Secret Histories of the Cairngorms is a series of journeys exploring barely known human & natural stories of the Cairngorm Mountains. It looks at a unique British landscape, its last great wilderness, with new eyes. History combines with travelogue in a vivid account of this elemental scenery. There have been rare human incursions into the Cairngorm plateau, & Patrick Baker tracks them down. He traces elusive wildlife & relives ghostly sightings on the summit of Ben Macdui. From the search for a long-forgotten climbing shelter & the locating of ancient gem mines, to the discovery of skeletal aircraft remains & the hunt for a mysterious nineteenth-century aristocratic settlement, he seeks out the unlikeliest & most interesting of features in places far off the beaten track. The cultural & human impact of this stunning landscape & reflections on the history of mountaineering are the threads which bind this compelling narrative together.