A harbinger of spring in the high places

On a cold day on Cairn Gorm there was little to occupy the attention - until the appearance of a ring ouzel signalled the return of spring

Go-back, go-back, go-back! A red grouse was calling just above the car park, at the bottom of the path to the summit of Cairn Gorm. For a moment I was tempted to heed his advice and retreat to the nearby cafi(C).

But my children were uncharacteristically enthusiastic about the idea of walking up the mountainside; buoyed, no doubt, by the prospect of playing in the snow. And so we headed up the path.