A wildfire that erupted near Glenmore and Abernethy in the Cairngorms national park on 15 July burned more than 33 square kilometres of moorland and forest. Over 500 firefighters responded to the blaze, which prompted evacuations of homes and businesses and lasted more than a month.
Despite the scale of the damage, much of the burned area sits high on hillsides away from roads. In a national park covering 4,528 square kilometres, the scarred landscape remains largely hidden from visitors. Autumn is now arriving across the Cairngorms, with bracken shifting to russet and umber tones, birch leaves edged in gold, and Scots pines holding their green. The Guardian notes that the season offers a window to explore the park when much of the landscape remains untouched and recovery is beginning. Visitors touring the park now find it difficult to see or even imagine the extent of the summer fires.