We booked a seven day tour of Scotland with Haggis tours,
and across the week it was a miracle when the weather got to double digits.
Seriously.
After meticulously selecting our day one tour outfits (we
have to make a good first impression) and then freezing our butts off, we realised
we may have to compromise style for warmth.
Soaking wet ballet flats, freezing cold feet, icy ears
and noses, and wet hair. Luckily the day before the tour began we purchased
some not so fashionable spray jackets from Primark for £9 each. They roll up and fit
into our handbags, in the shape of a bean. So our ugly spray jackets would now
be called our beans.
We could possibly take flight
Don't mess with us, it's cold
A suitable amount of layers to combat the weather would be
a singlet, long sleeve top, knit jumper or two, blazer, scarf, and bean jacket
over top. And we were still cold.
Snow bean
Windy bean
Emo bean
Shoes were our next problem. Hiking boots are so not cute, unless you look
like Bear Grylls. My favourite brown Country Road flats are currently wet in a
plastic bag at the bottom of my backpack. Our tour guide Chris made it very
clear, “Socks! You must wear socks! It’s Scotland!”
The most practical shoes I packed were a pair of canvass
Vans.
Not the Vans! Anything but the Vans!
After hiking the Scottish Highlands in the rain all week,
I realised they were not so practical either. Sitting in the bus with wet socks
and shoes, and trying not to spread mud onto everything else is not so
comfortable.
Trying to walk through the forest without sliding in the mud
Every town we stopped in we searched vigorously for
gumboots, or wellies as they’re called over here. (Ask for gumboots in a store
and they will look at you like you want to buy a bag of dog poo).
After a few days of rain and chill I felt like I was
picking up a bit of a cold. Time to up the layers. As well as wearing half my
backpack, I inherited our guide Chris’ big thick knit jumper, seeing as our
Zara knits “aren’t real knits”.
Who said three shades of green couldn't work together?
A backpack full of dresses and bikinis, and not enough
warm clothes. More than a few people at home suggested that perhaps this was
not the correct way to go about packing.
Nevertheless, if I had to do it again I couldn’t have
done much differently. I wore so many layers I felt like a Michelin man, and I
just couldn’t wear, carry, or afford hiking boots.
So if you were planning a trip to Scotland, check the
weather! And take proper waterproofs. And maybe go in the summer, the weather might actually hit double
digits!
Nikki the snowman
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