Dubh Loch and Lochnagar on a sunny day

Yesterday Matt, Gilly (the dog) and I went for a walk in the sun on the Souther Cairngorms.

We left the car park at Lock Muick and made for the Dubh Loch.  The snow has all but disappeared around Broad Cairn and the surrounding tops and the crags are drying quickly in the sun.

On our way past the Dubh Loch.

Our pace was brisk but not heart stopping which meant we passed a number of people out for a stroll both around Loch Muick and further up into the hills.  On the far end of the Dubh Loch we came a cross a decaying stag which looked as if it had died whilst having a drink.  A lesson for anyone drinking out of streams; check for such hazards before gulping down...

One man and his dog.

The Dubh Loch showing the water streaks in the sun.

The Dubh loch crags are drying with only a few large streaks of water whilst Eagle Rocks are pretty much there for the taking.

Eagles Rock drying nicely.

Once we ascended past the loch the underfoot conditions soon turned to an ever increasing amount of snow bot soft and mushy yet still hard in some places.

 On our way part the Stuic we saw numerous teams ascending the ridge amidst the rock and snow patches,  Further away on Lochnagar the masses of people making the trip up to the summit became visible.  Matt and I avoided the summit and opted to not tick off summiting Lochnagar since we'd both lost count of how many times we'd been up there.

The Stuic and looking North.

Lochnagar as always is holding onto the snow with a dark cold grip; whilst the buttresses are totally black the gullies are complete with a few cornices for good measure.

Lochnagar and looking North.

A steady pace round the corrie and back down the landy track in the sun and no breeze gave us a fine end to the day.