PEOPLE in the Highlands woke up to a thick blanket of snow yesterday after temperatures plunged below freezing overnight.

Overnight lows of -3C brought snow flurries and meant that roads workers were out in snowploughs to ensure that roads were kept clear.

Carrbridge, near Aviemore, was transformed into a winter wonderland, and the tables and benches at the outdoor cafe of one visitor attraction, the Landmark Forest Adventure Park, were covered with snow.

Snowploughs were out clearing the A938 between the village and Dulnain Bridge on Speyside.

The Cairngorms saw some of the deepest snow, but images showed Ben Wyvis, near Dingwall, in Easter Ross, also heavily covered.

It was the same story at the Lecht ski resort in Aberdeenshire and in Glen Coe.

There were also smaller snowfalls in eastern parts, with Angus affected, although the roads remained clear.

Although temperatures dropped to -3C, it was not the chilliest night of the autumn so far.

Forecasters had thought the mercury could fall to -7C, colder than the -6C recorded in Braemar on November 6.

But winds that were a “little bit stronger” than expected meant that temperatures did not drop as low as predicted, although they widely went below freezing and large parts of Scotland had a widespread frost. Temperatures of -3C were also felt across Gloucestershire and mid-Wales.

A minimum temperature of -4.9C was recorded overnight at Benson in Oxfordshire. Other parts of the country suffered rain, but temperatures are predicted to climb back up during the rest of this week, with the thermostat expected to reach 6C in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Travel should also be easier in Carrbridge, with temperatures of around 7C. Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “We’ve had three short cold snaps over the past three weekends but it will become less cold over the coming days, before another, more prolonged, cold spell into next weekend.”