We had literally been trying to get to Loch Muick for three months, but due to work, weather and a bunch of other things, we never got the chance. So with the end of summer pretty much upon us, we decided to try and get out there!
From Aberdeen, getting to Glen Muick is about a 1.5 hour journey, mainly because of the country roads, and then the 7 mile long single lane road which is basically a disaster waiting to happen when there’s a car coming the other way. Sadly, you have to navigate this road to get to the Spittal of Glen Muick car park where you get access to Loch Muick, and the nearby Lochnagar.
Our plan of action was to only take a walk around Loch Muick, which can take about 4 hours if you’re taking a leisurely stroll. We’ll definitely be back to do Lochnagar, hopefully before winter lands!
Heading down the path from the car park, take the left route to Loch Muick and then you’ll come to a split where I recommend going around the left side of the Loch if you want to tackle the harder walk first. The right side has a much smoother and flat track where you can get a car down, so we figured it would make more sense to leave this as our route back.
When you reach the half way point around the left hand side, there’s a nice little beach area where you can stop and take in the impressive views of the loch in front, and the waterfalls behind. There’s a detour route which you can take to go up round the waterfalls but sadly we missed this trail and didn’t notice it until we were a bit of a distance away… I guess it just means we’ll have to come back to check it out!
One of the most impressive features of Loch Muick is the impressive Glas-allt-Shiel house built by Queen Victoria in 1862, and bought by King George VI in 1950. This is where we stopped to grab some lunch and took a wander around the house, and checked out the bothy in the rear part.
If you don’t know what a bothy is, it’s basically a basic shelter which is left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. So you can image that these are pretty ideal for hikers who need to get some rest and stay the night.
thomaslindie 
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