The Eagles left at 10.30 on Monday, and we took it easy for a while, buying a newspaper and writing postcards in the cafe on the corner. It was sunny and warm; so we decided to drive down to the loch. At first we intended to walk up the Capel Mounth path, but instead we did the four-mile circle (or more accurately rectangle) at the head of the loch. It was quite windy but not unpleasant, and it came as a shock to turn on the television in the evening, after our fish and chips, to discover that the cricket had been rained off in Bristol. Bristol had better sort itself out before we get there on Sunday.

Plenty of people about, and the machines were in the process of being replaced, so parking at the loch was free. On the minus side, there were tick warnings all over the place.

Yesterday we were slow to get started. No surprise there. It was warm again; eventually, and for no good reason, we had an early lunch at the Station restaurant (mushroom omelette and chips; croque monsieur), having bought a pie for supper. Oh well. Work on the bus station – converting it into a new co-op –  is proceeding remarkably quickly: today a massive lorry crane was in place, visible from miles away. By the evening it had departed.

In the afternoon we went to the Muir of Dinnet, stopping en route to look inside the old AA box, which has been converted into a mini-museum. We then walked to the Burn o’Vat, disturbing a photographer who was taking pains to get a picture of the waterfall from outside the cave entrance. Although the water level must have fallen a lot since last week, it was still the highest we had seen it. We told the photographer this, and he was dismissive. A Yorkshireman, I believe.

After looking round the new, improved visitor centre we walked down to Parkin’s Moss, a bog boardwalk that’s strangely seductive. Very quiet in the Muir, and after a while hot too; we were tired when we got back to the car park. So we called in at Crannach in its latest incarnation, which is Riverside Cottage – open for only a couple of weeks and run by a Glaswegian and his wife. Had a long talk about football and his hopes for Celtic, who sadly lost in the Champions’ League last night.

The food and tea were excellent. I had a warm brownie with raspberry ice cream, and Dot had a flapjack, after which we were replete in a big way. It was an incredible early evening; so we drove up to the Crathie-Gairnshiel road and parked to read in the sun. We both went for a short walk independently, and I ventured into the Invercauld Estate down the hill track. Had an amazing experience of silence: stood for a long time and just listened to the occasional bee or distant lamb.

Came home as the sun dipped behind a distant hill, then watched Celtic disintegrate and ate a small steak pie.

This morning it was sunny and warm again, and we decided to climb Craigendarroch, which we did in under 45 minutes as usual. Rang David on the top.