The Sunday Times - UK (2021-12-19)

10 December 19, 2021The Sunday Times

Travel Adventure

THE WINTER KIT LIST

WRAP UP

Fjallraven Vardag Anorak

£185

It’s no use being optimistic

when hiking at this time of

year — you will get rained

on. But waterproofs are

hot and constricting

to walk in, so you

need something

that’s easy to pull

on and off as

needed. This

water and

wind-resistant

option from

Fjallraven is

perfect. And it

has side zippers for

ventilation, and a

poppered kangaroo

pocket on the front —

which means no more

fumbling around

with gloved hands.

fjallraven.com

KEEP TRACK

Garmin Fenix 6S

Sapphire

Multisport GPS

watch £699

With unpredictable

weather in winter,

it’s more important

than ever to keep

track of where you are

on hikes. This seriously

impressive GPS

watch comes

loaded with maps

(including ones for

ski resorts) and

has built-in

navigation systems,

an electronic

compass, barometer,

altimeter and tracking

log. The battery lasts

up to 34 days in the

saver mode. It’s not

just useful for

hiking — there are

options for cycling,

swimming,

paddleboarding

and more.

cotswoldoutdoor.com

GET COMFY

Osprey Tempest 34 £120

Winter hiking is all about

having the right kit — extra

layers, waterproofs,

crampons, poles. And that

means you need one serious

daypack to lug it all around

in. The Tempest 34 from

Osprey is my favourite

because it’s so

comfortable; the

ventilating mesh back

panel is adjustable

and the straps and

hip belt are perfectly

padded. Plus, there’s

the option of a

female-specific fit.

Choose between

green or black.

blacks.co.uk

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’ll admit, mutiny did briefly

cross my mind when, trudging

around dreich Loch Laggan in

the Scottish Highlands last week,

I was caught in horizontal sleet.

Temperatures were just above zero and

my sixtysomething mum, an ordinarily

tough-as-nails retired A&E sister, had

gone awfully quiet as she plodded ahead

of me, hidden inside her oversized green

anorak. Still, you can’t always expect blue

skies when you go hiking in December.

Wilderness Scotland specialises in

trips to the country’s most remote and

beautiful regions. Mostly they’re in the

warmer months, but the company

has just launched a new, partly guided

itinerary into the Cairngorms and central

Highlands in winter, opening up the

season to those who are increasingly

wanting to explore closer to home while

still hoping to push their boundaries.

The trip promises crisp mountain air,

frozen lochs and atmospheric hikes

through old-growth Caledonian forest.

As a lifelong fan of the outdoors, I was

eager to test it out.

After an 800-year absence, reindeer

were reintroduced to the Cairngorms in

1952 by a homesick Swede, and now the

150 creatures roam in what is now

Britain’s only free-ranging herd. On our

first day we hiked a short distance into

Glenmore Forest Park to meet them,

picking our way over a river and up into

the hills to a mossy boardwalk across a

boggy, tundra-like plateau. We found

the sun had poked holes in the clouds,

spotlighting the brooding mountains

that zig-zagged along the horizon, and

the valley of trembling pines far below.

It was the classic image of the Cairngorms

— bleak and blustery, but unequivocally

beautiful.

“Is that them?” I asked my mum, as a

cluster of white rocks halfway up a hill

suddenly got to their feet and streamed

down the slope to meet us, antlers aloft,

breath steaming in the cold air, their

hoofs clicking like stilettos on pavement

(an evolutionary trait designed to

help them to stay together during

blizzards, I later read). It seemed a scene

worthy of Sweden or Norway — definitely

not the UK.

I’d have the same “not the UK” thought

frequently. The villages in the Highlands

— Newtonmore, Kingussie, Aviemore —

reminded me of places you might

encounter in British Columbia or the

Yukon. They felt like outposts in nature,

somewhere you’re grateful to retreat to

after a brush with the wilderness, to warm

your toes beside an open fire and cradle

a mug of cocoa. As you drive between

the hills, the car radio fading in and out,

you instead become more attuned to

what’s around you. The sight of blue skies

The Cairngorms in

winter can be wet

and wild, but you

are never far from

a warm welcome,

says Georgia Stephens

The sight of blue skies over

breakfast can send you

into fits of sunny optimism

DENNIS HARDLEY/ALAMY; GEORGIA STEPHENS; WILDERNESS SCOTLAND

HIGHLA

FLIN