Forest, moors, view over rolling farmland... and an unusual sculpture. A stroll around Tillypronie, Aberdeenshire

Autumn vibes at Ben Chonzie in Perthshire

After a castle visit and lunch by a waterfall, diverted a mellow bike ride at Glen Muick & Girnock, to a short but rough hike to explore a cave at Carn Ghiubhais #cairngorms

Some of the flowers: bugle, butterwort, crane's bill, globeflower #cairngorms

8.6.25 Traverse from Auchallater to Spittal of Glenmuick with 25km, 2 lochs and 3 munros between. A busy day in the hills lots of folk out. Lots of wildflowers (17 species in a day spotted may be a record for me) and wildlife. #cairngorms

5.4.25 Glen Quoich to Beinn a Bhuird. Snow fun, hot and cold. A climb and a glissade, then into a tunnel cool and blue. Dried out on a baking hot plateau, then a slow wander back to the Quoich

5.4.25 Glen Quoich to Beinn a Bhuird. Sundown heads below zero unexpectedly. A night wander was in order to warm up but to also enjoy the clear night skies, a hint of aurora, an odd shooting star and lots of satellites. Dawn sees a frozen lochan

5.4.25 Glen Quoich to Beinn a Bhuird. Up to the corries. A rummage through old howffs.

5.4.25 Glen Quoich to Beinn a Bhuird. First a thrunge up the "old" river path but it does pass some nice waterfalls. The refurbished Victorian picnic hut is great.

30.3 Sgor Gaoith with the Cairngorm Club. Diverged from the main group once at the top to explore off-route. Checked a gully for future winter snowholing, could see others had been there recently. #cairngorms

Mar 15th. Cut intended route short, tired quickly wading thru snowdrifts + lack of sleep. Scenic route towards Braemar, no tops, just sun n snow. Annoyed at muirburn in Glen Callater but explored a lush woodland trail lifted mood before heading to pub in Braemar. Probably last snow trip of winter

Mar 14th. Night hike to the #cairngorms plateau, hastily dug a midnight snowhole after intended camp spot ground was rough sastrugi. Didn't sleep well suffering from cold which is unusual, but meant up quickly for an awesome sunrise

A few more Beinn a Bhuird/ Ben Avon photos #cairngorms

Ben Avon stravaig for snow sculpture off the common ways. My many glissades baffled the ptarmigan. I'd dropped off sleep kit earlier to lighten load + lack of food, else I'd have dug in for the night in the prime snowbanks. Glad I hadn't baled earlier. A long day out, feet ruined #cairngorms

Grey Bhuird, Blue Avon. Night hike to the secret howff, then a sunrise start up Beinn a Bhuird, practiced making a "snow tent" from cut blocks of neve. Cloud closed in and I didn't fancy another grey void like the last trip. Glimpsed sun at the Sneck in time to halt a descent. Onwards.. #cairngorms

Alarm goes before sunrise. Reluctant to decozy. Outside it's a howling grey void. Ach well, it's just going to be shuffling through the gloom for 15km, me n the ptarmigan, and a deid frog, they'll stay put and I'll be down to the nearest road then catch a bus back to Aberdeen.

Before bed a brisk night hike to dry clothes out and warm up. Beacon light activated to find my way back. A headtorch doesn't punch through spindrift but a long-throw beam torch held low does. Chem heater sachets into boots overnight, remembering to put laces inside, so not frozen in the morning.

Can you dig it? Yes I can. Through a metre of slab then into hard old snow, 2 hours, 4m³, 400kg, 100 calories later home for the night barely hewn and then another hour faffing, making more space and decorated. -6 outside and about -15 with chill. Inside relatively snug and quiet

Careful nav across barely visible curves of the plateau. Deployed whiteout string like a fly fisherman at times to see the ground. Dire windchill meant find deep snow and dig to stay, or power on for miles before dark. Either way would be tiring. At the 'beautiful corrie' the snow was plenty deep..

The day started easy, blue skies n chilly, but above the snowline the strong wind, stinging spindrift and trudgy windslab over hard neve soon slowed progress. Stopped for a break where the stream appeared from under the snowpack. I'd give it another couple hours, on and up into the white void..

A mostly misty round of 4 munros east of Glenshee. A bit of poking around looking for deep snow sites, 2 of the 4 locations checked were useful. Some glissading on the way down. A well-earned meal, beer and a whisky in Braemar afterwards #cairngorms

It's time for me to head out deep into the mountains for some of this: searching off the beaten path for deep snow pack, for a group trip to overnight in a snow shelter #cairngorms

Nice run at Craig of Dalfro at the weekend. The little wooden plaques at the top "Gissa Job", "Symphony", "Elfyn" initially "er what"? but realised they are named mountain bike trails. Ruin and tower explore stopoff on way back.

Hmm. What I thought was the Colonel's Cave on Creag a Chait near Glen Ey may not be so. I visited what I'd previously thought was it last weekend, but another 'cave project' member has sent a photo that's quite different to mine (my first 2, his 3rd)

Up Carn Liath irregularly by the winding snow-clad banks of Dalvorar Burn to stay out of the tail end of Storm Eowyn. Into a blizzard on top but then the sun broke through for the descent along the plateau then into the mostly magical woods; some trees had snapped in the night's storm

I do love a carpet of spindrift on a sunny day

Up Kerloch for a wander but into cloud so no views from the top but a pleasant enough stroll. I wonder if the ramshackle random bridges in Glen Dye are still there.

Night stroll at the foot of the Pentland Hills over the festive period. Would have loved to have had my skis here, Edinburgh had great snow

Jan 12th. Out with the Cairngorm Club's traditional January Lochnagar trip. Good to get some decent weather, last 2 years smashed by high wind. Led the main party, humphed a thermos of hot mulled wine up as a summit treat. Some final snow action before the thaw, hope winter returns soon #cairngorms

That point in the year when the non-snow-and-ice-capable masses are wailing about sliding around on compacted ice pavements and bla-bla councils and gritters, and I just shrug and look down at the studs and give em a wee tap on the floor. Childishly enjoying the crackling sound of the bike tyres.

Jan 4/5. Cross-country ski by the sea. Not many days in winter that I can watch the surf while on skis. Links golf courses have some nice hillocky terrain for swishing through

Final 2024 revisit: Oct 27. Recce exploring/ mapping trails for #openstreetmap, clearing some overgrown bits in woods & hills nr Banchory, Rhindbuckie & Craig of Affrusk. Glowing larch woods, old moss covered dykes, lots of mushrooms. Returned in Nov with a small group for a mellow autumnal bimble

2024 Revisited: Oct 19. High wind on a ‘beginners wildcamping’ training weekend for the Cairngorm Club made it a bit more challenging. Easy walk around Clais Fhearnaig to Creag Bhalg next day. Storm strengthened so retired to Muir cottage 2nd night.

2024 Revisited: Oct 12. A taste of winter approaching. Gelder Shiel bothy for an early start. Up Meall Coire na 'Sivvy' with obliging ptarmigan, peekaboo hares, and territorial stags then Lochnagar NW side. Added on Conachcraig and Caisteal na Caillich. Nice to get some snow underfoot again

2024 Revisited: Sep 29. Checked out some old buildings at Morven lodge then over the hill to a possible illicit still remnant. One wonders about the story on the wall, hopefully they did ok with the pink sleeping bag and pemmican. Further ruins explored heading along to Logie Coldstone

2024 Revisited: Sep 22. Dinnet to Tullich. Took a small group around the loch beyond, past the crannog and old cross then through the vat and further up the gorge. Wrong turn further on led to Tullich Kirk but pictish stones n auld kirk good way to round off trip

2024 Revisited: Sep 15. Bin Forest run & Clashindarroch bike. Many good trail runs throughout the year with the Aberdeen hash house harriers, always great craic, relaxed trail running in lovely locations with snacks n beer. Afterwards a recce around the ski routes for winter in Clashindarroch forest

2024 Revisited: Sep 9. Cairngorm Club annual traverse, drifting clouds omitted some of the best views, but always a treat to visit some of the best bits of The Cairngorms in good company. Bonus reindeer encounter. #cairngorms

2024 Revisited: Sept 1. Found Gryps’ Chamber (outlaw hideout) also new to me ‘bunchberry’ found while teetering on a steep ascent out of the corrie. Over a bridge I helped to get fixed, nice waterfalls further down the Water of Unich. Random chat with other walker, prof in AI and quantum computing

2024 Revisited: Aug 28. Glen Doll. Dreichest day of year but still occasional spots of beauty amongst the grey gloom. Glad of Davie’s Bourache for some temporary shelter, and that I packed a flask of hot chocolate

2024 Revisited: White mounth defeated by high wind. Followed a gully down off Cairn Bannoch then a line of old iron fence posts: where do they go - off a small cliff. Dropped down past the slab waterfalls then to Dubh Loch for scenic calm, more waterfall exploration at The Stulan #cairngorms

2024 Revisited: Aug 10. Creag Meagaidh camping. A trip of 2 halves, day 1 smashed by wind and rain, tent flattened had to move further down. Awoke to perfect blue skies to finish row of hills cantering in a gentle breeze. Lots of ripe cloudberries.

2024 Revisited: Aug 3. Short gully bimble off of White Bridge track. Found illicit still site I'd previously missed there. Decided against wet feet at another waterfall. Thought I'd return in autumn to go up the full distance when larches oranged (never made it again)

2024 Revisited: Aug 2. Poking about smaller hills, an unexpected big cairn near Tom Anthon, Carn Mor then down to Corriemulzie dam, explored up the gorge, trousers off for a wade but had to turn back at a large waterfall. Didn’t find old howff off of lush green forest trail back to Inverey

2024 Revisited: Jul 28. Showing some folk some Cairngorms, Ballochbuie to Carn an t-Sagairt Mor. This has a taste of it all: river, forest, mountain with bonus old bridges and a waterfall and a few other points of interest

2024 Revisited: Jul 13. Accompanied large group inc ancestors of original installers of Lochnagar indicator on 100 year anniversary. Shame about the gloom for first time visitors, no corrie view, but bagpipes and whisky enlivened the day. Next year will see a return to install the new one.

2024 Revisited: Jul 7. Geal Charn to Poldullie. Rolled over small hills scoping out some glens for xc ski. Abandoned farmhouses. Followed unmapped paths for OSM. Crystal clear pools in a forest, some Victorian estate remnant, now only favoured by blue damselflies. Finished at my favourite bridge.

2024 Revisited: Jun 30. Clais Fhearnaig bimble. Wildflowers, beetles, bees and berries. Commonly heard this year "where are all the bees?" Here in many hundreds. The beetle had found a dead trout finally answering the question "are there fish in there". Loads of wildflowers on the rocky sides.

2024 Revisited: Jun 29. An Sgarsoch & Carn an Fhidhleir bike/hike. Bogs, frogs, fords and flowers. Strangely loads of different folk out on these remote hills today, 10 bikes parked at the ford.

2024 Revisited: June 23. An irregular cross-traverse of Derry Cairngorm, 2x Lochan Uaines, up east side by cracking waterfall, bottled out of right-side scramble in trail runners for milder ascent left, then over to 2nd Lochan Uaine on the other side. Bouldery and then boggy descent. #cairngorms