO5Ie6dpWsbVhoCxZ4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

1. Heated throw! A total game changer that means you can stay really snuggly with no heating on

I also prefer a neck warmer to a scarf - less cumbersome - and a fleecy or woolen headband can be good when you are walking and would get too hot in a hat but want to keep you ears warm. And yes, dry robes are great.

You need a Lakeland heated throw like this if you're hoping to save money on heating:

www.lakeland.co.uk/61802/dreamland-velvety-electric-heated-throw-grey-and-red-check-135-x-180cm

Finisterre is great for heavy duty knitwear. I have one of their Farne roll neck jumpers and it is the warmest thing I've ever owned, so much so that I hardly wear it here in balmy south west England as it is rarely cold enough! I've lived in the west of Scotland though and would echo everyone else's comments about the rain and damp.

Hoods for all jackets-essential. Base layers and waterproof-ish outer wear. Lots of nice woollens can be your concession to style. Although I don't live there I spend a lot if time in Skye. The weather is changeable and there's a lot of rain. Walking boots also essential.

Take a look on Vinted for some second hand coats, thermals and base layers, even ski jackets. I’m sure there are local FB groups in the area that you’ll be moving to which will have recommendations and perhaps even to offer up some second hand clothing so that you’re able to load up on the essentials.