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Finally managed to escape the grey confines of the Granite City today!
Whoohoo!
Went hill walking at Glen Muick which is near the quaint picturesque town of Ballater which frens from the chinese church in aberdeen.
So our entourage met outside the church at 9 am on Saturday morning. A total of around 12 people in 4 cars. the morning was a bit of a shock to begin with as it was absolutely pouring when I met vivian and anthony at the Tesco outside my home. Thank goodness the rain didn't keep up though the severely cold weather did. But it was all good, at least the excessive warm clothing we draped on was put to good use and we didn't look like fools wearing them.
Ready, steady? Go!
So we set off at around 9.30 and reached Glen Muick at 11.30 after a very nice scenic drive through Aberdeen shire and several little isolated villages. Really harry potterish. There was even a broken down old train on some old tracks. Rural scotland is a true treasure in itself.
It wasn't exactly a steep hike on the first route we took. Basically, went around mid hill level and strolled along, making our way up the way and then down the way towards the spectacular Loch Muick. A truly geographical trip as we say tributaries, erosional horseshoe lakes, and mini waterfalls along the way. Subarashi! Although we're truly into autumn and through to scottish nature it did hail at certain bits of the way and there were gales at 29 knots throughout the trip, the hills and fields were still a bonnie shade of green and gold.
Trek towards the heavens ... 
Where the river flows...
Mount fuji has taken up residence on Royal Deeside
Loch MuickYup so we had a lovely 2 hour trek around the glen and Loch, battling the gale force winds and bone numbing chill but we didn't seem to bear a grudge being surrounded by such natural beauty. It felt good just walking and breathing in the cold but refreshing highland air and forgetting the 'sad turmoils of the world' as Queen Victoria would have said. Looking at the snow capped hills and feel the spray from the Loch against ur face is enough to make u feel at one with nature.Slice of heaven in the Scottish highlands
After we made it to base point we had a fantastic picnic out in the cold. Amazing experience! If it weren't for the cha ye dan and chicken drumsticks still hot in their pots kindly donated by Kit and Theresa, our guides for today, we would probably have our fingers frozen off their stems by the frostbite. Of course there was also the usual spread of sandwiches, hot drinks, fruits, chocolates and crisps. It's just great when chinese hold some cook out, we basically prepare a whole lot of food of a huge variety and so no one needs to feel paiseh of eating too much! Whoohoo!
After lunch some of us had to return to Aberdeen because of previous engagements, but the rest of us decided to take a trek up the hills instead as the sun was setting. Really spectacular. If u thought Glen Muick was beautiful as it is in the day, as the sun sets on this eden, the Loch sprays, and mountain mists give it an even more ethreal feel. U feel just that much closer to heaven. Halfway up it started to hail and rain and since it was getting really dark, we decided to head down again. I'm just so thankful that the weather held up all the time we were there during the day. Thank you God.
Well, just before heading back to Aberdeen, we stopped by the Old Railway Station in Ballater which was converted to a museum to show tourists of times gone by when Queen Victoria used to make annual trips to Balmoral Castle just up the way and to Glen Muick to relax and basically do what we did today. Maybe with more fanfare and style I suppose. haha!
And so that was an educational end to our wonderful trip and we made our way back to Aberdeen. Relaxed but maybe not too ready to face the grind and toil of the week to come. Not especially since we now know of a little paradise tucked away just around the corner.