Rock hopping

When you wake up to swirling mists in the Spey Valley it's always worth checking the Cairngorm ski area webcam for the bigger picture. Sure enough, the hills are out of the fog and bathed in bright sunshine. 
We decide we've got just enough time to do the Chalamain Gap circuit, a gentle climb to a rock-filled gorge, a descent down to the Lairig Ghru pass on the other side, and a return to the road along the shores of Loch Morlich.
We set off from the Sugar Bowl, a bend in the ski road where the path begins and we're very soon high enough to see the fog-filled valley behind us. 

Aviemore fogbound

Extra-terrestrial clouds

The clouds are making extraordinary shapes and it's frosty, too, with streams swirling under thin lattices of ice. Across the Glenmore valley, the sun picks out the gentle curves of one of our family's favourite hills, Meall a' Bhuachaille (we grew up beneath it, at the Glenmore Lodge outdoor education centre). 

Frozen contours

Sunshine on Meall a' Bhuchaille

When we reach the gorge the kids bound ahead, hopping from boulder to boulder like mountain goats. Looking up at the figures silhouetted at the top of the gorge makes the Chalamain Gap looks more difficult than it actually is. 

Going through the Chalamain Gap

Once there, we follow a great stone-lined path – an impressive piece of volunteer work – down to the Lairig Ghru, then turn right into the forest for the long walk out – but only after a reviving picnic of savouries… and a swig of my sister's raspberry gin.

The path follows the Lairig Ghru to Braemar