Scotland’s Oldest Snow Patch May Not See Another Sunrise

(Credit: Iain Cameron) Resting beneath the 1,000-foot cliffs of Scotland’s Aonach’s Beag mountain range, The Sphinx –one of the country’s proudest snowcaps—is on its deathbed. “It’s a very sorry sight,” says Iain Cameron, a leading snow expert and arguably one of Edinburgh’s most dedicated “snow patchers,” a group of people who seek out and track the changes in the island’s coldest landmarks. These patches “tend to sit in the little gullies and corries below the peaks,” Cameron told Atlas Obscura. The Sphinx, which dwells between the higher points of the Garbh Choire Mor in the Cairngorms, is not only Scotland’s oldest snow patch, but is typically its most vigorous. The island’s craggy and dynamic slopes offer a place for snow patches to nestle throughout the warmer spring months. Some, like The Sphinx, have even been known to endure until the end of summer. On average, there are nearly 100 patches ...