Ruth Molloy, who helps look after the reindeer, carries their food up the mountainside

The herd gathers around Ruth Molloy for their food. Visitors are asked not to bring carrots for the reindeer. As arctic animals, they do not recognise carrots as food as the vegetables do not grow in their natural habitat

These tame and friendly reindeer are not just for Christmas, visitors can see them all year round. While the big adult males are trained to pull a sleigh on wheels, they only do so for public appearances

There is a daily guided trip that allows visitors to stroke and feed the animals. Reindeer are poorly suited to captivity. Without space to roam in their natural environment and climate, they rarely stay healthy

Cairngorms reindeer are fed a natural diet of sedges, lichens, blaeberries and birch

The company’s founders, Mikel Utsi and his wife Ethel Lindgren, first visited the area on their honeymoon and identified the Cairngorms as an ideal place for reindeer

Reindeer have lived in Cairngorms National Park since 1952. The herd is permitted to graze on more than 10,000 acres

Reindeer grow thick coats to keep them snug over the long winters

Alan and Elizabeth Smith took over the running of the venture in the 1980s. They split the herd between the Cairngorms and the Cromdale hills, near Glenlivet, which makes management of breeding and prevention of disease transmission much simpler

A Cairngorms reindeer adoption scheme launched in the 1990s has more than 1,000 supporters worldwide

There are about 150 animals in the free-roaming herd. All of the reindeer are friendly, though contact with visitors is always supervised by staff

Snow can be found on the mountain for more than eight months of the year, making the environment perfect for reindeer

The picturesque plateau is a popular attraction. For every 50 metres in height, the temperature drops 1C (33.8F)