I decided I needed a good, solid hat. Something cosy and warm and still a little stylish. After all, I'm sure I could wrap my head in Styrofoam, but even the sheep might take a second glance. The only problem is there are literally thousands of different hats on the market and dozens of different materials. I needed to find one that worked for me. But what is the best hiking hat for winter?

We are in our second winter as I write this and it’s blowing a hoolie. Storm Dennis is raging outside with 70+ mph winds, having followed in the footsteps of his predecessor Ciara, who visited us only a few days earlier. And the week before we were introduced to Brendon. So you may well be asking yourself: how do you survive winter on a tiny remote Scottish island?

Jan 1st was the day I headed out on my first wild swimming adventure in the Atlantic Ocean. However, with my first adventure came my first surprise. Ice-cold brain-freeze.