Waving goodbye to the last snow of the past winter on a Cairngorms' famous peak.
Lochnagar location makes it rather neat for a day trip, thanks to its remote yet accessible settings. The path to its summit starts near Loch Muick, a beautiful mountain lake that is ~ ten miles from the nearest settlement and more than double that to the nearest town. However, a public road ends around a mile from the water, so one has a jump start in a nice getaway from civilization.
Approaching the Loch Muick
The path around the loch's shore is easy and scenic.
..and since there are plenty of opportunities to reach the loch's crystal clear water, it is tempting to make some use of it — mainly during a sunny day, like the one I scored.
Then, the ascent begins. The path follows the stream of Glasallt, which makes for some pleasing scenery.
So far, there was no hint of snow. That; however, changed as I reached the high plateau...
From this point, reaching the Lochnagar's summit is a matter of moments.
The views up there are among the best I've seen in the eastern portion of the Highlands. This meant one thing: picnic time!
I enjoyed the 360° of goodness, and eventually, I started my way down back to the valley.
As the elevation decreases, the width of the path increases...
..all the way to the woods and the parking lot where I started. Good day in the hills, for sure.
Lochnagar is the first mountain in Scotland that I climbed twice. The views it offers just won't get old, no matter what. There's, however, a thing I'd do differently if I'd go next time: I'd take a bike.
If you liked the scenery in this article, see my previous stories about the Scottish Highlands. Alternatively, browse my blog archives for more topics and categories. Thanks for reading!
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