Cold & Snow: A Stark January Landscape

Storm after storm after storm. Snow then thaw then snow then thaw. Unsettled, unpredictable, raw, cold and biting – savage weather to introduce the new year. Calm periods have been rare but one came two afternoons ago as the wind dropped, sparks of sunshine filtered through the trees and the snow lay flat, the whirling clouds of spindrift stilled.

The new snow was cold and powdery and deep. Skis slid through it easily, creating a smooth track that would make for a fast return. For wildlife it was difficult though and there were few tracks. Rabbits had ventured short distances from their burrows to nibble frozen grass on little ridges where the snow was thin. Mostly the snow was untouched though, covering the land with silence and smoothness. A buzzard wheeled high overhead, mewing softly, then sailed down into the trees. Otherwise nature was silent.

Out in the fields a wind swept the snow, gentle compared with recent days but still piercingly cold. The sky was streaked with thin clouds, subtle shades of blue. A weak sun cast a pale glow. Trees were stark silhouettes against the whiteness. Denser woods were black and white, half-plastered with snow.

Returning home I felt the wind strengthening. Snow flurries came from a sky darkening with thicker clouds and the coming of night. Sometime in the darkness the air warmed and the snow began to thaw. By dawn much had gone and sleet and rain dampened the land. Then it froze again and more snow fell. And so the cycle continues.

A Frosty Christmas Day Stroll

Across the mist to the Cromdale Hills

Christmas Day has been quiet and cold with mist filling the valleys and frost coating the ground. Early afternoon saw a few hours of sunshine on the slopes above Strathspey. Underfoot the ground, frozen and white, crunched with every step. Puddles were frozen. Gates and stiles slippery with ice. The glare of the bright sun hid the high Cairngorms to the south. Across shrouded Strathspey the Cromdale Hills rose into a blue sky. Drifting cloud came and went over the summits. The mist rose and fell, at times threatening to envelop us. A buzzard flapped lethargically from a fence post as we approached, soon settling again a few hundred yards further on. In the field it was watching rabbits ploughed dark trails through the frosted grass.
 

Remants of the last snowfall

The woods were dark. We peered in but stayed out in the fields, in the sunshine. There would be other days for exploring the sombre winter forest. Today the sun was welcome though there was no warmth in the brightness. In areas shaded from the south-westerly winds and rain that brought the big thaw last week crisp snow still covered the ground.
  

The mist rises

As we turned for home the mist was thickening below and starting to rise up the hillsides. Soon after we were inside and warm with hot drinks in front of the fire it surrounded the house. Just a few hours of sunshine then. But a lovely few hours.

In The Bleak Midwinter

Snow & Sky, December 19, Strathspey

The storms continue, grey clouds sweeping the landscape, driven by cold, skin shrivelling winds. Snow last night, today, tonight. A monochrome landscape with barely a touch of blue in the sky between the clouds. The hills hidden, the woods stark and silent, the meadows rippled with snow, half-buried grasses bending with the wind.

The forecasts say it will continue, up to and over Christmas, another week at least of storm after storm. More snow tomorrow, then a big thaw, as we had two days ago, for just one day before the snow returns.