Speyside -The light fantastic

This was a short overnight trip tagged onto another with a later train popping me out at Newtonmore for the walk through to Kingussie. The timing turned out to be perfect as the afternoon light was softening and spreading over hills hanging onto the last of their winter snows.

The pull up from Newtonmore soon opened up the view across a landscape of winter fields and bare birch woods to the snow-covered Feshie hills. Coire Gharbhlach drew the eye, a huge bite out of the mountainside. The sun was still in its low winter arc and casting a warm light so that last year's grasses and bracken were with tinged with gold. 

The high path headed east, the track ahead rising and falling over the moor with its route picked out in snow. My walk was a slow saunter, sucking in the views and the fading atmosphere of winter. Wondering where the time had gone; the season seems to have flown by too quickly. I already can't wait for the cold and the dark to return later in the year. Spring and autumn I'll enjoy before then but for me, summer is something that has to be endured.

By the time I'd mulled all this over, the path had reached Loch Gynack, narrowed and entered the beautiful birch woods up here. The gnarly old trunks cast shadows across the route and the finer branches gave the place a subtle purple tinge. 

I was now on the hunt for a new camping spot. I'd used a few places in this area but none of them ideal. I crossed the Gynack Burn and wandered up through the woods on the other side before emerging again onto open moorland. Following a fainter track downhill on a whim took me to the most perfect tent pitch. A lovely shelf of flat grass had a panoramic view across the Spey Valley to the Feshie hills, their rounded outlines creating huge domes of snow. Dense snow showers moved across the landscape engulfing one hill after the next and the late afternoon sun played on the hillsides with an ephemeral light show. But as the sun sank further, the softness and richness of the dying light was beautiful.

A cold night followed with the temperature dipping below zero. Breakfast was eaten watching the sun's morning light show. It lit up the Feshie hills from behind and looked like a wild fire was rampaging across the top of the snow slopes. 

I packed up a frosty tent and walked down into Kingussie. It had been a short trip but it made the best of the fantastic light.

Fact File
Start: Newtonmore train station
Finish: Kingussie train station

Public transport: Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness trains stop at Newtonmore and Kingussie
My route: Out of the train station walked up to the main street in Newtonmore and turned right. Almost at the end of the village, took Strone Road up to the left. It climbs then swings left and then left again - here a track leaves it to head north. This is the route through to Kingussie via Loch Gynack and is signed at a few points.

Perthshire - Snowshoe sequel

I don't know exactly what it is about snowshoes that create an incredible sense of fun out in the snow. Perhaps it's the joy of the easy movement they afford across the winter landscape or the fear they banish of post-holing thigh deep in a snow drift. Whichever it is, this return visit to Blair Atholl was a huge amount of fun with the snowshoes.

We walked out of the village via Old Blair and soon strapped the snowshoes on as we started to ascend the forest tracks. There had been a little more snow since our visit the previous weekend. Soon we were free of the trees and picking our way up deeper snow, aiming for a modest wee hill above the village. 

We threaded our way up banks of snow to eventually arrive beside the summit cairn. There were more limited views this weekend but we did see a huge herd of deer pouring over the higher hills behind us. By the time we had dropped back down to where we'd left our camping kit, the light was already leaving the short winter day. But we'd planned a night time walk anyway to a camp spot at the head of Glen Banvie. 

We set out with just enough daylight to see by in the woods. As we left the trees and passed into the open glen, the snow reflected what light there was and the hills were bathed in a silky pale light. Without a drop of wind, the landscape and the evening were magical. Before too long, we did have to put on our headtorches. The beams shone a few metres ahead of us as we walked on through the snow and were now the only light in the pitch darkness. We were walking Comyn's Road, part of an old military route and even under snow, the path was easy to follow. I also knew well the camp spot we were aiming for, having used it a few times before. So when we re-entered woods, I knew we were almost there. It was funny how much further the miles seemed in the darkness though. By 6pm we were clearing snow and pitching the tents, leaving the evening ahead for a production line of hot chocolate, soup, mains then tea with Christmas cake. 

Next day, the morning light revealed the beauty of our camp spot as the tents nestled among snow-plastered pines. After the morning production line of coffee, porridge and more coffee, we walked back to Blair Atholl via a more southerly loop.

Fact File
Start/finish: Blair Atholl
Public Transport: Edinburgh to Inverness train
My route: Riverside path along River Tilt then back road to Old Blair. At the crossroads, took the track heading northwest on the north side of Banvie Burn. After about 1km another track joins it from the right. Took this track up through the woods and onto the open hillside, climbing an outlying top of Meall Reamhar. Returned to the track junction, continued northwest, crossed the river by the next bridge and followed the track northwest on the south side of the Banvie Burn. This can be followed in a loop to the head of Glen Banvie then south towards the Falls of Bruar before turning east back to Old Blair. 

Review of the snowshoes I used HERE.

Perthshire - Winter wander/wonder

Decent amounts of snow finally arrived with the new year. There was no need to travel further than Perthshire to enjoy it, so this winter wander started from the train at Blair Atholl. 

A light covering of snow made for a pretty walk north through the woods of Glen Tilt and for beautiful views to Carn a'Chlamian where the trees opened up. Tornadoes of spindrift raced across the higher slopes and though we didn't realise it then, this was a portent of the afternoon to come. 

We peeled off from Glen Tilt and in deeper snow trekked out through the forest to follow the Allt Slanaidh north. Where the trail climbed and left the trees, the world around us was wild. A bitter wind scoured the moors, clearing the trail of snow and though a late afternoon sun sent some rays our way, there was not a drop of warmth in them. 

We reached our intended camp for the night at a lonely, wooden hut but failed to find a place where we could get tent pegs into the permafrost that the ground had become. It would have been a miserable night up there anyway in those winds. So in failing light, we turned around and descended back to the woods, finding a lovely spot for the tents among tall pines.

But it was the second day that provided a walk through a winter wonderland. Fresh snow had fallen overnight. It filled in the woodland trails and plastered the tree branches. A weak winter sun pulled itself above the hills and brought the whole place alive in low angled light and shadows. 

We wandered for hours, enjoying the beauty of the snow-covered landscape and listening to our footsteps squeak in the powdery snow. A stream choked with icicles tumbled gently down from the hill above into a frozen pond. A little way further on our trail crossed an open field. Here the wind barreled through and the snow had drifted onto the path, giving the place a wild, boreal feel to it. Behind us, the graceful arc of Carn Liath appeared briefly from snow clouds.

Then our view opened up more widely and a landscape of winter farms was laid out before us with Ben Vrackie rising above. There are few things more lovely I think than rolling, snow-covered fields. 

The failing light of a short, winter day caught us again as we dropped back into Blair Atholl. The charm of the village Christmas tree in the snow softened the blow of a wonderful day coming to an end. We didn't know then that there would be an equally wonderful sequel.

Fact File
More photos on Flickr

Start/finish: Blair Atholl train station
Public transport: Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness train
My route: Out of the station turned right along the main road and picked up the Glen Tilt path just before the road bridge over the river. Left the main track up the glen to ascend to the Jubilee Range then joined the track northwest along the Allt Slanaidh, turning back at the hut. Next day, followed the tracks through Blairuachdar Wood, Glen Banvie and the Whim.