Snow, snow and more snow with a top temperature of -1 degree! This morning we were picked up by Land Rover by Dougie (although he pronounced it Duuuugie) the estate's Head Stalker. He told us all about the estate and what it is like to be a stalker as we drove up to the mountains. His father was a stalker so Dougie grew up here and naturally adopted the same occupation.
They feed wild deer as food becomes scarce when it snows by pouring bags of pellets on the road as they slowly drive. They try to keep a balance of numbers by either culling when there are too many or supplementary feeding when numbers are low. We saw about 150 deer up close and personal that came at the sound of the Land Rover. It was an amazing experience surrounded by deer whilst the snow fell.
We then went for a drive having lunch at a cafe in Newtonmore. We drove to Kingussie then headed to Aviemore to catch the ski train however the road was closed due to the snow.
Whilst the others opted for an open fire upon returning to the house, I went for a long, long walk. Every bend on the track presented something different - a half frozen river, an ancient bridge, Falls of Pattack (a large waterfall), snow covered mountains and deers. Some areas were extremely cold and bitter but despite this I found it very difficult to return home as I just wanted to keep going but night would soon be falling. Not to worry, there is another walk that I want to do tomorrow.
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