Dress for the weather – it’s cold out there at the moment

With temperatures set to remain in low single digits, you need to be dressed correctly, whether you are popping to the shops, working in the garden, or taking on the high fells. As Billy Connolly once wrote ‘I hate all those weathermen who tell you that rain and snow is bad weather. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little’. So get yourself fitted out with a good warm and padded jacket and enjoy what the outdoors has to offer at this time of year

As long as you are properly prepared and you are aware of the prevailing conditions you can still enjoy the outdoors even at this time of year. The main challenges are making sure that you have enough protection against the rain and wind, and at the moment snow and ice also have to be considered. So a good waterproof jacket is essential, and features it should have include being breathable, windproof, have storm flaps over the zips, have a large enough hood to pull up over your hat and be of the right size so that you can wear all your layers underneath comfortably.

Remember that several thin layers are better than one thick one as you have more flexibility over controlling a comfortable level of heat depending on your activity level. And don’t forget to wear a hat as this can help in maintaining an overall body temperature.

Hands are probably the most difficult part of the body to keep both warm and dry - particularly as many tasks can only be completed after removing your gloves or mittens.

Nonetheless, the best approach here is to have at least two layers consisting of a warm/thin inner layer together and a waterproof outer layer.

Mittens are better for keeping your hands warm but makes some tasks difficult to perform. If your gloves/mittens get wet, a spare pair of socks can always make a good substitute if needed.

So check out the website for our latest arrivals, or pop into the shop if you are close by and we will be happy to give you the best advice.