View fae the ploo

They are called the SnowRoads for good reason. The rural communities of the National Park are often cut off when the snow comes, relying on snow plough drivers to clear and grit the roads. Often local farmers with multiple jobs, these dedicated drivers are vital front-line workers in the winter months. We caught up with a couple of them to get their ‘view fae the ploo’. Meet Strathdon farmers Bruce Mackie and Charles Gordon. They work as part of a team of four drivers to keep the roads safe – including the famous A939 at Cockbridge.

How did you end up as a snow plough driver? 

Bruce: I’ve had an HGV licence for over 30 years and the council approached me to drive a snow plough because they struggle to get drivers that are qualified and live in the area. 

You need an HGV licence to drive a snow plough, it’s expensive to pass and then you only work for the council three to four months of the year. You need to be flexible because the hours and days are irregular and you are just waiting for the weather forecast. 

Charles: The same as Bruce; there are just not enough folk who are qualified to drive a snow plough. Often it’s only local farmers who have the skills needed, who are local and able to get out at short notice. 

• View from the snow plough

  

  
• Edge of the road in Glenbuchat in snow Charlotte Milburn

  

  
• Snow ploughed road in Glenbuchat Charlotte Milburn

  

  

What are the winters like in Strathdon? 

Bruce: They’re not nearly as bad nowadays as what they used to be. I can remember growing up having three months of snow, that kind of thing, always being blocked in with power cuts. There’s not the same snowfall now. Last year we only ploughed one day the whole season, the rest was gritting, compared to this year where we’ve already done seven days of ploughing with the recent snow. 

Charles: I remember 1985 was a bad year. Our farm road was totally blocked and we had to walk to the shop for a week. The gritters couldn’t get up and they had to get the snow blowers in. We couldn’t get out the front door because the drifts were over the side of the house – we marked the drifts on the trees at 15ft. We do still seem to have bad winters every five years or so – everyone remembers 2010-11 but 2016 wasn’t good and folk forget 2021 because it was lockdown, but it was really bad. There was so much snow our barn roof caved in. 

The roads can be treacherous, have there been any memorable moments?  

Bruce: One time I was going up the Lecht road to the ski centre and got halfway up and stuck on the black ice and just slid backwards in the gritter. There was nothing I could about it until I reached the bottom of the hill. My brother Brian is one of the other drivers on our gritter; he had to reverse all the way down the hill a couple of weeks ago because it was sheet ice. It’s frightening to go headfirst because you’re scared you are going to just land over the bank. 

Charles: One Christmas Day I was told to go up and open the snow gates at the Lecht – it was plus 16 degrees – the next day (Boxing Day) the snow had come in so bad overnight that I got stuck on the Lecht even with the plough. I remember we cleared the snow for 16 hours that day. Folk don’t realise why the gates are closed sometimes because the roads might be black at the gates but it’s a different world on the top and the snow can be many feet deep.  

How do you fit it in around your work? 

Bruce: It can be tricky because I run a garage and the farm. It’s not easy if I am called out in the middle of the day. I prefer to do the night shifts or first thing in the morning, but it needs to be done. 

Charles: I’m usually away on the plough at 5.30am and on a normal gritting day you’re back in by 8 or 9am because you work seven days of mornings, a week off and then seven days of evenings. I can fit work around it but it can be a wee bit awkward nearer calving time. 

You guys are doing a great job – what does the future look like? 

Bruce: At the moment if any of us stopped there’s no one locally who would manage it. You need to have your licence, be really flexible with your hours and live in the area. You can’t do it if you have a full-time job somewhere else. The main snow ploughs do the main routes and only get to the side roads once the main roads are open, so the council use tractor ploughs as well to keep the side roads open.  

Charles: It would be good to get the next generation of plough drivers trained up for when we retire. There are various grants and schemes available in rural skills for young folk so maybe that’s a route for someone who wants to get their HGV licence and is keen to do this in the future.

Plow drivers Bruce Mackie and Charles Gordon Pip Mackie and Isla Gordon