Ballater

Ballater is a small town in Aberdeenshire in North East Scotland, about 25 miles west of Aberdeen. It grew up as resort town in the Victorian era. It’s on A93 the main road up the Dee Valley and is a good base for exploring Deeside and Cairngorms National Park. This pages also covers the area around Strathdon.

• Balmoral Castle, Balmoral Estates, Ballater AB35 5T (off A93 midway between Ballater and Braemar. April-July daily 10:00-17:00, occasional guided tours in winter.. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, bought this land and built a grandiloquent pile of a castle, the prototype of the "Scottish Baronial" style, all mock-turrets and stags heads looming over the stairways. Completed in 1856, it remains the Royal Family's summer holiday home. You can only visit one room within the castle, the ballroom, plus an exhibition in the stables, and the gardens. The queen is usually resident in Aug & Sept, so there is no access then. See website for dates of guided tours in winter. Adult £11.50.
• See Banchory for Crathes Castle & other nearby attractions.
• Glenbuchat Castle, Strathdon AB36 8TN, +44 7713 627190. Ruins of a Z-plan historic castle built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnborrow to mark his wedding. The castle is fenced off limits for exploring, but it is still worth a visit.
• Corgarff Castle, AB36 8YP. Apr to Sept: Daily, 9.30am to 5.00pm. Mid 16th century tower house castle with reconstructed 1750 redcoat barracks. £6.
• Doune of Invernochty. 12th-century castle of which only earthworks survive.
• Kildrummy Castle. daily Apr-Sept 09:30-17:30. is an extensive 13th C ruin, perched over a ravine and with gardens. adult £6.

Balmoral Castle, Balmoral Estates, Ballater AB35 5T (off A93 midway between Ballater and Braemar. April-July daily 10:00-17:00, occasional guided tours in winter.. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, bought this land and built a grandiloquent pile of a castle, the prototype of the "Scottish Baronial" style, all mock-turrets and stags heads looming over the stairways. Completed in 1856, it remains the Royal Family's summer holiday home. You can only visit one room within the castle, the ballroom, plus an exhibition in the stables, and the gardens. The queen is usually resident in Aug & Sept, so there is no access then. See website for dates of guided tours in winter. Adult £11.50.

See [[Banchory]] for Crathes Castle & other nearby attractions.

Glenbuchat Castle, Strathdon AB36 8TN, +44 7713 627190. Ruins of a Z-plan historic castle built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnborrow to mark his wedding. The castle is fenced off limits for exploring, but it is still worth a visit.

Corgarff Castle, AB36 8YP. Apr to Sept: Daily, 9.30am to 5.00pm. Mid 16th century tower house castle with reconstructed 1750 redcoat barracks. £6.

Doune of Invernochty. 12th-century castle of which only earthworks survive.

Kildrummy Castle. daily Apr-Sept 09:30-17:30. is an extensive 13th C ruin, perched over a ravine and with gardens. adult £6.

• Ski at Lecht 2090, Strathdon AB36 8YP (on A939 between Ballater / Strathdon and Tomintoul, +44 1975 651440. "2090" means in feet, it's only 645 metres altitude at base, with the hills above rising to 775 m. So do the maths, it's a beginners' and family-oriented resort. 12 lifts including a "magic carpet" for wobbly novices. Half a dozen short runs on the shady side west of the road, one even shorter run on the sunny east slope. Mountain bike trails here in summer.
• You can also ski at Glenshee, see Aberdeenshire.
• Climb mountains: the signature ascent is Lochnagar., a Munro of 1155 m (3789 ft)
• Ballater Highland Games are held in August at Monaltrie Park. The next event is on Thurs 13 Aug 2020.
• Lonach Highland Games, Hawthorn, Strathdon AB36 8UL (7 miles north of Ballater, +44 1975 651302. Founded in 1823, these are held on the fourth Saturday of August, with the next on 22 Aug 2020. Events include parades, tossing the caber and hammer, tug-of-war, piping and Highland dancing. Adult £10.

Ski at Lecht 2090, Strathdon AB36 8YP (on A939 between Ballater / Strathdon and Tomintoul, +44 1975 651440. "2090" means in feet, it's only 645 metres altitude at base, with the hills above rising to 775 m. So do the maths, it's a beginners' and family-oriented resort. 12 lifts including a "magic carpet" for wobbly novices. Half a dozen short runs on the shady side west of the road, one even shorter run on the sunny east slope. Mountain bike trails here in summer.

You can also ski at Glenshee, see [[Aberdeenshire]].

Climb mountains: the signature ascent is Lochnagar., a Munro of 1155 m (3789 ft)

Ballater Highland Games are held in August at Monaltrie Park. The next event is on Thurs 13 Aug 2020.

Lonach Highland Games, Hawthorn, Strathdon AB36 8UL (7 miles north of Ballater, +44 1975 651302. Founded in 1823, these are held on the fourth Saturday of August, with the next on 22 Aug 2020. Events include parades, tossing the caber and hammer, tug-of-war, piping and Highland dancing. Adult £10.

• The Farmer’s Market is held on the 4th Saturday of the month 10:00-14:00 at Church Green, Ballater.
• Ballater has a reasonable selection of shops including a Wilkies clothes shop, a Co-op supermarket and a bookshop.
• Bike Station, Ballater. Bicycle sales and hire
• Bellabeg Spar, Bellabeg, AB36 8UL. Grocers

Bike Station, Ballater. Bicycle sales and hire

Bellabeg Spar, Bellabeg, AB36 8UL. Grocers

• Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Crathie AB35 5TB (by Balmoral. M-Sat from 10:00, Suns from 12:00, to 16:00 Nov-Mar and 17:00 or later April-Oct. Royal Lochnagar single malt whisky is distilled here. Standard tour £9.
• Balmoral Bar, 1 Netherley Place. Serves food.

Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Crathie AB35 5TB (by Balmoral. M-Sat from 10:00, Suns from 12:00, to 16:00 Nov-Mar and 17:00 or later April-Oct. Royal Lochnagar single malt whisky is distilled here. Standard tour £9.

Balmoral Bar, 1 Netherley Place. Serves food.

Places along the main street include Rocksalt & Snails, Clachan Grill, Shorty’s, India on the Green, and Lochnagar (Indian).

• Aberdeen east and Glenshee west are the obvious routes
• The scenic A939 winds north over the hills to Tomintoul then down into the Spey Valley at Grantown.