THE UK's longest-lasting snow patch has melted away - for only the 10th time in 300 years.
The patch of snow, nicknamed "the Sphinx", forms on a sheltered part of Braeriach in the Cairngorms in Scotland.
The patch melted away earlier this week for the fifth time since 2017.
Until 100 years ago, it was thought to be a permanent feature on the mountain.
It previously melted fully in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and now 2023.
Before 1933, it is thought to have last melted completely in the 1700s but there are no formal records.
When it disappeared last year in October, it meant Scotland was snow-free for the fourth time in six years.
Other Scottish mountains such as Ben Nevis also have long-lasting snow patches, but the Sphinx is considered to be the longest lasting.
The Sphinx sits on a 1296m Munro and was named after a climbing route near the snow patch.
