An Icy Glen

 
As well as being a popular walk for local residents, Golspie Glen is one of the town's few notable tourist attractions, EU / Scottish government grants having created a series of paths, walkways and bridges so it is easily accessed. Most visitors start at the bottom end, by the A9, passing under the railway bridge, but today the car park there was empty and the going underfoot treacherous in places.

It's a pity that more people couldn't or weren't able to enjoy it as the glen was certainly at its most spectacular, with snow and ice clothing the banks and the river surface, for we met only a handful of walkers.

The further we walked up the glen the colder it became, intricate icicle structures having formed wherever moisture dripped down the steeper cliff sections.

The main falls were impressive, sunk as they are in a deep canyon into which the coldest air will have been sinking for the past few days.

Last night the temperature dropped to -6C but rose later in the night along with a bitter wind. Fortunately, this didn't penetrate the glen and its miles of woodland, while the sun did, so, with the snow still crisp underfoot, we enjoyed some pleasant walking. The only thing missing was the wildlife. Innumerable tracks criss-crossed the paths, and a few birds, particularly great tis, were singing, but the walk was made by....

....the sight of the first catkins forming on the hazel.