Is there much snow on the gorms? Was hoping to pop up over Christmas? Any snowy pics people might have would be good for inspiration!

Yes

Have a gander at http://www.cairngormmountain.org/Webcam

Not mine btw, stolen from the web

I arrived home yesterday after a week there – pistes are open for skiing, snow down to valley level (but melting low down). Pic taken a few days ago:

Loch an Eilein by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

Sometimes Matt, I think we’ve had a passing conversation on a hill somewhere.

lol

Planning a trip up in Feb when I have some free time! Going to get the old touring kit out…on borrowed skis as mine are no longer mine 🙁

Pictures and webcams here: http://www.winterhighland.info/general/

Anyone have any recommendations of where to go sledging? We’re up week before christmas with the 2 year old, staying in Aviemore. Happy to drive somewhere to get to suitable height if the snow is only high up, or walk a mile or so off the road (that inconvenient stage where she wonwt be carried, but can’t walk far)but not sure where is likely to be good?

Also, which lakes can you park right near – Morlich obviously, can you park near Loch an Eilein? Considering a swim, but want the heated car very close by for obvious reasons.

Also, which lakes can you park right near – Morlich obviously, can you park near Loch an Eilein? Considering a swim, but want the heated car very close by for obvious reasons.

Lakes? 🙄 best not ask that in Aviemore. To a local, if you can find one that is.

You can do that at both lochs. Loch Morlich being the better I’d say.

Snow is melting fast this morning.

Had a great couple of days around Aviemore at the beginning of the week.

yes

Anyone have any recommendations of where to go sledging?

Nearest hill, of which there are a few…Best bet is to head up the ski road and use the bits off the car park area, but not on piste.

Also, which lakes can you park right near – Morlich obviously, can you park near Loch an Eilein? Considering a swim, but want the heated car very close by for obvious reasons.

Again, lots of options including the river in Aviemore. Morlich is probably most likley, and Loch an Eilein is only 100m from carpark. Can be shallow so long wade out. Also may be in a more ‘solid’ state than you expect at this time of year – Eilein had big ice patches on and all our local (small) lochs are now sporting ice/grey slush all round.

Brilliant.

The river in Aviemore – is it not going to be very fast flowing at the moment? Last time I swum it, I seem to remember it flowing okay, and that was in August. I guess I can probably find an eddy to swim around in, but a lake would be brilliant, if it isn’t frozen. Hmm. Will see.

FFS it’s a loch. 🙄

a loch (or a lochan, I’m not fussy), whatever, a body of water enclosed by land. Okay.

I obviously know that the Scottish word for Lake is loch. If I was referring to a lake in Scotland, I’d call it Loch whatever, like I did above. That does not mean that it isn’t a lake too.

When I go to France, I don’t say ‘I’m going to France to swim in a lac’? If I go to China, I wouldn’t say I’m going to China to swim in a ?. It would be pretentious. Why get so het up that I don’t switch languages mid sentence in this particular case?

Also, sort of relating to this, in Aviemore last time, I had terrible trouble describing where I’d been to a bunch of elderly locals, as I only knew the Scottish name of mountains off the map, whereas they seemed to mainly use the English translated name for the smaller hills, and didn’t have any clue of the Scottish name. You can’t win!

a loch (or a lochan, I’m not fussy), whatever, a body of water enclosed by land. Okay.

Just so you know, there’s only one exception (I think) in Scotland which is the Lake Of Menteith, everything else is a Loch.

That’s ‘LOCH’

It would be pretentious

Nah, it’s just polite. They quite like it to be honest.

They get positively chipper when you pronounce Loch Avon correctly.

EDIT: Or even spell it correctly, Loch A’an

Actually, while on the swimming chat. Come back in summer and head up to Loch Etchachan, it’s about 1.5km North East of Ben Macdui. As far as I’m aware it’s the UK’s highest decent sized body of water. It’s a real jewel of a place on a sunny day and makes a great swim to cool off.

Why on earth would you swim in a freezing Loch / Lake ?
Is it not a bit dangerous ?
Serious question…

Joemarshall – the river at Aviemore bridge up to ski area / old rail bridge on Dalfaber Road is slow n deep – see the latest Dudes of Hazard for the river / tree snapping sillyness.

Canoe river Spey by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

Why on earth would you swim in a freezing Loch / Lake ?
Is it not a bit dangerous ?

I know, it would be fun though. ahem. Not that I would know or anything. ahem.

RE the OP – situation will undoubtedly change between now and Christmas so keep an eye on mwis and the webcams as above for snow info. Winterhighland and UKC can be useful depending on your plans.

RE swimming- For my tastes Loch Morlich is too shallow near the road, as is Loch an Eilein near the car parks. We always used to swim at both though and there are steeper shelving spots elsewhere. Best low-level loch with road access is Loch Garten IME. Best river is not the Spey, at least not between Loch Insh and Aviemore as suggested above. Loads of good places to swim on the Feshie but I can’t recall doing so between November and March – for good reason, any of the liquid water is generally not too far off being solid, and if air temperatures are high then the flow can be too much.

Why on earth would you swim in a freezing Loch /Lake ? Is it not a bit dangerous ?

Been swimming outdoors every Thursday since september. I will be in Aviemore on a Thursday. Therefore I will swim somewhere near Aviemore.

Last Thursday, it was -3c and the water was 3 degrees, so I only managed 5 minutes of swimming, and it took a further 5 minutes of swearing to get from toes in to swimming, but I still swam.

It is much less dangerous if you do it regularly – you are much less susceptible to cold shock etc. and better accustomed to getting dressed quickly when on the verge of mild hypothermia. Most deaths in water are still people who either didn’t intend to get in (fell in), or were drunk and not regular outdoor swimmers.

Oh and matt – you are officially a wuss – speedos and a swim hat is the law – ‘channel rules’ as swimmers call it.

Loch Insh would be OK and at least you have the restaurant/boathouse for getting warm in 🙂

And for observers of your neshness….