About Face
21 July 2020
Stuart Letton
A few years ago, on a typical bright, sunny Scottish winters day I was out in the Highlands with my climbing buddies enjoying a wander around in the crisp, clear air that we enjoy in Scotland.....when it’s not raining. As we neared the summit we met a group of Asian tourists also out enjoying the scenery and weather.
Winter in Scotland can be stunningly beautiful. And variable. Sunshine one moment, hail and snow the next. Accordingly and having
learnt from experience having been caught out more than once walking from the garden shed back up to the house, we go into the hills well prepared. As “locals” we were functionally and indeed, trendily, attired in our winter gear, all GoreTex, clumpy boots, crampons and ice axes. Spare clothing, compasses and maps packing out our rucksacks. Our tourist visitors, for tourists they clearly were, although, given they were out wearing all but T-shirts and trainers they might have hailed from Newcastle. The give away the ubiquitous blue face mask which gave a clue to at least their probable hemisphere of origin. Now, trainers or even light boots are no match for gravity when it comes to a wind blown, icy snow slope and I’m not entirely sure what a face mask was going to achieve.
Anyway, we had a pleasant conversation about the weather, the views and pointed them in the direction down, cautioning them against choosing what looked like the most direct route because, as they say, it would take a good climber about an hour to get down and about twenty seconds for a bad climber.
The point is, I’m afraid to say we had a bit of a giggle about our guests being out in the bracing Scottish air while wearing a face mask.
Well, out here in Langkawi where Covid-19 is all but nixxed, it’s all flipped upside down. Now, it’s the weird westerners wearing face masks while the locals look on and giggle.
But I have to say, it does save on shaving, lipstick and hankies.
(Photo Simon Needham)