This really could be a boring blog to those that aren’t interested. However it is with all good intentions that I share all travel tips and ideas with you. So this piece will highlight some of the purchases I’ve made to make the unpredictable Scottish weather a bit easier to handle. 

Now, you may have worked out by now that I love to travel on a budget and I also like to keep costs down at home. Who isn’t right? The cost of actually living these days is insane. I realised today that buying all of our food in advance for this trip, totalling £237.52 (a mere £8.48 per person per day and that includes all meals, snacks and drinks) meant I avoided paying the escalated prices of everything. No I’m not psychic, just very lucky. I dread to think how much the actual total would have been if I had left it till now. 

Due to this very particular need to buy in advance and spread the cost, a few months ago I started looking into cheap clothing that would help keep us warm and dry. Ultimately I have been trying to avoid the big costs when buying the pricey 100% waterproof clothing in places like Go Outdoors. For the sake of two weeks in Scotland, I can’t justify buying expensive trousers and thick coats. It was time to get creative. 

It is going to be extremely unlikely that we will dodge the poorer weather that often presents itself in the highlands. Heading out into the inclement weather does not bother me. My main concern is keeping the wind and rain off our chests. I am susceptible to chest infections and Mr W has asthma. A cold and flu situation does not a vacation make!

I have bought us both some fleece hoods that have a big draping part of material that can be tucked into tops etc that will keep us warm. They also have drawstrings so we can tighten them around our chins etc. I think these will be especially effective against the winds when we hike.  They were barely £2.50 each and even if we don’t wear them out walking, I think they would be a good way to warm us up if we get caught in a downpour. 

I have bought two really thick and baggy beanie hats. I love a beanie hat and these are just such great quality. Woolly hats are my worst enemy and they end up sitting on my head rather than keeping it warm. A beanie always fits me better. I think it has something to do with my hair. It pushes a woolly hat up and off. When we bought our wetsuits I realised I could wear a hat while I had a paddle so my head would be happy too. Again, at less than £2.30 I am chuffed with my purchase.

For the warmer but windier days I have some knitted headbands that will hopefully keep my hair in place and my head semi warm. The kind of warmth you need with a bit of heat release. So not too hot. Not too cold. Something just right. And they are really cute too!

I also have a very indulgent fleece/faux fur lined infinity scarf with a knitted external layer, should my neck really need some heat. At £2.80, you really can’t fault it and I’m almost praying for colder weather. Almost. 

When it comes to clothing I think Mr W and I have nailed the whole hiking wardrobe so far. Layers in abundance and spare items in the bag you have on the day. Usually I have a vest top under a long sleeve top under a light jumper and then either a thin jacket or a thick fleece-y gilet I have had for years. I find the more layers you have the better and they are so easily interchanged should it rain or you get too warm. I am confident in the fact that my upper half is usually happy with intermittent weather conditions. 

For the women readers, I like to keep the bra situation real simple. Bralets, sports bras and such like. No underwires. Hiking and some scrambling up rocky hills needs ultimate comfort. And who on earth is going to see you anyway? Do we think the sheep and cows will mind?

Now, trousers, on my first two trips to Northumberland I wore jeans on all the hikes and noticed a lack of mobility that made my legs hurt after a while. On our last trip I dared to wear jogging bottoms and oh wow the range of motion I got back was just great. I bought two basic pairs for £20 and I use them at home to do some gardening and I’m not precious about them. They are ultimately utility trousers, If they get muddy that is fine. They aren’t necessarily my style, but again as long as the cows and field dwellers don’t mind, I’m happy enough. 

As the trousers aren’t very thick, I have bought some super thick knitted leggings that on the colder days I can wear underneath. I am obsessed! They are so soft and long. This means no cold ankles. They were £9 and I reckon worth every penny. They also come up over my stomach so will double up as a body warmer too!

Now I will have my very trusty walking boots with me as ever. They are padded and sturdy. I literally feel like a superhero in these things. They are so supportive that they give me so much confidence. My actual mind believes I can hike, climb and take on these huge personal challenges. I think clothing that gives you that freedom is a big deal. They were roughly £35 and are the budget brand Karrimor from Sports Direct, but I have never ever had an issue with them.

Along with these I will have my trusty pair of Nike trainers that I wear literally everywhere. These will be for wear on pavements etc, they won’t make much of an appearance but will give my feet a break from the heftier soles of the boots. I have also invested in a knock-off version of uggs. The short version. They were £7 or so from New look and these are purely to warm my feet up should we get caught in a downpour. If my feet get cold the rest of my body soon follows. These will be like my car slippers.  

Of course we have our wetsuits. Mentioned in a previous blog. An absolute bargain from Mountain Warehouse for £50! Other wetsuits were priced at nearly £400. I mean,  what! Getting these into the luggage is going to be a challenge as they’re rather big and thick, but I reckon a good roll up will do wonders. 

Now the above does not paint a very glamorous picture, but I’m leaving the glamour to the highlands. There are, however, two times I would like to be myself and dress nicely and they are meals to celebrate our wedding anniversary. 4 years! Yay us. I’ll be packing one or maybe two lightweight dresses, that need no ironing, in the bags so we can step out in some sort of refinery. Having these luxuries on our trip will be a complete indulgence in what will be a very basic but enjoyable trip. 

As we are going to be eating most of our meals in the car we have made a small investment in a kettle that can run off the cigarette lighter port. At £12 I am made up with the quality and it has opened up so many possibilities food and drink wise. Hot chocolates on a cold day. Pot noodles at lunchtime. And a thirst quenching cup of tea! But, what about milk? Ah you see, alongside the kettle I bought those little milks you usually find in hotels from Amazon. They are long life milks so need no refrigeration and the pots are recyclable so it’s a win-win situation! Can anything beat a cup of tea when you are tired?

To keep packing to a minimum we are aiming to pack enough clothes for a week. As it is a two weeks trip we have located washing machine facilities in one of our hotels. It means taking 2 hours out of our schedule to do the ‘chore’ but it means everything we need food wise will fit in the car. It will also give us a moment to sit down.

I was quite unsure of how much I would share on this piece today. Now I have reached the point again where I think I’ll discuss the rest in situ. This means I can update you how successful the purchases were and about other ones I’m yet to tell you about. I’m very aware that this approach will see us soggy in the odd downpour, we have some ponchos to keep off the majority of the rain and I hope the above really goes a long way to keep us warm. The proof will be in the pudding.

For now, we are in the final countdown towards our trip and the very real need to start packing looms. Eep!

Photo by Dave Watson
Please check out his work on https://www.instagram.com/davewatson_uk/ or at https://davewatson1980.picfair.com