Cairngorms

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The Cairngorms: Ben Macdhui seen from Carn a' Mhaim
The Cairngorms: Ben Macdhui seen from Carn a' Mhaim
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 (Am Monadh Ruadh in Gaelic) are a mountainous region in the Eastern Scottish Highlands, Scotland, 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, Angus, Perth and Kinross 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.

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[edit] Geography

The Cairngorms feature the highest, coldest and snowiest plateaux in the British Isles and are home to four of the five highest mountains in Scotland:

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 October 7, 1859, 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."

Cairn Gorm
Cairn Gorm

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 region is drained by the Rivers Dee and Spey; and the latter's two tributaries: the Rivers Feshie and Avon.

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 -27.2oC, was recorded on February 11, 1895 and January 10, 1982.

[edit] Wildlife

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 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
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.

[edit] Leisure

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, gliding 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.

In 1964, physicist Peter Higgs of Edinburgh was walking in the Cairngorms when he had his famous idea about symmetry-breaking in the electroweak theory, now a key element of the standard model of particle physics. If the so-called Higgs boson is eventually detected by experiment, this will give the Cairngorms a special place in the history of science.

[edit] Settlements in the Cairngorms

[edit] Visitor attractions

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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