Royal Deeside: Balmoral Castle, a granite baronial house with towers, behind formal lawns

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Royal Deeside

Castles, Balmoral and the Cairngorms villages of the Dee valley

Bienvenido a la zona

Castles, Balmoral and the Cairngorms villages of the Dee valley

Royal Deeside is the valley of the River Dee between Banchory and Braemar. The name dates from Queen Victoria, who visited in 1848 and with Prince Albert built Balmoral Castle, still the Royal Family's Highland home. The A93 runs up the valley from Aberdeen through Banchory, Aboyne, Dinnet, Ballater and Braemar.

Crathes and Drum castles lie in the lower valley near Banchory, with Castle Fraser and Craigievar in the hills to the north. Further west the valley climbs into the Cairngorms National Park: Ballater has its rebuilt Victorian station, Balmoral and Lochnagar lie beyond it, and Braemar, at 339 metres, hosts the Braemar Gathering each September.

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Empiece aquí

Si solo se dispone de unas horas, estos son buenos lugares por los que empezar.

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Cómo orientarse

En el mapa

The map shows Royal Deeside and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.

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Consejos de primera mano

Antes de viajar

1

Check castle seasons

Balmoral, Braemar Castle and the National Trust for Scotland castles keep seasonal opening days. Check each official site before planning a day.

2

Drive for the outlying castles

Craigievar and Castle Fraser are well north of the A93 and much easier to reach by car than by bus.

3

Plan hill walks carefully

Lochnagar and the hills around Braemar are mountain terrain. Check the mountain forecast and carry a map before setting out from Loch Muick or the Linn of Dee.

4

Book Braemar Gathering early

The Gathering is on the first Saturday of September; the organisers put tickets on sale in February.

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Créditos fotográficos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits