THESE two photos of Saltcoats couple Graham and Susan Cross were taken 50 years apart almost to the day.

Dr and Mrs Scott have just celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary and to mark the occasion they decided to repeat an ascent of Cairngorm they made on their honeymooon.

Dr Cross and Susan Leggett, as she was then, were married at St Cuthbert’s Church on March 20, 1964 and the reception was held at the Kilmeny Hotel.

The couple were keen members of Ardeer Ski Club so decided to spend their honeymoon based at the Carrbridge Hotel for a week’s ski-ing in the Cairngorms.

On one day, the lower slopes were covered in thick mist but summits were visible above the cloud tops due to a temperature inversion.

This allowed the atmospheric black and white shot to be taken next to the ice-covered cairn.

The photo was widely published at the time including in Scottish Field magazine and The Scotsman.

Susan said: “We never knew at the time how widely publicised our honeymoon was going to be!” As part of their Golden Wedding celebrations, the couple returned to the Carrbridge Hotel for a few days and attempted to regain the summit of Cairngorm and recreate the photograph.

Dr Cross said: “The chances of an equally fine day were, of course, remote and this was how it turned out.

“Although the weather was fine in Aviemore at the base, the summit temperature was hovering around zero with strong winds and thick mist.

“However, we got our shot and this was very rewarding.” Graham, 77, is originally from Lichfield and met Susan, 72, just a week after arriving in Scotland when she was serving tea at the local rugby club.

The couple worked at ICI – Graham as a chemist and Susan in the Engineering Department.

They went on to have two daughters Fiona and Jacqueline and four grandchildren, Lewis, Hannah, Ross and Chloe.

Susan’s secret to a long happy marriage is to ‘take the rough with the smooth and work things through’ while Graham regards ‘a sense of humour and a bit of give and take’ as the key.