Cairngorms
This article is about the Scottish mountain range. See Cairngorm for the variety of quartz crystal originally found there, and Cairn Gorm for the summit of that name.The
Cairngorms are a mountainous region in the Eastern
Scottish Highlands,
Scotland,
United Kingdom, consisting of a large elevated plateau adorned with low, rounded glacial mountains. This area became Scotland's second
national park (see
Cairngorms National Park) on 1st September
2003. The mountains are in the
Scottish council areas of
Aberdeenshire,
Moray and
Highland.
The Cairngorms are named after
Cairn Gorm (
Blue Cairn in the
Scottish Gaelic language), the most prominent of the hills as seen from
Strathspey; thus the Cairngorms may be said to be the
Blue Hills. This name contrasts with the original Gaelic name for the mountains - Am Monadh Ruadh, meaning the
Red Hills.
The Cairngorms feature the highest, coldest and snowiest
plateaux in the
British Isles and is home to four of the five highest mountains in
Scotland:
*
Ben Macdhui (1309
m)
*
Cairn Gorm (1245 m)
*
Braeriach (1296 m)
*
Cairn Toul (1293 m)
These mountains are all
Munros, and there are a further 13 mountains with this categorisation across the area, of which another five are among the twenty highest peaks in the country.
After she had climbed to the top of Ben Macdui on 1859-10-07
Queen Victoria wrote, "It had a sublime and solemn effect, so wild, so solitary — no one but ourselves and our little party there . . . I had a little whisky and water, as the people declared pure water would be too chilling."
The region is drained by the Rivers
Dee and
Spey; and the latter's two tributaries: the Rivers Feshie and Avon.
They were created at the end of the last
ice age, when the ice caps that covered most of northern
Scotland remained static and formed the rounded summits of the mountains of the area. The many valleys are littered with glacial deposits from the period of glacial retreat. The most famous valley is the
Lairig Ghru pass, a gouge through the centre of the mountains - a u-shaped valley, that was extensively used by
drovers in the 19th Century herding their cattle to market in the
Lowlands, from their smallholdings in the
Highlands.
The area is sparsely populated due to the extreme nature of the climate. Snow patches remain on the hills until August while in the Garbh Coire Mor of
Braeriach the snow melted just thrice in the last century. In the last few years - a possible indicator of
climate change - the quantity and longevity of Cairngorm
snow patches has declined significantly. The lowest recorded temperature in the
UK has twice been recorded in the Cairngorms, at
Braemar, where a temperature of -27.2
oC, was recorded on
February 11,
1895 and
January 10,
1982.
The national park is known for its wildlife. The area also features a
primeval forest, one of the last in the British Isles, known as the
Caledonian Forest. Much of the remains of this forest are found within the national park.
The Cairngorms also provide a unique
alpine semi-tundra moorland habitat, home to many rare plants, birds and animals. Speciality bird species on the platuex include breeding
Ptarmigan,
Dotterel,
Snow Bunting,
Golden Eagle,
Ring Ouzel,
Twite and
Red Grouse, with
Snowy Owl,
Purple Sandpiper and
Lapland Bunting seen on occasion. In the forests,
Capercaillie,
Black Grouse,
Scottish Crossbill,
Parrot Crossbill,
Crested Tit amongst many more speciality birds are found.
|
Ptarmigan are commonplace in the Cairngorms |
Of particular fame is the
RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve at
Abernethy Forest and
Loch Garten. A famous pair of
Ospreys are present in the summer months, and they often attract large crowds to see them. The forest is home to the endangered
Capercaillie and
endemic Scottish Crossbill.
Red Deer,
Roe Deer,
Mountain Hare,
Pine Marten,
Red Squirrel,
Wild Cat and
Otter are all present, as well as the only wild herd of
Reindeer in the
British Isles. They now roam the high Cairngorm plateux, after being re-introduced in the 1950's by a Swedish herdsman. The herd is now stable at around 150 individuals, all born in the wild in
Scotland.
A
skiing and
winter sports industry is concentrated in the Cairngoms, with three of Scotland's five resorts situated here. They are the
Cairn Gorm Ski Centre,
Glenshee Ski Centre and
The Lecht Ski Centre.
A
funicular railway opened here in late
2001, running from a base station at 637 metres up to the Ptarmigan Centre, situated at 1097 metres, 150 metres from the
summit of
Cairn Gorm. It was built amidst some controversy, with supporters of the scheme claiming that it would bring valuable tourist income into the area, whilst opponents argued that such a development was unsuitable for a supposedly protected area.
The mountains are also very popular for
hill-walking,
winter sports,
cycling,
birdwatching,
climbing,
deer stalking and
fly fishing. However, the area can be very hazardous at times, with dangerous and unpredictable weather conditions. Because of this, all safety precautions must be taken whilst out in the mountains.
*
Aviemore*
Newtonmore*
Kingussie*
Boat of Garten*
Nethy Bridge*
Ballater*
Braemar*
Cairngorm Mountain*
Ben Macdui*
Cairn Gorm Ski Centre*
Loch Morlich*
Strathspey Steam Railway*
Loch Garten Osprey Centre*
Abernethy Forest RSPB*
Highland Wildlife Park*
Glenshee Ski Centre*
The Lecht Ski Centre*
The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre*
Cairn Gorm*
Cairngorms National Park*
Caledonian Forest*
RSPB*
National Parks of Scotland*
Cairngorms National Park*
Cairngorm Mountain*
Ski Scotland*
Loch Morlich Watersports*
RSPB Abernethy Forest*
Strathspey Steam Railway*
Highland Native Wildife Park*
Ski Scotland - lastest Cairngorm Snow Condiditons*
Glenshee Ski Centre*
The Lecht Ski Centre*
Birdwatching Guide to the Scottish Highlands *
Fishing Guide to Scotland*
Pictures of the Cairngorms
