In Pictures: Balmoral blanketed in snow as Scotland faces worst of the cold snap

More than 54 schools shut in the Highland Council region on Friday because of the snow and at least 27 more closed in Aberdeenshire.

By contributor By PA Reporters

Published 6 hours ago

Balmoral Castle surrounded by a blanket of snow — Balmoral Castle blanketed in snow on Friday morning (Jane Barlow/PA)

Balmoral Castle has been covered in snow and ice as Scotland faces the brunt of the cold snap on Friday.

Temperatures reached as low as minus 6C at Tulloch Bridge on Thursday night.

The Met Office issued an amber alert for central-north Scotland and yellow warnings across the UK ahead of Storm Bert, which is set to arrive on Saturday and bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend”.

Milk is left in the snow by the gate at the entrance to Balmoral Castle — Milk is left in the snow at the entrance to Balmoral Castle (Jane Barlow/PA)

A church in a forest covered in snow — Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral, is surrounded by snow and ice (Jane Barlow/PA)

The sun rises over a partially frozen river — Sunrise over the partially frozen River Dee (Jane Barlow/PA)

A large cairn covered in ice and snow — The Prince Albert Cairn, built in 1862 by Queen Victoria, rises out of the snow (Jane Barlow/PA)

A man smiles while walking his Siberian husky in the snow outside Balmoral Castle — Ryan Phillips walks Arty the Siberian husky in the snowy grounds of Balmoral (Jane Barlow/PA)

A car travels down a snowy road in a forest with a red telephone box half-submerged in snow — A car travels down a snowy A93 near Balmoral with a red telephone box half-submerged in snow (Jane Barlow/PA)

Balmoral Castle surrounded by snow and ice (Jane Barlow/PA)

A person walks through the snow on the Balmoral Estate (Jane Barlow/PA)

A wall of Scots pine trees covered in snow on the Balmoral Estate (Jane Barlow/PA)

Other parts of the UK are also facing tough weather.

Autumn weather Nov 22nd 2024 — Fresh snow in Ingleton, North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA)

A worker fits an internet cable at a property in North Yorkshire — A worker fits an internet cable at a property in Horton in Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA)

Waves batter a pier, jumping high into the air — Waves batter Tynemouth pier lighthouse in Tyne and Wear (Owen Humphreys/PA)

A bundled-up visitor walks between fountains in Hyde Park, London (Jonathan Brady/PA)