Family Fun: Hiking round Loch Muick

Today wasn't the best day for hiking but we are made of tough stuff! Just wish I had remembered my waterproof trousers... We drove up to Loch Muick (a favourite place of the royal family) and parked up in the car park for £3. We donned our coats, grabbed an umbrella and took our picnic in rucksacks.

Very quickly we saw a herd of red deer feeding in the field. We checked out the visitors centre with its displays about the local wildlife. There is plenty to see in the glen if you are lucky...

Then it was off to the Loch shore and along the path. There was plenty of water around on the ground as well as falling from the sky..

Luckily there was plenty to keep the children's interest on the way spotting deer and birds. It was uphill much of the way but it's not too steep. We stopped for lunch near a bridge where the path branched in two. At this point it really bucketed down so the umbrella was perfect to picnic under:

We then continued on a narrower, rockier path with even more puddles to the head of the loch. Across the top there are little bridges over the main streams. Even so it was rather boggy under foot.

The return along the other shore was easier as the way is better to give the Royal Family access to their house on the side of the Loch. We discovered a little bothy in the outbuildings of the royal property which looked rather fun to stay in. We had snack break in the wood adjacent to the house although we were plagued by midges. It was lovely seeing the Loch in sunlight briefly:

Then we walked down the rest of the Loch and tried to race the rain clouds back to shelter (we failed!).

Despite the rain it was a lovely walk and one I would thoroughly recommend.