There were 22 on today’s circular walk round the Balmoral Cairns. The forecast was to be cold with snowy showers. We had a comfort stop at Ballater before heading to the carpark at Balmoral. We had to walk along the road to Easter Balmoral as we had been advised that the suspension bridge was closed. There was the option to visit 8 cairns commissioned by Queen Victoria to commemorate members of the royal family and events in their lives. Lunch was had while it remained dry before continuing to Prince Leopold’s Cairn overlooking the castle when the snow showers arrived. Some walkers managed to find Princess’s Helena’s cairn a short distance off the main track before descending to John Brown’s statue with the inscription ‘Friend more than Servant, Loyal, Truthful, Brave, Selfless than Duty even to the Grave’. All were back to the bus within time and we managed to enjoy a pub stop at Ballater before Jules drove us back to Aberdeen on time. Alan