Loch Muick Loop
Distance: 20.2m / 32.5km
Profile: View
Grade: Moderate
Fitness: Moderate
Time: 3.5 - 4 Hours
OS MAP: 44
Route Data: GPX KML
Riders: Dave Banks, Brian Gray
Date: 17/11/2013
Summary
A mixture of forest road, single track, boggy sections, bike and hike make this, in places, a hard, but rewarding mountain bike trek through interesting scenery.
Details
Starting at Mill of Sterin, near Birkhill, on the opposite bank of the River Muick, take the landrover track that runs parallel to the river. The track is a bit rough in places due to water erosion, but is generally good as it climbs up towards Glen Muick. With Scots Pine on one side and a mixture of open countryside and deciduous tree on the other, there are nice views to be had. As you enter into the forest, the Falls of Muick soon appear on your left and are well worth a visit.
The track continues through the forest before levelling off and entering open countryside again as the glen opens out, following the line of the Scots Pines. If you are lucky, you may see red deer.
To add interest to the run, and to make it more of a figure of 8 than a loop, take the left turn at the junction at the estate buildings and head across the glen to the Mountain Rescue Post at the Spittle of Glenmuick. From there, turn right and continue to head towards the loch. After about 900 metres, turn right off the main track and head down towards the shore of the loch, where is flows into the River Muick. Crossing the Army bridge, follow the track along the shore to the boat house on the opposite bank. Turn left and continue along the landrover track towards Allt Shiel bothy which is hidden among the outhouses of the Royal Hunting Lodge. The track from the lodge to the head of the loch becomes a single track as it heads through the Scots Pine forest before entering open countryside again.
As the track follows the shore at the head of the loch, it becomes softer and there are several wooden walkways to take you over burns that feed into the loch. As the track leaves the head of the loch, it becomes quite narrow and rocky in places and for a couple of miles it is a real mixture of bike and hike. Progress can be quite slow in places, but eventually this gives way to landrover track again and good progress can be made as you head back towards the Ranger Station.
Turn left at the junction to take you back down to the shore of the loch and over the Army bridge yet again. On reaching the boat house, turn right onto the landrover track and head back to the estate buildings and follow your tracks down Glen Muick, past the Falls of Muick and back to the car.
Photo Gallery
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Mill of Sterin |
Landrover track |
Looking back |
Landrover track |
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Looking back |
Falls of Muick |
Open moorland |
Track skirts Scots Pines |
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Estate buildings |
Estate buildings |
Open moorland |
Track to Mountain Rescue Post |
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Bridge |
Downstream view from bridge |
Old barn nr Mountain Rescue Post |
Looking towards Loch Muick |
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Looking towards Mountain Rescue Post |
Lochnagar |
Keep right for Loch Muick |
Track down to loch shore |
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Army bridge over River Muick |
Outflow from Loch Muick |
Outflow from Loch Muick |
Old tree roots |
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Track along shoreline |
Boat house |
Boat house |
Boat house from landrover track |
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Landrover track to Royal Hunting Lodge |
Landrover track to Royal Hunting Lodge |
Looking across Loch Muick |
Looking back along Loch Muick |
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Royal Hunting Lodge |
Royal Hunting Lodge |
Access to Allt Shiel bothy |
Access to Allt Shiel bothy |
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Inside Allt Shiel bothy |
Inside Allt Shiel bothy |
Inside Allt Shiel bothy |
Allt Shiel bothy on left of door |
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Single track leaving Royal Hunting Lodge |
Looking back |
Entering open countryside |
Head of Loch Muick |
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Track turns left here |
Wooden walkway |
Wooden walkway |
Another walkway |
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View looking down Loch Muick |
Track along shore |
Yet another walkway |
View looking up Glen Muick |
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View looking down Loch Muick |
Track deteriorates |
Track OK at this point |
Looking back towards head of loch |
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Looking down Loch Muick |
Looking back towards head of loch |
Track gets a bit rougher |
Track threads its way along loch side |
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Track still OK here |
Start of the bike and hike |
Track ride able with care |
Track twist and turns through the heather |
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More bike and hike here |
Looking back through the heather section |
View looking down Loch Muick |
Track climbs to meet landrover track |
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More bike and hike here before meeting landrover track |
View looking down Loch Muick |
Landrover track ahead |
Another view looking down Loch Muick |
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Landrover track |
View from bridge |
Landrover track continues |
Water erosion |
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Looking down Glen Muick |
River Muick |
Army bridge over River Muick |
Stone jetty at boat house |
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Boat house from end of jetty |
Landrover track back to estate buildings |