Visiting Balmoral Castle, Scotland

Situated on the River Dee within the picturesque Cairngorms National Park, the Balmoral Castle and Estate is a hidden gem that offers everything you could want in a Highland escape. Although the area is quite popular in summertime, it still is somewhat off the beaten track from mainstream tourism.

Owned by the British Royal Family, the castle and surrounds were purchased by Queen Victoria in 1852 and has been used as their beloved summer home ever since. The 50,000 acres that comprise the estate feature lochs, moors, mountains and forests, and houses some of the best of Scottish culture, including its charming castle, historical ties, and the nearby Royal Lochnagar whisky distillery.

The stunning Balmoral Castle in Summer.

Although it is used by the royals every year, there are a few months in the Spring and early Summer that the castle grounds are open to visitors. This year they’ve opened a month early in anticipation of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, which marks her 70th year of service, making her one of the longest serving monarchs in history.

We called the estate home for the better part of a few years, and although we’re slightly biased, visiting the castle grounds comes highly recommended if you find yourself within the area.

Are you a Crown Fan?

If you were turned on to Balmoral by the popular Netflix show The Crown, know that the castle displayed in the series is not the actual Balmoral Castle. Due to privacy rights and security restrictions, the one that is shown in the series is Ardverikie House in Kinloch Laggan, about two hours west of the estate near Spean Bridge.

When to Come

Keep in mind when you visit that since the castle remains a private residence, you won’t be allowed entry outside of the ballroom.

Balmoral Castle runs a visitors season for three months of the year, typically starting at the end of April and running till late July every year. As we mentioned above, this year they’ve extended their season from April 1 to August 2. This is the only time of year that the castle grounds are officially open in this capacity to visitors and tourists, although they do offer various tours, excursions and stays throughout the year.

In visitor’s season, the estate’s hours run from 10am until 5pm, and tickets are a flat day rate, so we recommend to come early to make the most of your day.

Note that the castle grounds only comprise a small section of the greater estate, so if you’re wanting to see more of Balmoral apart from the main castle, many people opt to bag the Lochnagar munro (see more on munro bagging here), take a dip in the stunning Loch Muick, hunt for Scotland’s not-so-secret pyramid, and/or join in a whisky tasting at Royal Lochnagar. All of these parts of the estate are best explored in Spring, Summer or Fall, with winter being a slow time within Deeside, most visitors opting to head further west to Glenshee or north to the Lecht to ski.

How to get here

Balmoral Castle itself is situated near the village of Crathie in Royal Deeside, 8 miles west of the township of Ballater, and 9 miles east to the village of Braemar. There is an appointed car park for visitors to the castle grounds located directly opposite Crathie’s Kirk. The parking charges are around £5 per vehicle, and note that this is the only place to park in the area that doesn’t intrude on someone’s property.

The best way to come is via car, although there are buses that run regularly into the area from Aberdeen. Local buses operate within the Deeside area, with a stop being right across the road from the castle car park in Crathie. This being said, be aware that if you are relying on public transport to get to Deeside, know that it can be relatively expensive within the area (when we lived here it cost £6 just to get from Braemar to Ballater one-way on the local bus). If you’re keen and able to, another option would be to stay within Ballater and rent bicycles from in town, cycling up to the estate via the South Deeside road.

 

• From Aberdeen, it is approximately a one hour drive west, following the signs for Braemar and the National Park

• From Inverness, it is just under two hours southeast, following signs for Grantown-on-Spey, which will then take you over the Old Military/Lecht road via Tomintoul to Ballater.

• If you’re coming from further south, it’s a 2- 2.5 hour drive north via Perth from both Edinburgh and Glasgow over the Glenshee Pass (which is the quickest). There is also the option to extend your drive and take the M9 via Dundee, which bypasses the highland roads, but will add an extra hour or so to your journey.
  

What it costs

The Balmoral gardens are impeccably maintained by gardeners who are employed year-round, and although they’re impressive in every season, early summer is the best time to see everything in full bloom.

For the 2022 season, a day ticket is £15 per person/ £6 for children (5-16), and this allows you access to the estate for the day and comes with an audio handset tour. There are also upgraded day tickets which include extras such as an afternoon tea experience at their on-site restaurant. See updated prices on their site here. You can purchase your tickets at Balmoral’s gate shop, located next to the castle grounds, or online, although this requires an extra booking fee.

Other than the entrance and parking fee, consider bringing a bit extra if you want to buy a souvenir from their gift shop, mail a postcard from their Visitors Information Centre, or head to the nearby local lunch spots in Crathie, The Highlanders Bakehouse or Tarmachan (both are fantastic and reasonably priced).

Where to Stay

The closest townships from the castle are Ballater and Braemar, and both offer quite a wide range of accommodation options, from youth hostels and caravan parks to bnbs and 5 star hotels. Although the estate is next to the village of Crathie, this small township is residential, and you won’t find any overnight accommodation here.

If you want to stay on the estate itself, you may be surprised to know that you can! The estate offers a range of self-catered holiday cottages, some of which stay open year-round and are typically booked for a minimum week-long stay.

Ballater is a great place to be based in Deeside as it’s the most well connected. It’s relative proximity to Loch Muick (pictured above) makes it a popular option in the summer season.

What to DO

There are quite a lot of things that you can do all over the castle grounds once you’re through the front gates.

Beside the castle you’ll be able to find a restaurant and cafe, a shop which offers everything from monogrammed tote bags to royal tea sets, exhibitions which are typically focused on royal history, the ballroom which features artwork and other displays, and in-season, Balmoral also offers day tours and guided excursions, like land rover tours across the estate. If you’re golfer, you’ll be interested to know that Balmoral is also home to a nine hole, eighteen tee course sprawled over the estate grounds, but know it’s slightly more expensive than some of the other rounds you may do in Scotland due to it’s location.

In our opinion, the main highlight is appreciating the castle and surrounding green spaces. The sprawling and gorgeous gardens give fantastic views over to the south facing side of the castle, and strolling along the walkway towards the River Dee, there are really lovely forested trails which display a few of the estate’s lesser known quirky details. You may find yourself wandering past the infamous graveyard of the royal dogs, spot Shetland ponies or Highland coos grazing the pastures, or even spot the first of the many cairns built all over the estate.

One of the many cairns on the estate to discover.

In her time at Balmoral, Queen Victoria commissioned the building of a cairn on the estate for each of her nine children, and one to commemorate the purchase of the castle.

To access the cairns, pick up a brochure when you head into the gates and follow the marked paths which are signposted in season. Our two favourites are Leopold, which gives you a view of the castle from above, and Purchase, which gives you an undisturbed view down the valley. If you’re coming in from another way, or doing the cairn trail out of season, walkhighlands is our go-to for planning any walks or hikes in and around Scotland and their guide will keep you right.

The aforementioned pyramid also makes it onto the cairn list, whose trail has received quite a lot of footfall as it’s grown in popularity. The pyramid was built for the late Prince Albert, Victoria’s husband, and can be accessed either from Easter Balmoral, which is east of the castle grounds near Royal Lochnagar, or can be linked by the interconnecting trails on the estate, you’ll know you’re on the right trail if you pass Beatrice’s cairn on the way up.

Apart from Victoria’s cairns, you may also spot a couple of other figures and stone markings dotted around, like the figure of John Brown, Queen Victoria’s trusted Ghillie and confidante.

Scotland’s pyramid is one of the most popular spots to see on the estate, and for good reason.

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If you’re visiting Royal Deeside or the Cairngorms, Balmoral Castle is certainly worth a visit. It’s definitely on the list of must-sees if you’re a royalist, and even if you aren’t, the castle grounds and estate at large offer everything associated with a true highland experience.

Happy Travels,
Sam + Steve

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