‘We’re cut off for weeks’ say locals in UK’s coldest town near royal retreat and loved by Rita Ora despite -27C chills
IT looks like the perfect winter wonderland with its frozen river and snow-capped mountains in the distance.
But when you scrape at the surface you discover living in Britain’s coldest village, loved by A-list celebs including Rita Ora and the royals, is no festive fantasy.
The 600 permanent residents of Braemar in the Scottish Highlands face a constant battle with the elements as temperatures have been known to plunge into the -20Cs.
And with energy costs soaring, that leaves some families with a stark choice between heating and eating.
John Peoples, 84, has pricey electric storage heaters in his bungalow, one of a handful of council properties in the village, tucked away in the Cairngorms National Park.
He used to pay about £1 a day but now coughs up as much as £10 to stay warm and makes some tough decisions.
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He said: "I only heat one room at a time. There’s no point in warming up the rest of the place when it’s sitting empty.
"The hallway and my bedroom can get really cold. It’s not good at all.
"The prices now are just absolutely ridiculous. Something needs to be done about it."
Retired RAF serviceman John decided to stay in Scotland after he finished his final tour of service at Kinloss, Moray.
He and wife Felecienne fell in love with Braemar and lived there for more than 20 years.
But tragedy struck in August this year when she died aged 75.
Devastated grandad John now faces his first Christmas on his own and has to make some changes.
He said: "My finances have been chopped in half now. I’ve got to cut back a bit.
"But if my wife was here there is absolutely no way she would let me get away with only heating one room. Everything would have to be switched on."
John has a coal fire that council bosses want to pull out as part of a move to be more eco-friendly.
But the veteran has refused so far because he wants to keep it for emergencies.
He added: "We can be completely cut off for weeks at a time so it’s handy to have. But I’m not complaining.
"No one forced me to live here and it was my own choice. I don’t mind a bit of hardship."
Braemar prides itself on its community spirit and the grandfather, who has family all over the world, was invited to have Christmas dinner at a local hall.
He said: "I’ve never been a widower at this time of year before.
"A girl came and asked me to go to Christmas dinner in the village but I said no. I’d rather just have it myself.
"But that’s what Braemar is like. It must be one of the nicest places in the world."
A-list hangout
There is no radio signal in Braemar and the only supermarket is the local Co-op corner shop.
Supermarkets deliver but if there’s bad weather they can’t make it in by road.
At the end of 2015, Storm Frank saw the village completely cut off when it lost a bridge and visitors faced a 120-mile round trip to get in or out.
The crisis forced the community to set up its own local care service so those in need are always looked after.
The village is close to royal holiday home Balmoral and is a magnet for tourists and celebs - like Rita Ora who recently stayed at The Fife Arms hotel in town.
The popstar wrote on Instagram: "I had the most incredible time in Scotland... I'll be back soon."
The rural area also plays host to the annual Braemar Gathering, attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla in September this year.
Second homes row
It’s packed with second homes and it’s thought that in peak season the population goes up by at least another 600 people.
But it’s feared this has caused property prices to soar, making it too expensive for young people to either stay or move to.
When winter hits it becomes a ghost town as the extreme cold weather takes hold and there are very few visitors.
There is no pipeline gas supply so that has to be bought in, and residents say the cost of that has soared by at least a third over the past couple of years.
They’re now paying out at least £15 a day.
But they admitted they have no choice because of the danger of frozen pipes as temperatures plummet.
One villager said: "A newbie with a second home here is always easy to spot. After their first summer they go home and switch the heating off.
"That’s a big mistake. Their pipes freeze and the next thing you know their ceiling collapses.
"After that they usually pay someone locally to go in and keep an eye on things."
Feeling the freeze
Alasdair Colquhoun, 75, has run Lamont Sporrans in the centre of Braemar for the past two decades. The pipes freeze at the shop most winters, but he’s used to it.
Alasdair said: "It’s an old granite building with no insulation. It’s just what happens.
"All I do is switch the water off and wait for the pipes to thaw. There’s absolutely nothing else you can do."
He runs the business with his wife Bernadette and spends hours in the shop making bespoke sporrans, which go around the world.
The business also has a royal warrant for supplying the King when he was the Prince of Wales.
Alasdair is feeling the impact of the rise in energy prices, as well as the soaring cost of supplies for his custom-made products.
He added: "Everywhere you go you feel the squeeze. There’s only so much you can pass onto the customer.
All I do is switch the water off and wait for the pipes to thaw. There’s absolutely nothing else you can do
Alasdair Colquhoun
"People come in here and expect to pay the same as they do on eBay for a cheap sporran that’s come from China, but that’s not going to happen.
"I can only afford to run this place with myself and my wife. We wouldn’t have the money to employ anybody else."
But despite the challenges, Alasdair reckons the positives far outweigh the negatives.
He said: "You only have to wake up and look out at the scenery in the morning and that makes everything worth it.
"And it’s nice to stay somewhere where you know everybody and say hello to everyone that passes you in the street."
The majority of businesses in Braemar are small, family-run affairs. It’s thought there are more jobs than potential workers.
Most of the positions are at the cheaper end of the scale in the hospitality industry.
It’s not unusual for some residents to have two or three jobs at a time to make ends meet.
Tough times
Every Christmas Geva Blackett offers food and supplies to anyone in the area who’s struggling.
She teams up with local estates and businesses to make the essential deliveries over the festive seasons.
She said: "I don’t judge anybody. If somebody comes to me and tells me they need help, I give them help.
"People are having to think about how much it costs to switch on the oven. Last year a lot of families were saying they just couldn’t cope."
Geva was inspired to become a councillor after hearing about an apprentice at the local garage who couldn’t afford to stay in the area.
She is also determined to get young people to stay or move in to ensure there’s a future.
People are having to think about how much it costs to switch on the oven. Last year a lot of families were saying they just couldn’t cope
Geva Blackett
She said: "We’re a very tight and resilient community. We look after our own. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the world that measures up."
Geva has lived in the village for 30 years and the sub-zero temperatures no longer bother her.
She added: "You learn to layer up. I think you build a resistance to it."
Snow and ice on the road is never a problem for Don Bain, 69, because he’s got a sturdy Land Rover Defender.
But he needs to be able to get out to get a constant supply of logs to keep his garage warm for his two unlikely lodgers - his pet parrots.
Bobby the macaw and Chico the yellow-headed Amazon can’t cope with the cold and need tropical temperatures.
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Don said: "I go through tonnes of logs a year. The burner needs to stay on all the time for the birds. They need it warm.
"People sometimes do get a bit of a surprise when they find out I’ve got parrots here because it’s so cold. I’ve not heard of anyone else who has them in Braemar."
