Picnic at the King’s house and a smile from the Queen

We had an epic day today. Dad is a very keen e-bike tourer and has completed several cycling holidays now in multiple countries. He suggested we go for a bike ride while he’s here so we booked some e-bikes from the Bike Station in Ballater and cycled to Loch Muick.

It’s my first time riding a regular e-bike. We have a cargo e-bike but after today I’ve realised it’s not that good. The power of the bikes we had today made hills and a head-wind feel effortless and the trip out to Loch Muick was uphill with a head-wind making me grateful for the assistance.

First stop after leaving Ballater was Knock Castle, a tower ruin that would have once been a typical home for a Laird.

Then it was off towards Loch Muick. As we passed Birkhall, which is the King’s home in Aberdeenshire, I noticed an armed guard at the gate, a likely indication of his presence there.

The first part of the ride is on a good, quiet, surfaced road but as you get nearer the loch it becomes gravel which was more challenging as you have to keep a close eye on the road surface. About half-way is the River Muick waterfall which has a salmon ladder.

And then we got to the boat house at Loch Muick.

You can walk or cycle around the loch and it’s just under 8 miles but we only went as far as Glas-Alt-Shiel which is a lodge on the Balmoral Estate, built by Queen Victoria. I’m not sure if the royal family use it but hikers can sleep in the bothy in one of the sheds at the back and we like to have a picnic on the front lawn beside the loch. It’s a beautiful spot.

This is the bothy in one of the sheds.

A bothy is a simply mountain hut used by hikers as protection from the weather. They are dotted all over Scotland and most are very simple stone structures. This one has a log burner, table and chairs, plus bunk beds. There’s even firewood available but you have to saw it yourself with a hand saw. I believe it’s used by people who climb Lochnagar which is a Munro with a path up the hill near the house.

The cycle home was really easy as it was mostly downhill with a tail wind so we didn’t use the assist on the way back. As we cycled past Birkhall I saw a woman walking towards us with a dog and realised it was Queen Camilla. I smiled at her and she smiled back.