Loch Muick


While on Deeside we walked part of the circuit round Loch Muick.  I have an annoying Achilles tendon injury this summer, so we were limited to walking on the flat.  The name of the loch, before I go any further, is pronounced 'mick' rather than the 'muck' you might think!  In my experience one of the main purposes of Gaelic is to set pronunciation traps.

The loch is resoundingly bare in panorama in a way that doesn't do full justice to it.  The heather was just starting to come into bloom and doesn't show up in these shots, but the track was lined with vivid purple clumps.
 

On the single track road in we passed a group of beehives - possibly for the Royal honey?  In terms of royal presence here, the house in the first shot is Glas-allt Shiel, built by Queen Victoria as a retreat from the hurly-burly of Balmoral Castle.


Below, a boathouse towards the head of the loch, and a path which we unfortunately couldn't take that day.




Where a burn runs into the loch there's a geography lesson on river deltas in miniature.
 


Note the rings in this fence outside the bothy below.  They're used for tethering the sturdy ponies used to carry carcasses in the deer-stalking season.
 

An abandoned building, very forlorn with the wind sighing through the pines all around.
 


And a mountain rescue post, complete with frothy honeysuckle.
 

Comments

  1. I guess it is a beautiful sight when the heather is in full bloom:)

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  2. Wow, what a lovely walk. So much atmosphere and so much space!

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  3. Looks like a beautiful place. I'd love to visit!

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  4. As it happens, I am reading a book set in Scotland (Outlander, by Diane Gabaldon). I will come back to visit this post often. Your photos are wonderful. I love the second one especially and can just pretend myself right into it.

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  5. That looks beautiful. The heather and the honeysuckle this year have been gorgeous. There is just so much of Scotland to discover!

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  6. Sorry about the achilles tendon-I've got limiting injuries too and I know how frustrating it is when you love to be in the great outdoors. Looks like a refreshing walk, I could almost smell the air.

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  7. How lovely! Sorry about your injury - keep up the physical therapy and listen to your doctor, those things really have to be tended to or they don't get better.

    @clairz - the Outlander series is THE BEST! Enjoy! (I have a postcard on my refrigerator that says "I just want to go to Scotland, walk through the standing stones and fall in love with Jamie Fraser - is that too much to ask?" 8-)

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  8. What beautiful scenes - I've wandered around Locch Muick myself a very long time ago. It looks so peaceful and isolated. Thanks for sharing and keep an eye on the tendon - don't neglect it. Judy.

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  9. I just need to come visit Scotland one day .... soon

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  10. This is a wonderful tour of such an area with so much history. I remember the farm that was depicted in a movie about the Queen. It is a beautiful area. Your land and mountains are so wonderful and unique.

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  11. Hi Linda,
    I just stumbled across this particular post of yours. How long is this walk around the Loch? I had horrible Achilles tendonitis 3 years ago and cured it with a new pair of orthodics.

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