Snow patches in Scotland facts for kids
Snow patches in Scotland are areas of snow that stay on mountains for a long time, sometimes even through the summer. People have noticed these patches since at least the 1700s. On Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain, snow patches were often seen lasting into late summer and autumn. An observatory on the summit of Ben Nevis, open from 1883 to 1904, reported that snow stayed on the north-east cliffs more often than it melted away completely.
More recently, scientists and nature lovers have studied these snow patches carefully. A well-known ecologist named Dr Adam Watson did a lot of this work. His studies mainly focused on the mountains of north-east Scotland, especially the Cairngorms. However, new observations have shown that long-lasting snow can be found in many other places across Scotland. Thanks to information collected by observers over the last 50 years, Scotland's snow patches are now some of the most well-known in the world.
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Where to Find Scotland's Snow Patches
Many places on the Scottish mountains have snow that lasts into July, August, and even September. The two main areas where snow almost always stays the longest are the Cairngorms and the Lochaber mountains. These areas include all of Scotland's mountains that are taller than 1,219 meters (4,000 feet), like Ben Nevis.
In some years, snow can stay all summer long, even until the next winter's snow arrives. In 2015, about 73 snow patches were still present in late November. This was when the new winter snows had already started to fall. The last time so many patches survived all year was in 1994.
Other places where snow has been known to last a long time include:
- Creag Meagaidh hills: Snow survived here in 1994 and 2015.
- Glen Affric/Strathfarrar hills: Snow usually melts by mid-to-late August. However, patches have lasted on Sgurr na Lapaich, An Riabhachan, and Toll Creagach as recently as 2015.
- Ben Wyvis: Snow normally melts in July or August, but it has been known to survive (according to A. Watson).
- Grey Corries: Snow usually lasts until July or August. It survived at least once on Stob Coire Easain (A. Watson) and in 2015 on Stob Coire an Laoigh.
- Ben Alder range: Snow has survived at Geal-Charn many times, most recently in 2015.
Since 2009, for 120 months in a row, someone has been able to find snow for skiing somewhere in Scotland.
The Cairngorms: Home to Lasting Snow
The Cairngorms mountain range has five of the highest mountains in the United Kingdom. It is also the place where snow stays the longest and in the most locations across the UK. Mountains like Ben Macdui, Cairn Gorm, and Braeriach all have long-lasting snow patches that people have watched for many years.
Snow on Ben Macdui
On Ben Macdui, snow has been known to last from one winter to the next in a few spots. The place where snow has survived most often is near the Garbh Uisge Beag, which flows into Loch Avon. This snow patch is about 1,060 meters (3,478 feet) high.
Snow on Cairn Gorm
On the north-eastern side of Cairn Gorm is a hollow called Ciste Mhearad. This area used to have snow patches that lasted for many years. However, since the year 2000, it has only lasted once (in 2015). Observations in 2007 and 2008 showed that this patch usually melted completely in September. It sits at an altitude of about 1,095 meters (3,593 feet).
Snow in Braeriach's Garbh Choire Mòr
Braeriach's Garbh Choire Mòr is home to Britain's most persistent snow beds. Snow has been completely gone from this corrie only nine times in the last century. Four of those times were in the last decade: 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022. These snow patches are about 1,140 meters (3,740 feet) high. The two longest-lasting patches are called "the Pinnacles" and "the Sphinx." They are named after the rock climbing routes above them. Some people believe that Garbh Choire Mòr might have had a glacier as recently as the 1800s. The Sphinx snow patch disappeared completely in 2024, making it four years in a row. Since 1700, this patch has disappeared in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, and from 2021 to 2024.
In 1994, the Cairngorms and nearby mountains in north-east Scotland had 55 snow patches that lasted all year. This was a very high number.
Ben Nevis Range: Scotland's Highest Peaks
This area includes Scotland's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. It also has Aonach Mòr, Aonach Beag, and Càrn Mòr Dearg, which are the other three mountains in this area taller than 1,219 meters (4,000 feet).
Snow on Ben Nevis
As mentioned, Ben Nevis has long been known for holding snow late into the year. It is hard to prove old stories from the 1800s and early 1900s that snow was always present on the mountain. However, it is true that snow often lasts from one winter to the next. Studies of Ben Nevis's snow are not as detailed as those for the Cairngorms. Still, recent observations show that Ben Nevis has only been completely snow-free once since 2006 (in 2017). The largest snow patch, at Observatory Gully, is about 1,130 meters (3,707 feet) high. The patch at Point 5 gully, which is a bit lower, has also been known to last from one winter to the next.
Snow on Aonach Mòr
Aonach Mòr has a corrie (a bowl-shaped hollow) called Coire an Lochain, which holds snow from one year to the next. One of these patches, located behind a protalus rampart (a ridge of rock and debris formed by snow and ice), sometimes lasts longer than a patch slightly higher up against the tall cliffs.
Snow on Aonach Beag
Below the cliffs of the north-east ridge on Aonach Beag, there is a less-known snow patch. Even though it is at a lower altitude (about 955 meters or 3,133 feet), it was Scotland's largest patch when the new winter snows arrived in 2007 and 2008. This patch is not often mentioned in books about snow. This suggests it is not recorded enough, perhaps because it is hard to see, even from the top of Aonach Mòr or Aonach Beag.
See also
- Corrie
- Newman's Lady-fern – a type of fern that likes snow, found only in Scotland.
- Icy Rock-moss – a type of moss found in Cairngorms National Park. It grows on rocks in streams fed by snow patches.
- Younger Dryas
