Tuesday 24 April 2018

‘Do you fancy going up Lurchers after work?’

Dr Stuart Connolly, our ST1, peered round the doorframe.  He had looked at the forecast, a beautiful calm spring evening with the hope of a sunset ski down Lurchers Gully. 

20 mins drive up the mountain road from Aviemore Medical Practice and we were in Cairngorm Ski Area car park booting up.  I’d met some friends from town on my way up who were similarly chasing an evening ski tour.  A computer programmer and horticulturalist moved up from the central belt for the lifestyle. 

The Kingussie Medical Practice ST1, Dr Tash Burley, met us at the car park and we headed round past the iconic cliffs of Schnechda and Coire an Lochan.  The snow was spring goodness of the buttery variety with a few catchy sastrugi.  The big open gully made for big wide arching turns.  The spring time sun was setting at 8pm with a warm orange red glow over the mountains and we watched Aviemore sparkle below.

‘We shouldn’t really tell anyone how good GP training is up here’ I said to big grins.  ‘No, to think I’d reduced a shoulder dislocation after my morning clinic, had a great 3 hour tutorial with my educational supervisor, and then whizzed up here.  No, we should keep this quiet.’ 

All agreed we headed down to a fish supper at the happy haggis. 

Dr Tessa Pirie, GPST3, Aviemore Medical Practice 2018.