Thrilled to chill

Dominic Roskrow on the joys of a Scottish winter

I have always loved winter more than summer and unlike just about everybody else I know, I look forward to late Autumn and the falling of the leaves with glee.

I anticipate lighting the first fire of the season with relish, and celebrate waking up to frost on the window and underfoot for the first time.

And for a variety of reasons. Everything from the fact that in the Northern hemisphere the best sport takes place at this time – soccer and rugby union in Europe, American football in the United States. The best new contemporary music is released at this time. Wasps and flies die off. The tourist resorts are quiet and you have more time and space. The list goes on and on.

Mostly, though, I put it down to my Celtic metabolism. I overheat even in moderate climes, and feel decidedly unhappy when it's hot. I have never ever managed to stay or look cool when the sun is out. I'm the sweaty one turning up late to meetings, the flustered one downing pints of water to avoid a heart attack.

But winter! Freezing cold days with the sun shining in cloudless blue skies, ice, frost or snow carpeting the fields, your breath visible as you scrunch across the grass.

When you're hot it's all but impossible to cool off unless you have easy access to a swimming pool, and not many of us in Britain do. But in winter there are any number of wonderful ways to chase away the chills: big fires, hearty stews, baked potatoes, hot soup, Scotch whisky…

Scotland does winter better than most – th...

To read the rest of this article you can do any of the following.

• By : Dominic Roskrow
• In : Editor's View
• Issue : 24
• Page : 3
• Words : 567