Winter in Loch Garten

A Wintery Calendonian Pineforest

Hello there, it’s been a while since I last posted here. I have been struggling with an anxiety flare for almost two months now. Everything ended up melting together, leaving me feeling scared, sad and defeated. But I will not be defeated! I am now on the mend and feel more like myself again. 

Spending these last few weeks with anxiety has allowed me to challenge fear and question why I am afraid of some things. So I am taking on this challenge and will not feel fear! I have many things planned for Side Quests. I have so many creations I want to share with you, and so many places to visit. I will also be taking my first steps into offering a paid subscription in 2024 - more to come on that soon!

I have carefully planned the next three months of posts for Side Quests and have made it a priority (mainly for myself and my confidence) to write more this year, to not be afraid and to share my creations. It’s time to be better. I want to share so many wonderful things with you, and I hope you want to see these too.

I’m not a person for New Year resolutions (years of anxiety will let you know that setting resolutions is not a good idea!) so I’ll be welcoming in 2024 with my partner, dad and brother, and with lots of good food and watching the telly together. I’ll not be setting myself any huge extreme resolutions and will be taking the year as it comes. Challenging myself when I need to and being respectful to my body when it needs its rest.

But for now, I wanted to share a wintery adventure. This year there has been very little snow (but as I write this it’s snowing!) So I’m going to share a quest from December 2022 when we woke up to snow and set off on an adventure.

Snow had fallen overnight in Loch Garten, an RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Nature Reserve in the Cairngorms National Park. I love watching the webcam that they have installed at a peanut feeder where Red Squirrels, Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, Crested Tits and so many more birds are spotted. I like to check the webcam in the winter to see when it has snowed and by luck it had! It was time to wrap up my toes in warm socks and boots and take the near-three-hour drive to the Cairngorms. 

Loch Garten in the snow is the winter forestscape you strive for. It is a rich Caledonian pine forest full of towering Scots pine trees surrounded by Blaeberry, Juniper, Rowan, Birch and Heather. Red Squirrels jump through the pines, plenty of birds flitter through the trees such as Crested Tits and Scottish Crossbills, and deep within the forest deer roam and Capercaillie peacefully live. It’s welcoming, wonderful and wild. 

You might think that’s such a long journey to take in these short winter days, but I promise it was worth every single minute. After an hour or so, as soon as we left Pitlochry into the mountain Pass of Drumochter, snow was all around us. White hills and heather showing off its wintery coat through the marshes. The Pass is a high point at 460m (1508ft) and if snow is really bad, the snow gates are shut and no one can pass through as the conditions are so poor. But luckily the roads were clear, so we headed into the Scottish Highlands where our destination of Aviemore waited.

Aviemore is always a beautiful place to stay if you are in Scotland. I was here for a week in November and have many Side Quests to share with you which are coming soon (make sure to subscribe!) I could smell log fires, Christmas lights on the streets twinkled, and everything was so welcoming. The Cairngorms mountains and hills were sparkling white in the background, surrounding us. I could not wait to see the treasures that waited for me in Loch Garten.

Scots pine were layered with snow. Snowflakes flurried from branches as birds landed on them and then took off swiftly. Huge clumps of snow fell from the tops of trees, the branches finally giving up from the snow’s weight. I could hear the muted sound as the snow made impact on the frozen ground. You could see deep into the forest because everything was so bright. The place was white and perfect.

I used what little light I had left in the day to walk through the mystical pine forest, enjoying the cold tickling my ears and taking many photos of snow-robed Scots pine. My favourite tree. 

I was also treated to a Crested Tit (Crestie) who ventured down from the canopy to see what seed was on offer. I had brought Sunflower Hearts. A total winner to all garden birds. A lot of people come to Loch Garten to see a Crestie. If you’re wondering why, it’s because they can only be found in a small area of northern Scotland. Crested Tit can be found in larger parts of Europe, but for the UK population, they can only be found here. 

They are very sweet little birds with punk hairdos. They are also very quick, choosing to flitter very quickly between eating and perching on tree branches. You have to wait quite a bit for them to have a much-needed break to take a photo. So you can imagine how happy I was to capture this Crestie perched on a frosty pine branch. 

Winter is my favourite season. Its cosiness and calm neutral colours inspire me. Huddling up with a blanket reading a book, lighting candles all around the house, frosty walks during the day and warm cuddles later on with the cats. It truly is wonderful. I’m ready to calmly walk into 2024 and enjoy the remaining season of winter. I shall be writing again soon, so if you’d like to know when I post make sure to subscribe!

Happy New Year,
Rebecca