King in Cairngorms to thank those involved in tackling wildfire

The King has arrived in the Cairngorms to thank the people involved in tackling a major wildfire this summer.

Firefighters spent almost five weeks tackling the blaze, which broke out in the Glenmore area near Aviemore on July 15 and burned 3,300 hectares of land.

More than 500 firefighters were involved in fighting the blaze, with homes, businesses, campsites and a ski resort in the area evacuated.

Charles is meeting community leaders, firefighters, volunteers and landowners to thank them for their efforts during his visit to the area on Wednesday.

He will also see some of the damage and disruption left by the fire.

While in the Cairngorms National Park, the King will also mark the new twinning partnership between mountains in the Highlands and Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, in the US.

The mountains of Scotland and Appalachia in the US formed part of the same ancient mountain range more than 250 million years ago, before geological forces gradually separated them across the Atlantic Ocean.

Charles will see the companion granite stone in the Cairngorms which marks the twinning.

The mountain partnership was announced earlier this year during the King’s state visit to America, in recognition of the shared history between the US and the UK.