Bitter to balmy in a day: must be Scotland

Scotland's Highlands are known for their unpredictable, extremes of weather.

Scotland is known for its unpredictable weather. But a remote village in the Highlands has achieved the unprecedented feat of being both the hottest and coldest place in Britain - in the same day.

In the early hours of Thursday morning local time, the temperature in the village of Aviemore was close to freezing, the mercury showing just 1C.

But later on in the day, the tourist spot in the Cairngorms National Park experienced weather that was hotter than Paris and even balmy Barcelona and Rome at 21C.

Thanks to a lingering fog that hangs in the mountains overnight, Aviemore endured freezing temperatures before the sun rose and the air pressure shot up, bathing the village in summer-like warmth.

The Met Office said the two extreme recordings "go against normal atmospheric conditions".

Claire Smith, 35, the manager of the Mountain Cafe in Aviemore, said it was as if the seasons had gone into reverse. "It was incredibly chilly coming in the morning with a coat, scarf and gloves on," she said.

"You could see the grass glistening and frost appearing on cars.

"But I have to carry all my clothes home later on because it will be far too warm.

"It's been really strange here because we're having a bit of an Indian summer but starting our day with winter - it's as if we've skipped autumn completely.

"You can definitely notice it throughout the day as people come in shivering looking for their morning coffee.

"But then later on folk are coming in wearing their shorts and getting milkshakes."

Maja Aas, 19, a student on a school trip from Norway, had packed her luggage in preparation for a cold winter.

But, after seeing the sun shining, the student headed to the beach at nearby Loch Morlich to bask in the sunshine.

She said: "Everyone was telling me that Scotland was really rainy and cold ... at this time of year so that's what I packed for.

"I'd brought my raincoat and warm sweatshirts but I don't think that was necessary.

"It's really nice and beautiful here so we're just hanging out on the beach now."

A spokeswoman for the Met Office said: "The extreme differences in temperatures in high-up towns such as Aviemore and Braemar in recent days can be explained by the very high pressure in the air over the UK.

"High pressure causes a temperature inversion at altitude which means that while we would normally expect places like Aviemore to be colder, when there is high pressure the temperature will rise and go against normal atmospheric conditions.

"And at night, when the sun goes away, this temperature inversion reverts to normal and gets colder." Telegraph Group Ltd