Geo-Trips :: The Cairngorms in Winter
Cairngorms
A flight from Easterton, Sat, 15 Mar 2025 by Anne Burgess
We took off from Easterton in a light aircraft and flew east until we were approaching the airway into Aberdeen from the south, then we turned south over Donside to Deeside. We then flew west along the Dee Valley and along the southern edge of the Cairngorms, turned north and flew through the Lairig Ghru, turned right, passed the Cairngorm ski area and headed north-east for home.
There was some patchy cloud north of the hills, but further south it was cloudless, affording excellent views of the snow-capped summits.
I've been over the Cairngorms in a glider before, but at 10,000 feet. I wouldn't dare to get down to mountaintop height in a glider, let alone fly into totally unlandable terrain, so this flight was extra-special.
Photographer locations were recorded using a Bluetooth connection between the camera and a smartphone, which made it much easier to work out what is in each image. Subject locations are pretty arbitrary.
It was a very memorable trip, thanks to good weather and the lying snow on the ground. Thank you to Tony, who did the flying.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Morven
In the foreground is the path up the east ridge of Morven.
An Creagan
With a view like this, the choice of a point as subject matter is rather... more
The Cairngorms
Again, the choice of subject is very arbitrary. Almost at the right edge of the... more
South-eastern Cairngorms
In the foreground is Meikle Elrick (709 metres) and the prominent straight-line... more
South-eastern Cairngorms
Right of centre is the deep glacial trench occupied by the headwaters of the River... more
Beinn a' Bhuird
The eastern corries of Beinn a' Bhuird, from which emerge the burns that combine... more
Glen Derry
Glen Derry is the glacial valley that cuts across this view, and Coire Etchachan... more
Glen Derry
Glen Derry is a classic glacial valley, carved out during the Icc Age. At the left... more
Southern Cairngorms
The glen diagonally across the view is Gleann Laoigh Bheag (Glen Luibeg) with... more
Sgòr Mhòr
Càrn a' Mhaim (1037 metres) is the nearest hill. To the left of it is Glen... more
Glen Dee
Looking up Glen Dee into its continuation, the Lairig Ghru, the major pass between... more
Southern Cairngorms
Gleann an Laoigh Bheag (Glen Luibeg) is on the right, extending to Coire Sputan... more
Southern Cairngorms
The ridge in the foreground is Càrn a' Mhaim. On its far side Gleann Laoigh... more
Creag an Leth-choin
Creag an Leth-choin (Lurcher's Crag) is the last peak at the north end of the east... more
Cairn Gorm Ski Area
The dark line rising diagonally from lower left is the funicular, which disappears... more
Coire an t-Sneachda
The 'Corrie of Snow' is on the west side of Cairn Gorm.
Eastern Cairngorms
Or rather, the eastern foothills and outliers of the Cairngorms. The photographer... more
Mown Heather Patterns
The recent dusting of snow has picked out the traces of someone having fun with a... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
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