Badenoch means “drowned land” and the Highland region was living up to its name yesterday.
The effects of Hurricane Bertha were felt most acutely in Kingussie, where the railway and school were seriously flooded by the Gynack burn.
Network Rail employees worked tirelessly on the Highland main line in two separate locations to clear mud and restore the track bed which was washed away.
Just a few yards away at the railway station, between 15 and 20 rail workers were clearing mud and silt which had been washed up when the river underneath it flooded over.
About 150 yards of the track was affected by the flooding and a specialist machine moved along the track to suck up the mud so that the line could reopen today.
Just a couple of miles away, the railway line at the hamlet of Lynchat was left suspended in the air because ballast underneath was washed away by the torrents.
Beside the burn, three large trucks dropped off material to fill the hole, including heavier blocks of gabion stone to go on the bottom and lighter ballast for the top.
Water also spilled out from fields onto the adjacent B9152 Kingussie-Aviemore road, which runs parallel to the railway.
Near the station, Kingussie High School was dealing with its own problems, after floodwater seeped under the doors.
Workers from CleanCo in Inverness helped the school janitor, Helen Beaven, clear out material from the assembly hall and storage areas which were soaked by floodwater.
The children’s social area and kitchen were also affected.
Kenny Reid, depute head at the school, said: “It is not a new situation for us. We have had the water at about 3ft before but this was only about ankle deep.
“We are quite confident that we will get it cleaned up and the electrics people are also on the case. It’s unfortunate that it’s happened but it is not as bad as it has been in the past. It is just a sad reflection of where the building is.
“We are confident that the school will be ready to open on Monday.”
