I hadn’t visited for quite a few months, so it was great to be back in a place that I know so well, a place that holds so many memories. I missed the snow, unfortunately. Friends had been cross country skiing on Carrbridge golf course a week ago and then overnight it went, even from the high tops. I had put my snowshoes and ice axes in the car just in case, but I was a bit optimistic!
I was not the only one hoping for snow. People had come up to do winter skills courses, do climbing in the Northern Corries, and of course go skiing. One instructor I spoke to managed to find something for his clients to do over the back of Cairngorm, but hardly what people were hoping for. I saw many people wandering the streets of Aviemore with rucksacks and attached ice axes- dressed up with nowhere to go.
The lack of skiing led to discussions about the funicular and the future of skiing. My skiing friends hadn’t bothered getting a locals pass this year- not worth it for the few days skiing they could get. And when there was snow, the ski area was packed with huge queues, and no funicular- still not working (See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly44nr79xxo). I spoke with someone who had worked in the ski area about 10 years ago and he felt that there had been a lot of money wasted and contractors getting away with a lot. The history of management has been controversial, with Natural Retreats making a mess of their time in charge. They were a holiday letting company and had no experience in running such an operation. They went broke in November 2019, just before the winter season, leaving public bodies such as Highland and Islands Enterprise to pick up the pieces (see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47638092).
The person I talked to told me that the Glenmore Community Trust had put in a bid to run the ski area, but the contract was instead given to Natural Retreats. It certainly would have been difficult to take over such a risky enterprise- with no funicular and unpredictable snow conditions but would they have done any worse than Natural Retreats? I had not heard of this community trust and don’t know much about them. I don’t think they are part of Community Land Scotland. But it certainly looks an interesting organisation, founded in 2017 (See: https://www.aviemoreglenmoretrust.org/).
One activity that has taken off since my research time is open water swimming. I myself started swimming last summer in the Lake District, encouraged by my friend from Carrbridge who has been doing it for years, well-before the current upsurge in interest. I was meeting friends from the Strathspey Mountain Club to do a hill near Kincraig. I was early so I went for a coffee at Loch Insh outdoor centre. Cars were pulling up in the car park, and soon a groups formed and prepared to go in the loch. I am not sure what the temperature was- but the air temperature was around freezing. Most of them were just wearing swimsuits, not wetsuits. I talked to one women who had actually been the head life guard for 10 years at the Lido I go to in London. Originally from Oban, she has long-been a cold water swimmer, before it was even called that. She says that a lot of the interest started during Covid. My friend who started well-before this said that it is almost got too popular, with unknown lochs now being populated by ‘wild’ swimmers, taking parking spots and potentially causing conflict with anglers. Still, people can do it without worrying about technology like the funicular, the amount of snow cover, or the weather. Like mountain biking, perhaps it is something that would attract people to the area, providing a more secure base for the tourist industry. For many years the Lake District has promoted ‘wild swimming’ activities with companies and activity centres catering to the interest. This is now happening in the Cairngorms. (See: https://www.visitcairngorms.com/go-wild-wild-swimming-in-the-cairngorms-with-our-10-top-tips/).
I tried to have a go later in the week, but only made it to my knees! I am going to have to spend more time building up my ability to cope with such low temperatures. I told the women that I would be back to Loch Insh in May, and then I would definitely be swimming. It would have made a great chapter in the book- a whole new sense of place.
Land for What? Land for Whom? 