Cairngorm contrast - golden time

During the first half of October I had the opportunity to visit several areas of the Cairngorms over a period of four consecutive days whilst assessing two Duke of Edinburgh's Award groups.  The teams would travel from Deeside across to Speyside, covering over 80 kilometres whilst investigating an aim for their venture.

The first two days were forecast to have really fine autumnal weather, the third and fourth days would bring something much more challenging - but more of that later!

I planned to meet both teams in the forest and moors above Invercauld and set out on my bike along the network of estate tracks on a pleasant afternoon.

In position along the route the teams would take, I had plenty of time in had to sit and make a cup of tea whilst enjoying the play of early evening light across the moorland.  The heather has turned from purple to a greenish bronze and the light seemed warm and benign.  It's good to pause and take some time in the hills occasionally; to enjoy some "golden time" just absorbing the surroundings - and it was a great evening to do so.

I spent much of the following day in Glen Derry, and again had plenty of time to just sit and observe.  The autumnal colours are really starting to take hold now, the leaves of this Rowan turning from green to yellow and set off nicely against a background of dark green pines.

Finding a vantage point from where I could  see the teams approaching from some distance, the "brew kit" came out and a cup of tea was soon in hand.  The view to Derry Cairngorm is a fine one; it's been a few years since I climbed this particular hill - something I must rectify soon.  Overhead, the unmistakeable wild music of Pink Footed Geese added a note of autumn sounds.

This Birch tree was visible from some kilomteres as a brilliant yellow firecracker standing out against the muted moorland shades - just beautiful, but perhaps it might be in the wrong location........

........because the corrie at the base of Derry Cairngorm is called Coire Craobh an Oir (Corrie of the tree of gold).  The teams would journey around the base of Derry Cairngorm and below the dark spur of Devil's Point which can just be glimpsed centre left in this image.  Although the weather looked settled, the forecast told a very different story and their day would bring them challenge in plentiful supply.

Winter backpacking on the White Mounth - Loch Callater

At the beginning of November, my friend Dave and I were looking to do a short backpacking trip. Given the cold and blustery MWIS forecast for following days, using bothies for accommodation seemed to make sense over camping.

 We set out from Auchallater on the main A93 Braemar - Perth road late on an afternoon as a full gale and heavy showers were befinning to subside.  Our route took us along an estate track along Glen Callater to the loch at the head of the glen.  Here there's a shooting lodge and in one of the outbuildings an MBA bothy.

We arrived at dusk, started to sort out our kit and got a cup of tea.  Shortly after we had a visit from one of the custodians of the adjacent Lodge inviting us to spend an hour by the fire in the main building.  We spent a pleasant evening with Bill and Keith and a Belgian lady who is making some really long walking routes around the country.  We found that we knew some of the same folk and the conversation ranged far and wide, accompanied by a couple of drams.  We retired to our sleeping bags in the bothy warm and slept well.

Early in the morning we had another visitor at the door - one of the estate ponies was keen to say hello and investigate what might be on offer for breakfast!  The ponies at Auchallater are used by Invercauld estate to bring down the carcasses of shot deer from the hill.  They're sturdy and adaptale animals and can go where vehicles either can't or would cause damage.

The view along Loch Callater was fairly encouraging.  Although it was cold with the air temperature around freezing, the wind had dropped and there were breaks in the cloud.  It looked like a fair day for the route we had planned.

We went across to the Lodge to thank Bill (and the ponies) for the warm hospitality before departing - noticing the rather fine curling stones on the doorstep.  It had been a most pleasant stay at Callater bothy and a tentative plan to get sea kayaks onto Loch Callater in the future had emerged......

Our route now took us above the loch and into the hills of the White Mounth.  The term "mounth" is an indication that through routes exist and here is no exception; long routes cross the high passes to link with the south.  We used the start of one of these routes but cut off it quite quickly.  As we gained height, rucsacs feeling heavy with winter kit this early in the day, we were glad of an excellent stalker's path slanting in an effortless line across the face of the steep hill ground.

We were soon level with the head of the loch, the glacial origin and hummocky moraines clear to see.  It looked a bit wintry above too, a defined snowline had appeared on the hills as winter made its first appearance.

Tuning south east off a shallow bealach we started a steeper climb which not only went uphill but also into winter proper.  The snow was hard and wind scoured, affording a good bite for the boots as we plodded steadily upwards.  To the north, the Dee valley and Ballochbuie Forest were lit by warm sunshine.

October in Glen Feardar

Autumn can be portrayed as a season of decline and decay but I've never felt that way - rather seeing it as a blaze of glorious hues, of change in the natural world, as a preparation for the winter to come and as possibly my favourite of the seasons.

Over the last week the autumnal shades have really developed in the north east of Scotland. An early October trip to the head of Glen Feardar above the valley of the River Dee near Invercauld was a colourful affair.  

The ground below the pinewoods lower down in the glen was a blaze of dazzling red as the carpet of Blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) colours up.  The effect is really quite dazzling and the leaves go through several shades of red as they change colour before falling.

Moving up the glen the habitat changes from pine woods to an open Birch wood with heather and  Bracken (Pteridium aqulinum) covering the ground below, the bracken at generally lower altitudes than the heather.  Almost overnight it seemed, the fronds had changed from faded green to a vibrant yellow - a brief phase before the leaves and stems dry out to a warm russet colour.

The effect when seen across areas of the Birch wood was very striking; the air itself seemed to take on a shade of yellow.  In the next week or two the bracken will turn brown and the birches themselves will blaze with yellow as the palette of autumn moves on.

Above the main treeline the heather moors are already wearing autumnal browns.  I listened for the first signs of the Red Deer rut, but nothing yet.  Perhaps the warm weather is delaying things, or perhaps it's just a little early.

The colours of the wood and the hills above were a pure joy, and yet, even in this riot of autumnal extravagance.......

....some elements of the landscape just seem made to be seen in monochrome