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The cliffs of Lochnagar, with the Black Spout gully towards the right

My first proper mountain of the year and it’s already the middle of August! I’ve struggled to find time to fit in trips to the mountains this year with a new baby (now six months old!) and a toddler at home so it was great to get out as Peter and I climbed Lochnagar on Sunday.

It was a windy day so we chose a route that offered us some shelter, approaching from the Spittal of Glenmuick car park via the corrie and up the Black Spout, a wide gully that thrusts up through the huge cliffs to emerge on the summit plateau a few hundred yards from the top. It’s an easy scramble – mostly just a very steep walk – on grass, rock and loose scree up the spout.

On our return we followed the path alongside the Glas Allt, seeing the spectacular waterfall that plunges down towards the loch. All that remained was the long trek alongside the popular loch, which was teeming with families and visitors enjoying the bright but breezy day.

I’m looking forward to some more mountain trips before the year is out now!

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John on summit of Lochnagar

The paths on this estate are all superbly looked after, making good progress straightforward. The only stretch without any sort of path was down into the corrie and up the Black Spout but, even there, we were able to see evidence of others’ presence.

On the way home we almost had a “coming together” when Prince Charles was speeding towards us in his top-of-the-range Land Rover on the narrow roads around Balmoral! A right royal day out if ever there was one!

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