Words by Emma-Jade Stoddart

On a recent press trip to St Andrews, I came across a word I’d never heard before. I was there to review a swanky new spa featuring a snow and sauna cabin that, I later learned, “is centred around the concept of coorie.” Coor-what, I asked? “Coorie,” the spa manager said simply. “It’s the Scottish art of finding warmth, comfort and sanctuary after facing the bracing cold.” 

After a weekend oscillating between plunge pool and hydro-pool, sauna and snow cabin – not to mention a sunrise swim in the Scottish sea – I left with that rare, clear-headed sense of renewal, wondering how I might bring a touch of coorie into everyday life. Being half Scottish myself, I was also curious about the word’s heritage and how it came to encapsulate such a specific feeling.

“The origins of coorie mean to hunker down on your haunches or cower,” Gabriella Bennett, award-winning journalist and author of The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way, tells us. But the word has evolved. “More recently, it has come to mean nestling into a loved one or snuggling down. And for some Scots, it has come to mean a way of life.” 

For Anna Deacon, Edinburgh-based photographer and writer whose work centres on nature, wild swimming, wellbeing and storytelling, it has always been a term for snuggling up and being cosy. “It brings to mind sitting wrapped in a blanket by the fire after a cold wintery walk – dog on lap, warm drink in hand, a movie on or a good book, and rain lashing the windows outside on a dark night.”

But coorie isn’t just a feeling you stumble upon after being out in the elements – it’s something you can intentionally cultivate. And in a world where contrast therapy, cold-water swimming and ‘slow living’ are everywhere, the concept feels more relevant than ever.

What is coorie? The Scottish concept explained

Coorie is often translated as “to snuggle” or “to cuddle”, but that only tells part of the story. Historically, the word described a practical response to Scotland’s climate – a need to shelter, to hunker down, to find warmth when conditions demanded it.

“There’s a tactility there that feels particular to Scotland,” says Bennett. “It is more than simply being cosy. It’s about working out how to be in tune with our surroundings to evoke that feeling.”

Over time, that instinct has evolved into something broader. Now, coorie is about finding comfort through familiarity, routine and shared experience. It’s about using what’s already around you, drawing on tradition and creating a sense of calm that feels lived-in rather than staged.

Why coorie resonates now 

According to Bennett, coorie offers a chance to pare things back. “It’s about looking at how we buy, consume and spend our leisure time, and simplifying the processes involved,” she says. “A coorie way of life practises small, quiet, slow activities to feel happy.”

That idea of simplifying feels especially relevant now, when overstimulation has become the norm. Rather than pushing through the darker months with the same expectations we place on summer, coorie encourages a different pace – one that works with the season rather than against it.

“If we embrace this time,” Deacon adds, “nourish ourselves, get daylight and fresh air while it’s there, and allow ourselves more rest in the evenings, we can actually learn to love this part of the year.”

The wellbeing benefits

One of the reasons coorie feels so restorative is that it creates space for rest and connection, rather than asking us to add more to already full routines.

Spending time outdoors plays a central role. “Getting outside reduces stress, boosts mood, supports immune function and improves sleep and concentration,” says Deacon. It doesn’t need to be dramatic, either. Even a short dose of daylight or fresh air can make a difference, particularly in winter when many of us spend most of the day indoors.

Cold-water swimming and contrast therapy also echo the coorie mindset, when approached with care. “Cold water swimming is so good for our resilience and gives us a real boost, but it can also be quite hard on our bodies, so it’s important to keep it quick and get cosy as soon as possible,” Deacon explains. “Coming indoors and ‘coorieing in’ after being exposed to the cold feels all the more delicious for the contrast. Honestly, everything feels amazing after you have braved the cold water.”

At home, coorie is often found in simpler moments: slowing meals down, spending time with people you feel at ease around, choosing comfort that feels genuine rather than performative. As Bennett puts it, “coorie isn’t about spending money – it’s about drawing energy from landscapes and people.” Often, it’s these ordinary, shared moments that have the biggest impact.

How to bring coorie into everyday life

Despite its Scottish roots, coorie doesn’t depend on dramatic landscapes or rural escapes. It’s less about where you are and more about how you spend your time, using what you already have and resisting the urge to overcomplicate things.

For Bennett, that often means turning to older traditions. “You can harvest pine needles to flavour food and drinks,” she says. “Or smoke your own food – not with fancy, expensive equipment; a large metal tin will do. Or learn how to knit a Fair Isle sweater.” She also points to activities that encourage you to put your phone down and feel useful. “Knitting, walking, sitting and chatting with friends, building-spotting in cities – they’re all pretty coorie.”

Deacon agrees, pointing to the joy of simple shared moments. “Sitting by a roaring fire and chatting with someone you love, meeting in a cosy café with cheeks pink from the cold, or cooking and eating a seasonal, warming meal together by candlelight are wonderful ways to embrace coorie.”

Her approach also centres on everyday habits that support rest, like lowering the lights in the evening, switching off notifications and going to bed earlier. “I love the ritual of shutting the curtains and lighting candles or the fire,” she says. “Having the lights low and watching flickering firelight helps guide your body into winding down.” Her one non-negotiable is getting outside each morning, whatever the weather, to get daylight in her eyes and clear her head. “Seasonal stews, journalling, reading, soaking in a bath – these are all low-effort, low-cost ways to coorie at home,” she adds.

Coorie vs hygge: what’s the difference?

Coorie and hygge are often mentioned in the same breath, but they’re not quite the same. Hygge focuses on creating cosiness. Coorie, by contrast, grew out of necessity – of making do, hunkering down and finding comfort through everyday life.

“There’s a sense of endurance I feel living in Scotland,” says Bennett. “Weather, history, being a cultural underdog – it’s all wrapped up in that.” That context sits behind coorie, where comfort is practical and lived-in, shaped by routine and tradition rather than aesthetics alone.

On our coorie wish-list:

All lifestyle images are by Anna Deacon.

The Wild Fix Scotland, by Anna Deacon is being published September 2026 by Bonnier @thewildfix