We’re getting towards the bleak mid-winter, and sometimes a change from the increasingly frenetic bustle towards Christmas is called for.
Time to sit down with a cuppa and escape down memory lane with these wintry photos from Inverness and the surrounding areas.
Like this stunning image from Inverness-shire, more than 100 years ago.
The gentleman in the photo is Ewen Fraser, driving three horses and a snowplough in Gorthleck. It was submitted by his grandson Sandy Fraser of Inverness.
Sandy also shared this photo, from 1946.
That winter was one of the ‘Big Freezes’ across the whole country, with very low temperatures and more than 20ft of snow in parts of the Highlands.
This image shows the David McBrayne’s bus being held up, waiting for the road to be re-opened further ahead at Gorthleck.
Don’t forget, if you too have old images you’d like to share with the Past Times team, please contact us here.
It’s all about keeping warm at this time of year.
We love this photo of firewood cutting operations at Easter Moniack farm in 1953.
John Holmes, left, and Willie Henderson are cutting logs on a vicious looking machine, with absolutely no safety equipment. Refreshing, somehow, in this day and age.
Here’s a wintry view of Inverness from 1966.
How many changes can you spot?
The bridge these days is festooned with traffic lights, the Bridge Street buildings which look quite fresh there are now universally loathed, and there’s definitely no parking on Bank Street.
Sport keeps many of us going through the winter.
This photo captures the moment in 1975 when Clach got into the third round of the Scottish Cup.
It’s Clach v Stirling Albion, and Kennedy (right) gets the ball past Stirling keeper Young.
Ten years earlier at Inverness Caley v Raith Rovers, young Caley supporters stormed the pitch to surround Caley centre Donnie Grant after after he scored the first goal of the match to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Keeper Reid of Raith could only stand annoyed in light of the invasion which also included toilet roll, much to the disgust of the player on the right.
Here’s the Inverness Caley ground looking very wintry in 1990.
The Caledonian Canal is known to freeze up in winter, producing sheets of ice inches thick.
In 1987, relief lock keeper, 25 year old Ewan Fraser of Clachnaharry was able to extract a block of ice 2 inches thick from one of the frozen sea locks.
The ice looks even thicker here, in 1984 at Clachnaharry.
Here, left to right, are canalman Richard Taylor, lock keeper Ian Stewart and canal diver Len Tait who had spent the day clearing ice away from the approaches to the lock gates.
Another ‘spot the difference’ photo below- and there have been quite a few changes.
Here’s Inverness railway station in the winter of 1960.
In the background is the Longman with all the ‘new’ factories of the time, the old airfield hangar and the waters of the Ness estuary.
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