Ballater
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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.
Get in
Getting here by public transport means first reaching Aberdeen, which has UK and European flights, trains from England, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow, and long distance coaches.
Stagecoach North Scotland Bus 201 runs from Aberdeen Union Square via Crathes Castle and Banchory to Ballater (2 hours) and continues via Crathie (for Balmoral) to Braemar. It runs hourly M-Sat and every two hours on Sunday.
Stagecoach Bus 218 runs from Aberdeen, five buses M-F as far as Alford, 80 mins. Schooldays only, a single Bus 219 continues from Alford to Strathdon, another hour.
By car, the quickest approach is along A93 west from Aberdeen. A slower scenic route is to follow A93 north from Perth up Glenshee to Braemar then east.
Get around
Attractions are scattered, you need a car or at least a bike.
See
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address: Balmoral Estates, Ballater AB35 5TPrince 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.
- See Banchory for Crathes Castle & other nearby attractions.
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Glenbuchat Castle
phone: +44 7713 627190address: Strathdon AB36 8TNRuins 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. -
address: AB36 8YPMid 16th century tower house castle with reconstructed 1750 redcoat barracks.
Doune of Invernochty12th-century castle of which only earthworks survive.
Kildrummy Castleis an extensive 13th C ruin, perched over a ravine and with gardens.
Do
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Ski at
phone: +44 1975 651440address: Strathdon AB36 8YP"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 , 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.
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phone: +44 1975 651302address: Hawthorn, Strathdon AB36 8ULFounded 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.
Buy
- 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.
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address: BallaterBicycle sales and hire
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address: Bellabeg, AB36 8ULGrocers
Drink
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Royal Lochnagar Distillery
address: Crathie AB35 5TBRoyal Lochnagar single malt whisky is distilled here. -
address: 1 Netherley PlaceServes food.
Eat
Places along the main street include Rocksalt & Snails, Clachan Grill, Shorty’s, India on the Green, and Lochnagar (Indian).
Sleep
- There’s a caravan & camping site on Anderson Rd towards south edge of town, open April-Oct.
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address: Bridge Squareis central, open all year.
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phone: +44 1339 755413address: 13-15 Victoria Rd, AB35 5RA56 room hotel.
- B&Bs include Gordon Guest House at Station Square, Fairdene on School Lane, and Auld Kirk B&B on Braemar Rd.
- Further out:
address: Kildrummy Alford AB33 8QS4 room hotel with campsite. Two course dinner £28 Wed - Mon.
Go next
- 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.