📌 White Mounth, Aberdeenshire
★★★★
The vast majority of visitors to Loch Muick are here to explore either the loch itself or Lochnagar to the north. Few venture into the hills to the south or west from here, and they’re missing out. Picturesque waterfalls and waterslides on The Stulan Burn and Allt an Dubh-loch are only the prelude to the magnificent rock architecture above Dubh Loch’s southern shore: no wonder this is a famous rock- and ice-climbing location. The following ascent is a bit of a slog, but the rest of the circuit is a high level stroll (in good conditions) over two Munros, with Loch Muick pointing the way home.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Rainbow at Spittal of Glenmuick 
View up Loch Muick 
Path along the foot of Loch Muick 
View across Loch Muick from the north shore path 
Emerging from woodland at Glas-allt-Shiel 
View up the Allt an Dubh-loch 
The Stulan (waterfall) 
Dubh Loch 
Cliffs on the south side of Dubh Loch 
Waterslide above Dubh Loch 
Waterfall on the Allt an Dubh-loch 
Eagles Rock (centre right) & Lochnagar (left) from Cairn Bannoch 
Càrn an t-Sagairt Mòr (right) 
Approach to Broad Cairn 
Descent towards Loch Muick 
Glen of the River South Esk 
Looking across to Lochnagar 
View back to Broad Cairn 
Allt an Dubh-loch 
Loch Muick 
Glas-allt-Shiel 
Head of Loch Muick & Broad Cairn (left) 
Final descent to the loch
📝 Key info
📌 Start / finish at Spittal of Glenmuick (minor road end 8 mi south of Ballater)
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 310851
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.952127,-3.136081
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park (charge, gets full)
▶ 24 km / 15 mi | ▲ 1150 m | ⌛ 7.5-8.5 hr
Features: 💧 Loch Muick; 🌊 The Stulan waterfall; 💧 Dubh Loch; △ Cairn Bannoch (1012 m, Munro); △ Broad Cairn (998 m, Munro)
⬤ Tough | Good paths and tracks along Loch Muick, then narrower path to Dubh Loch. Paths fade to nothing for ascent to Cairn Bannoch, then eroded bagger’s paths and tracks for return.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – footbridge at Loch Muick outflow – Glas-allt Shiel – The Stulan – Dubh Loch north shore – cross Allt an Dubh-loch at 🧭 NO 228833 – Coire Uilleim Mhoir – Cairn Bannoch – Broad Cairn – bealach between Style Burn and Corrie Chash – cross Black Burn at 🧭 NO 288822 – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Several mountain hares on Cairn Bannoch, deer by the foot of Loch Muick, horrible midges near car park & visitor centre!
Weather: Light winds, often sunny & warm enough not to need a jumper, but cloudier in the middle of the day with some other tops in the mist. A few showers elsewhere creating rainbows, but dry overhead.
August 2013
