Braemar

Mark and Jim at Balmoral Castle, just 15 minutes away from Braemar

Here we are in the Scottish Highlands and we are loving it! Our first stop is a town called Braemar, deep in Cairngorms National Park, the biggest national park in the UK. The natural beauty captivated Queen Victoria and Prince Albert back in the mid-19th century and so they bought what is today Balmoral Castle just a few miles from here. In the best McMansion tradition they tore down the small, old castle and spent three years building Balmoral. I don’t know how all the royals after her felt about it but this was certainly one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite spots as well. And I have to say, based on our little stop here you can trust their judgment.

There’s a lot to see here but not necessarily a lot to say. That is, it’s a stunningly beautiful place and so we spent large parts of every day hiking in and around the mountains. The weather cooperated beautifully – sunny with scattered clouds and temperatures from the high-50s into the 60s – so we had ideal hiking conditions. And that’s pretty much it, so I think pictures are going to tell most of the story.

On our first afternoon in Braemar Mark did a couple-mile hike out of town on the River Dee. He never saw a soul and fell in love with both the landscape and the cool misty weather.

Besides a lot of hiking we did a morning trip up to Balmoral, where you can buy tickets to tour the grounds. We didn’t really know what to expect but figured “How bad can it be?”

We are so glad we did it! They have started to allow tours inside the building but tickets are seriously limited and we didn’t try it far enough in advance. Maybe that would have been great but just walking the grounds, soaking up the atmosphere of the castle, and gaping at all the flowers was pretty fantastic. Definitely worth doing the next time you’re in the area.

It’s worth saying a word or two about our hotel here, The Fife Arms. It is simply one of the most beautiful hotels we’ve ever stayed in. It’s history goes back to the mid-19th century, opening as a classy hotel just after Balmoral was finished. And for much of the last half of the 19th century and up to World War I it was very much a place to see and be seen. It bounced back a bit during the inter-war period but by the 1960s it was pretty run down.

The Fife Arms Hotel

Finally just a few years ago a British couple that owns a fancy art gallery bought it and spent a few years restoring the hotel in a magnificent way. The minute you step in the art and the furnishings and the colors just grab you. Fantastic and varied public spaces practically beg you to sit for a spell. All that and a great restaurant, too. Rarely does a hotel deserve so much praise but this one is truly worthy.

The reception area of The Fife Arms. That’s a Steinway Spirio, the kind like ours that plays itself. So evenings if you passed through or took a break here you had live classical music.

A very cosy lounge

Mark on the staircase going up to our room

Here I am at breakfast

Deer hunting is a big thing up here, so this bad boy was keeping watch in the restaurant. And yes, venison was on the menu.

Jim relaxing on the lawn. We were there not long after it opened and so there were few people initially, though eventually the crowds started arriving.

Balmoral flower gardens

More flowers

There was a common thread of purple and blue colors all around the grounds. Made me pretty happy!

A gate to some of the gardens. Originally developed by Queen Mary in 1923, the initials at the top of for King George V and Queen Mary. A hundred years later King Charles oversaw a significant rebuilding, so his initials along with Queen Camilla are below.

Balmoral is built near the River Dee, so part of our walk about included walking along the river

Mark at Duck Pond on a hike we started together

At this point the trail is still pretty easy

A little further along the trail

While Mark headed around on a relatively level loop I headed up, up, up on the big mountain overlooking Braemar

Working my way up, you can see Braemar way below. The trail continued up for a long way but eventually the town was out of sight.

And here I am a very happy guy at the top

The view from the top of the world

At higher elevations the hillside (mountainside?) was covered with these bushes and their red/pin/violet flowers. From way below it all looks brown but up here it’s alive.

The bridge is the start of the Queen’s Drive trail, named because it was one of Queen Victoria’s favorite drives in the area. And the bench was pretty striking.