A visit to the UK in 2009

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The "Auld Bridge" at Keith, with the stone where soldiers hid on the way to the Battle of Culloden (1746).

Keith pipe band, practising in the rain.

Keith to Dufftown railway

Dufftown

I presume they mean "World Famous in Dufftown". ;-)

Dufftown locals

Tomintoul

Moss and lichen - a favourite combination of mine

Tomintoul lies just south of the Cairngorms

The land is just starting to rise to the North.

I love these completely un-aerodynamic bumblebees.

Who could not believe in fairies in a wood like this?

An imminent Scottish Thistle.

The River Spey (with lupins).

The sun came out as we walked along a disused railway line.

Our motley crew: a Melbourne property developer, a retired Essex couple, and our guide (who is usually mountaineering).

The remains of a railway ganger's hut

Sunny broom and snowy hills.

Brown peaty water makes the best whisky.

Strathspey Railway

River Spey.

Adrian and Dave are a two-man army memorabilia preservation society.

They were part of a 40's weekend on the railway, with a recreation of a field hospital at a liberated French town.

Dave stepping out of his role.

I don't know if he's part of the 40's thing, or one of the railway volunteers. But his beard was wonderful!

A 40's tableau (fake baby).

View of the Cairngorms from the train.

We'd had our allotted sunshine. By the time we reached Aviemore the weather had closed in.

A bizarre touch of Australia in the heart of the Cairngorms

So the 27 year-old specimens are the ones to buy.

Aviemore seems to lack a building code of sensitive architecture and low environmental impact.

Our first sight of Meall a'Bhuachaille, our first real hill

I distracted myself by admiring the lichen on the young pines.

Something-wort and lichen on a stump.

The first ("easy") part of the climb was up that slope.

"Green Lachan" - I next saw it from way up high.

Of course it was raining. It was a Scottish summer.

The Ryvoan bothy (shelter hut) at the start of the climb. We could have done with it at the top instead!

The way the roof is held on hints at the breezes around here.

These mysterious rules relate to an annual mountain race.

Off we go, up that first slope.

The bothy (centre) was now tiny, but we were not even half way up! The path got steeper, with long flights of helpful, but rather treacherous steps.

The path became rougher, but thankfully more gradual. The Green Loch is in the valley to the right, and the bothy is left of the rest of our group.

A little further on and I was in the clouds. My view ahead ...

.. and behind. I was climbing alone, in silent clouds for 30 minutes or so. An eerie feeling.

Eventually we all reached the top, sitting in the rain and the freezing wind to eat lunch - very quickly. The mobile reception was apparently OK though.

Having observed the Great British Tradition of eating wet sandwiches in cold mist on top of a mountain, we set off downwards.

It was wonderful to see the world re-appearing again.

The native Caledonian (Scots) pine is being replanted.

Yes, the view at the top was indeed 360 degrees, but extended only about 2 metres in every direction!

"Muscle stretching" for sure, and it took us a good 6 hours.

The "inviting" he beach at Loch Glenmore

Showing 2 places we stayed (Tomintoul and Aviemore) and 2 of our walks (Speyside Way and Meall a'Bhuachaille).

One of the unpronounceable Cairngorms.

The justly famous public toilets at Kyle of Lochalsh.

It's not often you can look down on a lighthouse. This is Stevenson's, under the bridge over the sea to Skye.