So, What are the Scots Wearing During the Current Heat Wave There?

[tpa]

Curious...kilts would help stay cooler...maybe with (gasp) no kilt hose and sandals???

Any fashion word from the home country on coping with the heat?

Much appreciated.

For me, currently in the centre of England, it has been precisely as you describe, klit, sandals and short sleeve, polo or T-shirt. A couple of days, working outside the house, I discarded the top too. I work in cheap and cheerful acrylic kilts, but have 5yd PV or my wool ones for going out anywhere. Although I now live in England, I would wear the same casually anywhere where the temperature is similar to those we are currently experiencing and have in France, Spain, Australia, NZ and of course in Scotland, though on not very many occasions. More usually in Scotland, hose and a long sleeve shirt, with a jacket of some sort not too far away would be the order of the day.

[Liam]

Respectfully and only out of concern for my old friend, a hat is good protection from UV rays, particularly when so many Scots, yourself included, are rather fair-skinned. Hazy skies are only a poor protection, so take good care of yourself, lad!

Those of us who are folically challenged tend to wear a hat almost always when out of doors.

[Jock Scot]

Respectfully and only out of concern for my old friend, a hat is good protection from UV rays, particularly when so many Scots, yourself included, are rather fair-skinned. Hazy skies are only a poor protection, so take good care of yourself, lad!

Thank you for your concern Bill. Actually I probably wear a bonnet of some description more than most in Scotland(which is still not a lot), mainly due to my shooting and fishing interests. Hats really are not of interest to many Scots in this part of the world and heavy rain or midges would be the main reason for anyone wearing a hat. Strong sun can be an issue due to the lack of air pollution and it does catch us out from time to time. The weather that we have been currently enduring.........it’s raining as I type!.......is not a usual event here though. Interestingly, we never hear of excessive serious skin damage from the sun as being much of a problem from officialdom in more normal summers and even now in this exceptional summer there is little comment about wearing a hat or slapping on sunscreen.

Whilst I have no statistics to call upon, it appears to me that serious skin problems due to the sun are not that common here. I cannot recall hearing of any of my family, friends or acquaintances having skin cancer problems, other forms of cancer are sadly not uncommon though.

[thecompaqguy]

Shorts and T-shirt *hides*

Too hot to be fully kilted, but will be kilted this weekend for a wedding Temperatures have been in low 90's which is hot for London

[Dollander]

Thank you for your concern Bill. Actually I probably wear a bonnet of some description more than most in Scotland(which is still not a lot), mainly due to my shooting and fishing interests. Hats really are not of interest to many Scots in this part of the world and heavy rain or midges would be the main reason for anyone wearing a hat. Strong sun can be an issue due to the lack of air pollution and it does catch us out from time to time. The weather that we have been currently enduring.........it’s raining as I type!.......is not a usual event here though. Interestingly, we never hear of excessive serious skin damage from the sun as being much of a problem from officialdom in more normal summers and even now in this exceptional summer there is little comment about wearing a hat or slapping on sunscreen.

Whilst I have no statistics to call upon, it appears to me that serious skin problems due to the sun are not that common here. I cannot recall hearing of any of my family, friends or acquaintances having skin cancer problems, other forms of cancer are sadly not uncommon though.

I think North Americans do tend to forget that the British Isles are further north than the US and the more populated parts of Canada, so solar rays are hitting on more of an angle and are therefore less intense. I mean, New Jersey is in the Northeastern US, but I doubt many Jerseyites realize that traveling due east from any point on the Jersey Shore will land you in Portugal. So as uncomfortably sweaty as I may feel with a hat on, I know a sunburned scalp would be far worse.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm more than a little jealous of temperatures in the low 20s being considered a heat wave. High 20s to low 30s are the norm here in New Jersey from June to September, which might not be quite so awful were it not also for the humidity...and yes, I do have a Fahrenheit to Celsius converter open in another tab as I type this.

[Kiltedjohn]

Shorts an T-shirt for me at present. Have just taken delivery of a new kilt jacket, but the weather's too hot to wear it!

[figheadair]

Shorts an T-shirt for me at present.

Ditto, and flip-flops.

[Tor]

Heat is a big no-no for me (MS), so my return to kilt-wearing is a life saver, these worn very casually (tshirt/boots with rolled down hose) have been allowing me to go out instead of hiding from the yellow burning horror in the sky, vampire style. As I'd never wear shorts (I DO have principles), that really made a difference.

[OC Richard]

An ex-bandmate is now living in Scotland and playing in a pipe band there. He's recently posted photos on Facebook of a Highland Games his band attended where the grass is brown. Glad to hear you're getting rain there now.

He, in Scotland, is wearing his full pipe band kit (as he must) in competition. Otherwise he's wearing his typical year-round Southern California attire (t shirt or button-up short sleeve casual shirt, shorts, and sandals).

Yes here in Southern California we have been having a terrible heat wave. Last weekend we had temperatures here in Orange County of over 110f combined with uncharacteristically high humidity.

Happily the last couple days have been well below that, in the mid 80s.

No kiltwearing for me due to having no piping gigs, so I was in typical year-round SoCal dress, just like my ex band-made in Scotland.

BTW the local media as usual have been making partially-true/incorrect statements like "record heat" or "all-time high" when the high temperature for a particular day is the highest recorded for that particular date (they usually leave that part out). And when they say "recorded temperature" they mean only since the early 20th century. It's been far hotter before, and we have records of it (they leave that part out too).

[figheadair]

An ex-bandmate is now living in Scotland and playing in a pipe band there. He's recently posted photos on Facebook of a Highland Games his band attended where the grass is brown. Glad to here you're getting rain there now.

Unfortunately the rain is, as is often the case, a west coast thing. We've had one day of rain, in early June in think, since early May.