This month’s stunning photo was submitted by Heidi Park. It shows a panorama of Glenshee, splendid in winter’s austere beauty. 

The start of a new year can be very dreich in the North East, so it is lovely to be reminded of the beauty there can also be at this time.

Heidi has really done well with this, I think. There is a big sky, above shapely hills, their outline softened by the snow. A sense of the scale of the landscape can be gained from the tiny black ribbon of road, just visible in the heart of the picture. To be in these hills on that day must have been pure exhilaration. A great day to be skiing in Scotland.

The road, visible in the photograph, connects Royal Deeside with Perthshire, and crosses a feature known as the Devil’s Elbow. This was, once upon a time, a very sharp bend in the middle of a long, fairly steep, gradient. It could cause problems for vehicles, both uphill and downhill. With the modern, engineered roadway, the bend is no more, but the gradient is still noticeably steep. I believe the part of the road at Cairnwell is reckoned to be the highest public road in the UK.

Glenshee is a great part of our natural resource, and is worth a visit in any season.

If you’re interested in learning more about each one of our images as part of our photography competition, then why not take a look at one of our previous submissions, here.