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I've been holding off on this 18 mile circuit for about a month, just waiting for a nice day to enjoy Lochnagar and its neighbors. With the weather looking good this weekend I joined the crowds at the Glen Muick car park and set off at 9:30. I managed to get some space to myself on the very good path to Lochnagar. After exiting the forest the heat started to rise and the sunscreen came out of the bag. The path to Meikle Pap is in very good shape and it was a fairly easy stroll up to the bealach where the first views of Lochnagar's northern corrie comes into view. Impressive to say the least! Took a short break admiring the view and then headed up the Ladder and contoured around the edge of Lochnagar, reaching the summit at 12. There were plenty of people about but I found myself a nice ledge to rest on and took in the extensive views to the east. After a few minutes I was off to The Stuic and Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach. With a long day ahead I didn't waste much time on the fairly boring lump of the second munro and I made my way down to the stalkers path which took me to the base of Carn an t-Sagairt Mor. It was probably about 2 or 2:30 when I reached this summit and using my height I was just able to spot the airplane wreckage laying down the slope just beyond the summit. I walked over and inspected the old Canberra wing and then ate my lunch. Wonder what happened to the rest of the plane? It's another fairly easy stroll over to munro 4, Cairn Bannoch. From here I spotted the massive waterfall coming off the back side of Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach. At this point you also start to get a sense of how far it is back to the car park, wow. Getting to Broad Cairn, the final munro, is easy peasy. At the summit you can look back at the day's walk and feel proud of the achievement, that is until you look toward the car park which is a long long long way ahead. With one more coat of sunscreen I set off around 3:45. I decided to take the highroad above Loch Muick instead of dropping down to the shore where the path splits. With great views all around I plodded ahead on the path that seemed to never end. When you finally descend off the ridge you are greeted by a nice waterfall at a bridge crossing. Then it's another long plod along Loch Muick back to the carpark. At 5:30 I reached the car and simply sat there a while for a long rest before heading home.
Even with the long walk out I still gave rated this walk as a 5 star trip. The paths were in excellent shape and each peak offered something different. It's a day in the sun that I'll remember for a long time.