Peter's Random Travel Blog: A Walk in Her Majesty's Backyard

We didn't have anything in particular planned for today and we had been told by a couple of people that we should take the walk around Loch Muick...so that's what we decided to do. We drove down to Ballater and then beside the River Muick to the car park. The walk around the Loch is 8 miles and as it was a warm day (very warm actually for Scotland), we weren't sure how far we would go.

We set off from the car park and after about half a mile we reached the decision point...the east side of the Loch or the west side. As you could only see the track on the east side for about half the distance around the Loch before it took off "straight up a hill", we decided to take the west side. So we walked across the foot of the Loch and joined a nice smooth vehicle track that wound its way along side the Loch.

First glimpse of Loch Muick

Crossing the foot of the Loch

At an old boat shed

Approaching the head of the Loch

It wasn't until we had almost reached the head of the Loch that we realised the significance of the high quality track. We were in the Balmoral Estate and up close to the head of the Loch stood a hunting lodge built for Queen Victoria...and still used by the Royal family. The "road" we had been walking on was so the Queen could drive herself out there if she wished...yes, we have been told that the Queen drives herself around the Estate still although Price Phillip doesn't anymore.

First glimpse of the Royal lodge

Queen Victoria's lodge

Looking down the Loch from the lodge

We had a pleasant break from walking at the lodge...sitting around on Her Majesty's manicured grass and paddling our feet in her Loch. After visiting the nearby geocache, we set off again. We had decided that we were so close to the head of the Loch that we may as well keep on going and walk back on the other side. Of course, now we were past where the Royals go to, the track degenerated...quickly and dramatically. Instead of a nice wide road, it was now a single-file track picking its way through the rocks and the heather.

The not-so-Royal way for the common people

Looking across Loch Muick to the Royal lodge

About half way we came to the point where we could see the track that went "straight up a hill"...although zig-zagging would be a better description. There was another geocache at the top of the hill. In a fit of madness, Anita agreed to have a go at finding it...the GPS might have been showing it as a mere 500 metres away in a straight line but there was the not-so-small matter of the climb...that turned out to be 250 metres which made an average gradient of 1 in 2 (not that it was really that steep because the track zig-zagged and we walked more than 500 metres...it was probably more like 1 in 3 or 4).

As mad as our little detour was for a geocache, it was actually worth the effort...the views going up and from the top were absolutely fantastic. With the geocache found, we carefully found our way back down to the main track and then plodded our way back to the car. Although thoroughly exhausted, we had a really great day wandering around part of the Balmoral Estate.