The Cairngorm colours are slowly changing from the purples of the heather to browns and greys, showing that Autumn is on its way. It is a beautiful time of year to visit the Cairngorms National Park. The birch leaves turn golden, the larch leaves yellow ochre. Berries such as these Rowan berries in the photograph glow orange then red. The heather hillsides are full of red lingonberries. A few of the purple bilberrries still linger on. There is colour everywhere, albeit slightly more muted than earlier in the year.
There are always a host of mushrooms growing in the fields and woods at this time of year. If you are confident in harvesting them, there are chanterelles and cepes. The former are lovely in soup, with steak, in omelettes or just on toast. Cepes can be dried for use later in the year.
Other signs that Autumn is on its way are the gathering of swallows on roof tops and telephone wires. Other birds such as goldfinches are feeding on all the seed heads. These are beautiful birds with their flashes of gold on their wings.
The tourist sites begin to get quieter as visitor numbers drop at the end of the school holidays. So you can have more peaceful walks in the countryside. The weather is often suprisingly nice in late August/ early September. But the water in the lochs is still warm for swimming! It is a great time to visit, so come on up here and enjoy our beautiful area!