Farewell to February: A Month of Two Halves in Pictures

Dusk, February 1

February began with snow, continuing the conditions that had held since Christmas, the longest period with snow at this level for ten years. As the Covid-19 lockdown continued all my outdoor trips were from the front door. The furthest I travelled by car was the five miles into Grantown-on-Spey for food and, once, to get my first Covid jag.

As the snow deepened snowshoes or skis became the easiest ways to move about and utilised both. I do love being able to put them on at the front door and set off into the snowy wilds. 

Snowshoes, February 4

Here are photos from the first two weeks of the month. 

View to the Cromdale Hills, February 4

 

Snowing, February 4

Snow cloud, February 7

A cold wind, February 7

Rest stop, February 7

The Cromdale Hills, February 8

Ski tracks, February 8

Ski tracks, February 11

Bynack More and the Cairngorms, February 11

Snow and sun, February 12

The weekend of the 13th and 14th the weather began to change. Winds shifted to the south, temperatures rose and the snow began to thaw. In less than a week most of it had gone. Some days you could almost see it disappearing. Rain fell, hastening the melt. The world changed. On a trip into Grantown I went down to the River Spey to watch the snow rushing away to the sea.

The last snowfall, February 13

Here are some images of the last two weeks of the month.

Track to the house, February 15

Track to the house, February 16

Rainbow, February 16

Rain, February 17

Shrinking snowfields, February 18

The high Cairngorms are still white, February 21

The River Spey takes away the snow, February 24

The woods are waiting for spring, February 25