How to survive a wet and wintry week in Glen Coe, Scotland

For many years I escaped Christmas (and winter) by fleeing to Africa or Latin America for a couple of weeks over the holiday period. Over the course of 15 years Ethiopia, Uganda, Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador, Tanzania, Morocco, Chile and Colombia all featured among my Christmas holiday destinations.

The idea of a week in Scotland at the end of December was far from my thoughts. For one thing, there isn’t much daylight. In the Highlands it’s dark by 3.30pm. Then there’s the weather. You’...