While They Golf · Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire

Ballater for the non-golfer.

Ballater exists because the Royal Family needed a railway station. Victoria's physician recommended the healing waters of Pannanich Wells in 1848; the Queen came; the railway followed in 1866, extended specifically to carry the Royal household to Balmoral; and the village grew around it. The line closed in 1966 — the old station building, which the Queen is said to have regarded with particular affection, burned down in 2015 and was devastated by floods in January 2016 before being comprehensively rebuilt and reopened as a visitor centre and café. The ironwork at the entrance still reads 'Ballater Station'. Balmoral is seven miles west. Crathie Kirk — where the Royal Family worships and tourists stand outside on Sunday mornings — is on the road between them. The Cairngorms National Park begins where the Deeside valley narrows; the forested hills above the village are inside the park boundary. Lochnagar is the mountain directly south, the one Victoria described in her journals and which gave its name to one of Royal Deeside's better whiskies. The village rebuilt after the 2016 floods is smart, self-sufficient, and not cheap. The golf course wraps around the east side of the village. The non-golfing companion gets a day that is scenic, historically layered, and — on the right day, with the right car — genuinely excellent.

Practical note

Ballater is 42 miles west of Aberdeen on the A93. No train station — the nearest is Aberdeen, from which a Stagecoach Bluebird bus (the 201) runs to Ballater in around 1 hour 30 minutes. Most visitors arrive by car. The A939 north over the Lecht to Tomintoul is the scenic alternative route; the Lecht pass is often closed in winter. Most attractions in the area are seasonal: Balmoral estate opens August to July, Craigievar Castle exterior visits are available year-round, Corgarff Castle is managed by Historic Environment Scotland with seasonal opening.

The Picks

8 things to do within thirty minutes.

Balmoral Castle & Estate

7 miles west on the A93 · open August to mid-July · grounds and ballroom tours

The estate is used by the Royal Family in August and September; for the rest of the year the grounds, the walled garden, the ballroom exhibition, and a number of estate walks are open to the public. The castle itself is visible but not fully open — the rooms in use are not on the tour. The carriage hall exhibition covers Victoria's reign and the estate's history. Allow 2–3 hours for the grounds; book in advance in summer.

Crathie Kirk

7 miles west on the A93 · the Royal Family's Deeside church · free, outside service times

The small parish church used by the Royal Family when in residence at Balmoral. The current building dates to 1895, funded largely by Queen Victoria after the original became structurally unsound. Monuments inside include a memorial to Prince Albert and a collection of royal gifts. The churchyard has graves of Balmoral estate staff; the adjacent riverside walk is pleasant. Free entry outside service times; a short detour on the way to or from Balmoral.

Craigievar Castle

14 miles northeast via Torphins and the B9119 · National Trust for Scotland · exterior visits year-round

Seven storeys of pink harled masonry rising from the Aberdeenshire farmland with nothing supporting it from the outside — no buttressing, no wings, no later additions — making it the best example of the Scottish tower house at its most extreme. The approach road through the birch woodland is the reveal: the castle appears suddenly, complete, exactly as it has stood since 1626. Interior access is limited due to conservation work; the exterior is the reason to visit and it is sufficient.

Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve

5 miles east on the A97 · NatureScot · ancient birch woodland, lochs, year-round access · free

One of the best examples of post-glacial landscape in Scotland: ancient birch woodland, open heathland, two lochs (Loch Kinord and Loch Davan), and a wide range of bird and insect life. Good for autumn colour from mid-September to late October. The Burn O'Vat — a large glacially carved granite pothole — is the most dramatic single feature; the circular loch walk is 4 miles.

Corgarff Castle

14 miles west on the A939 · Historic Environment Scotland · remote Jacobite-era garrison

An isolated 16th-century tower house converted into a government garrison during the Jacobite period — the star-shaped defensive curtain wall was added by the military after the 1745 rising. The setting on the edge of the Cairngorm plateau, the heather moorland stretching in every direction, makes Corgarff feel genuinely remote in a way that the more-visited Deeside castles do not. Open Easter to September; allow 90 minutes including the drive.

Ballater Old Station visitor centre

Village centre · rebuilt after 2016 floods · café, heritage exhibition, Royal Deeside Railway display

The Victorian station building was destroyed in the January 2016 floods and rebuilt using the original plans. The visitor centre includes a heritage exhibition on the Royal Deeside Railway and the village's Victorian tourism history, and a café with local produce. The ironwork and the waiting room have been restored to the 1866 standard. A pleasant 45-minute stop that also serves as the orientation point for the village.

Glen Muick & Spittal of Glenmuick

10 miles south via B976 and the Balmoral estate road · car park at Spittal of Glenmuick

The glen road south from Ballater ends at the Spittal of Glenmuick, the starting point for the ascent of Lochnagar — the mountain Victoria described in her journals and that gave its name to the local whisky. A non-mountaineering version of the glen visit (the loch is a 3-mile return walk from the car park, the gorge walk is shorter) is achievable in a half-day. The glen road runs through Balmoral estate and is subject to seasonal access restrictions.

Braemar village

13 miles west on the A93 · Braemar Castle, Braemar Gathering (September), year-round walks

The village at the head of Deeside, with Braemar Castle (a 17th-century garrison-era tower house managed by the local community) and the Braemar Mountain Sports shop, which has been selling hill-walking equipment to the area since 1929. The Braemar Gathering — the most famous Highland Games in Scotland, attended by the Royal Family every September since Victoria's time — requires planning and a ticket. Outside Games weekend the village is a good base for Cairngorms walks and a pleasant hour.

For the golfer

Courses Ballater is the natural base for.

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