Maximum brrr
Keen to make finding warmth
in cold places an extreme
sport? Head to Oymyakon, in
Russia’s Republic of Sakha:
the coldest inhabitation on
Earth. Established during the
Second World War to service
an airfield on the Alaska-
Siberian air route, in January
2018 the village endured
temperatures of -62C. A little
on the parky side, even for a
settlement that has never
recorded an above-freezing
temperature between 25
October and 17 March. On the
plus side, summer days can
hit the 90s, making it one of
just three places in the world
with a temperature amplitude
greater than 100C.“Swimoutdoorsinaheatedlido,
snugly warm in the water with
steam rising all around”
graceful places to magnify the benefit of
sunshineonawintryday.
Foundincopiousparks,statelyhomes
and botanic gardens, you can take your
pickfromtherelativelyutilitarian–those
dotted around Cornwall’s resurrected Lost
Gardens of Heligan, for example – to the
stunninglyornate,suchasthethree-tier
domedPalmHouseinLiverpool’sSefton
Park,openedin1896andsavedfrom
dereliction by a community-driven
‘sponsorapane’schemein1992.FULL STEAM AHEAD
Theyknowabitaboutfindinglovelinessin
acoldclimateinFinland,acountry
populatedbyfivemillionpeopleandfully
threemillionsaunas.Traditionrunsdeep.In 1112, Nestor the Chronicler noted a
predilectionfor“hotwoodensaunasin
whichnakedbathersbeatthemselveswith
branches and finally pour cold water over
themselves”. They’re increasingly common
in the UK, too, none more spectacular than
thetreetopexampleatCenterParcsin
Sherwood Forest. But for an instant
warm-up,theDIY-fluentcouldtrybuilding
theirown:createaframewith2x4s,cover
withplywoodsheets(hingeoneforadoor),Do porridge
External heating is good,
warmth from the inside out,
better yet; time to crack open
the thermal food container
and break out the porridge.
For best practice in
preparation, ask a Celt. No
porridge I’ve tasted comes
remotely close to my Welsh
gran’s, whose trick was to
make it before bedtime to
heat through for breakfast.
Alternatively, go one step
further and adopt the east
Scotland tradition of filling a
drawer with the stuff. Leave
to thicken and simply cut off
» slices as required.ESCAPE | OUTING
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES
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