Scotland 2025: Banchory, Ballator, Braemar

Following our stay in Stonehaven, we were finally ready to head inland towards the Scottish Highlands. When we first planned our Scotland trip, the timing revolved around attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which runs annually on the first three weeks in August. As we wanted to miss the hottest and busiest times, we chose to arrive in Edinburgh for the last five days of the festival. This became the lynchpin that determined the schedule for the rest of the trip, so we would not get to the Scottish Highlands until September.  Unfortunately, that meant many of the things we wanted to do or places we wanted to visit were closed including Balmoral Castle since public access to it ended at the end of August.  Instead, we chose to visit Ballater and Braemar in the Highlands.

Our initial itinerary for the Scottish Highlands involved arriving in Ballater on Saturday and touring Braemar Castle on the Sunday. But when I tried to book accommodations, I found there was nothing available anywhere in the vicinity for that Saturday night. We did not find out until later that this was the date for the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering, an event that draws over 16,000 visitors to the area with hotels booking up far in advance. Out of necessity, we decided to stay an extra day in Stonehaven and shift our two days in the Highlands to Sunday and Monday. I was so happy to get any accommodations at all, that I did not realize the implications of this shift until it was too late.  But more on that later.

As part of our route inland, we wanted to stop at the Royal Deeside Railway to take a train ride on a restored heritage train that once ran between Balmoral and Aberdeen. These hopes were dashed since it also closed at the end of August. We then tried to watch salmon jump at the Bridge of Feugh in Banchory which is known for this and even features carvings of salmon. But once again, we were out of season.

The one planned site that we did manage to successfully visit was the Banchory Ternan Kirkyard. The original Ternan Church and cemetery was established around the 6th to 7th centuries and named after St.Ternan, Bishop of the Picts. The church went through multiple rebuilds and in 1824, it was dismantled and moved across the street, but the churchyard remained in its original location. The oldest structure in the cemetery is the Tilquihillie Vault, built in 1775 with the inscribed initials J.D. and M.A. representing John Douglas, 23rd Laird of Tilquihillie and his wife Mary Arbuthnott. But the main structure of interest was the circular watchtower, built circa 1829 when guards protected recently buried bodies against grave robbers. This tower had windows all around from the upper level and a bell to sound the alarm. What is interesting is that the door to enter the tower is also at the second level. The guard would climb up using a ladder and then pull the ladder into the tower so that he could not be easily accessed.

Sitting at 700 feet in elevation, Ballator is a pretty Victorian village in the Highlands running along the River Dee which is known for its proximity to Balmoral Castle. We stayed two nights at the family-run Alexandra Hotel on Bridge Street in central Ballater, which made it easy to explore the village. We were also a short drive away from neighbouring Braemar, as well as some hiking trails along the river. The hotel provided us with hearty full Scottish breakfasts each morning to start our day.

Following along Bridge Street into the heart of the village, we passed by the Glenmuick Church which is a parish church dating back to the early 1800s with a Gillett & Brand clock added in 1879 that had an electrified mechanism added in 1982. In front is a prominent war memorial honouring fallen soldiers from WWI and WWII. Across the street is the Farquharson Memorial Drinking Fountain, a Victorian granite structure from 1884 that was presented by Provost Hugh Rose to the residents of Ballater.  Lining both sides of Bridge St. are quaint shops in stone buildings selling souvenirs, crafts, and more.

At the far end of Bridge Street is Station Square where the Old Royal Station is found. This was the former railway station that was the last stop of the Deeside line that ran from Aberdeen to Ballater. The timber station was built in Victorian railway architecture fashion with a herringbone slate roof, a decorative porte-cochère (covered porch entrance), and matching ornamental trim on the flanking gables. Opened in 1866, it gained its royal nickname for being the closest rail access to Balmoral Castle, used regularly by Queen Victoria and other European royalty between the 19th and early 20th centuries. The line closed in 1966 although the station and platform remained in place. Following a fire in 2015, the station was restored and reopened in 2018. Today it is home to a visitors’ centre, library, café spaces and exhibition areas.

The Rothesay Rooms is a beautiful café/restaurant within the Old Royal Station, offering locally sourced Scottish meals for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and Sunday roasts. The eatery is named for the Duke of Rothesay, the title held by the heir apparent to the British throne. At the time of its opening, the restaurant was named in honour of Prince Charles (now King Charles). The restored interior is made to resemble a Victorian railway station with its wood-paneled walls, stained glass windows, booths with red banquet benches, and tables next to windows that look like they belong to a vintage train. The roped off room was the Royal waiting room where Queen Victoria and her heirs would wait for their train. If we didn’t already have dinner reservations that evening, we would have loved to dine in this cool space.

Although we knew that Balmoral Castle was not open for touring after the end of August, we were hoping that we could drive up to the parking lot and perhaps get a glimpse of the castle for a photo from afar. We decided to take the 15-minute drive to Balmoral to see if this was possible. But just as we got to the edge of Ballater, we were distracted by a sign for “McEwan Gallery” and decided to check it out.

The family-run fine art gallery specializes in Scottish and European paintings from 17th century up to current day, as well as prints, sculptures and ceramics. Currently run by Rhod McEwan, who used to work at Christies as an art evaluator, the gallery is located inside of a large 2-storey Tudor-styled house. The downstairs rooms were packed throughout with art hanging from walls and sitting on top of tables, desks, credenzas, and fireplace mantles. A few more works were hanging on the wall of the second-floor landing, which probably led to the family’s living quarters. There was so much to look at and we had so much fun talking to the owner that we ended up spending over a half hour at this unexpected stop. During our chat, we found out that there was no point to continue to Balmoral since there was no way to get close enough to see the castle.

As we were about to leave, I caught sight of a room that we almost missed. Here, we found beautiful ceramics and pottery items for sale including bowls, cups, mugs, and vases. We were quite taken with the vases by British ceramist Anita Harris from Stoke-on-Trent, who once designed for Moorcroft. Her works feature vibrant hand-painted images using gleaming glazes with “flame-like or crystalline effects”, blending Art Nouveau-styled lines with modern colour palettes. We chose a vase that is part of Harris’ “Bluebell Wood” series with woodland and floral imagery painted on all sides.  After some debate as to whether or not it would survive the trip home in our carry-on bags, we decided to buy it as a souvenir of our trip. 

The Fish Shop is a popular seafood restaurant and adjoining fish shop that specializes in sustainable and locally sourced fish and shellfish. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand, which highlights good value, high quality cooking. The restaurant is decorated with maritime themes including a sculptural installation of a swarm of fish on the ceiling and walls painted with crashing waves. We each ordered the Chef’s menu to try many different types of seafood. This set menu consisted of a crab crumpet, smoked haddock fritter with aioli, smoked cod roe on a potato tattie served with parsley salad, Oban scallop on a shell with garlic and chervil, lobster tagliarini with chili and garlic, and roasted halibut with aubergine and roasted tomato. The dessert was a chocolate and bramble brownie with dark chocolate ice cream.

Braemar Castle was built in 1628 as a L-plan tower house with castellated turrets, a star-shaped defensive wall, and a bottle-necked dungeon. It was used as a hunting lodge by John Erskine, Earl of Mar before he forfeited it to the Crown after the failed 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. It was purchased by the Farquarson family in the 18th century and is still associated with this clan today. The interior still contains furnishings and historical objects owned by the family.

After our plans shifted due to issues booking accommodations, we did not end up in Braemar until Monday. Unfortunately, Braemar Castle was closed on Mondays so we could not tour the inside! Luckily, unlike Balmoral Castle, which is totally blocked off when closed, we were still able to walk around the grounds of Braemar Castle and take photos of the exterior for free. Given the number of castles and palaces that we had already visited and would still visit on this trip, this was not so bad.

Braemar Castle is centred on a small hillside immediately above the village of Braemar. Its grounds consist of a short woodland trail running through native trees and shrubs that is open to the public. The path leading up to the castle consists of stones etched with a timeline, highlighting key dates in the castle’s history. A children’s play-area “maze” consisting of nested circles cut into the grass and a giant chess set placed on the lawn in front of the castle are accessible during summer months and school holidays for the enjoyment of families and school children.

Positioned on the upper edge of the castle grounds is the Fog House, a small timber garden folly with a thatched roof that was built in the 19th century as a viewpoint and resting place enroute to the castle. Inside is a bank of benches and a small table, making it the perfect rest stop for sheltering from the sun and heat. A 1930s heritage kitchen garden is planted with seasonal fruit and vegetables and is often used for educational and community activities.  A bright pink bird-like kite flaps in the air, probably acting as a scarecrow but also providing a pretty spot of colour against the backdrop of the castle. At the entrance to the castle grounds is a stone marker etched with the figure and name of “Colonel Anne”, referring to Lady Anne Farquharson-Mackintosh who had an active role in the Jacobite uprising along with her husband Captain Angus Mackintosh.

The village of Braemar is fun to walk around because there is a Historic walking trail that brings you to each site of interest.  Dating back to 1645, the Invercauld Arms Hotel started as a roadside inn that served as a key stopping point for horse-drawn stagecoaches and travelers to rest their horses and get food, drink and lodging. The Great North of Scotland Railway station was constructed in 1904 in anticipation of the expansion of the Deeside line but the railway never came to Braemar. Instead, the building was repurposed as a bus depot. An ornate fountain was erected by Lt.Col James Ross Farquharson, the 13th Laird of Invercauld in memory of his young wife Elizabeth who died in childbirth. A quaint wishing well topped by a weathervane is found on the Clunie Water bridge overlooking the River Dee. It is not one of the sites on the historic trail but it feels like it should be.  St.Margaret’s Episcopal Church was built in 1880 and serviced English visitors who came to visit after Queen Victoria adopted Balmoral as her Highland home.

There are several war memorials in the heart of Braemar starting with a large stone with a plaque marks the site close to where the Jacobite standard was raised at the start of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion led by the 6th Earl of Mar. The Braemar War Memorial topped by a granite Celtic Cross was unveiled in 1921 by Princess Louise in memorial of local residents who died in the two World Wars. Next to it is a memorial consisting of a black aircraft engine unveiled in 2003 by Princess Anne as a tribute to the crew of a Wellington bomber plane that crashed in Upper Glen Clunie in 1942. Nearby is the Braemar RAF Benevolent fund memorial made of a MK22 bomb casing that is used as a collection box, with a plaque dedicated to those who lost their lives in flying operations. A pretty bench decorated with hearts and doves advocates for peace and love in midst all the reminders of war.

Continuing with the historic trail, we saw a weather observatory that was donated by Prince Albert in 1855, making it one of the oldest in Scotland. Something interesting occurred when we walked by the house where Robert Louis Stevenson spent a summer and wrote Treasure Island. Sounds of a bagpipe playing emanated from the house and when we looked up into the upstairs window, we saw the bagpiper in full regalia practicing. Castleton Cottage is over 300 years old, making it one of the oldest buildings in Braemar. After touring all of these historic sites, it was refreshing and amusing to come across Subdoh Gupta’s 20-foot-tall stainless-steel sculpture titled “When Soak Becomes Spill”, initially created for a festival at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2015. It consists of a gigantic bucket filled with pots and pans, meant to “evoke childhood memory, consumerism and waste of natural resources”. But from far away, it looked to me like a huge tub of popcorn.

There are many interesting shops in Braemar including antique and souvenir stores.  The stereotypical Haggis and Highland Cow motifs were prominent, as well as items covered with tartan patterns from tablecloths to chocolate bars. I liked the book titled “Slugs - Friend or Foe” although I didn’t open it to find out the answer.  One kitchen store had a set of pate knives and forks with the images of Harry Potter characters etched on the handles.

We especially liked the shops in Braemar Mews, a small sectioned off area built in 1873 that once served as the stables for the Fife Arms Hotel across the street. The area was divided into retail units in the 1990 and now serves a small heritage shopping area. The Mews are decorated with stacked flower planters that form the shape of a Christmas tree, and a wooden bench with intricately carved animals on either side including a couple of owls, a squirrel and a porcupine. In particular, we found many items of interest at the Braes O’Mar including the cutest sheep sweaters that I would have bought if they weren’t made with pure wool which I find scratchy. Instead, Rich found a new raincoat and I picked up a little dress with pockets.

Fife Arms Hotel and Restaurant dates back to 1856 when it opened as a hotel to meet the surge of tourism that arose from Queen Victoria’s visits to nearby Balmoral. It was a popular place to stay for royalty and influential families, earning the status “By Special Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen”.  During WWI, it was used as a site to nurse wounded soldiers. The establishment fell into disrepair in the late 20th century before being purchased in 2014 by art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth, who restored it to its Victorian/Edwardian glory and filled it with over 16,000 works of art ranging from Scottish heritage to modern and contemporary pieces. The Wirths also commissioned various large installations found throughout the hotel. Today, Fife Arms is a 5-star luxury hotel with a grand lounge, spa, Clunie restaurant, Flying Stag pub, and several bars including an Art Deco cocktail bar named Elsa’s.

The grand lobby of the Fife Arms is a breathtaking mix of lavish Victorian-style and Highland lodge vibes, featuring both dark wood paneling and tartan wallpaper. The room is decorated with several impressive and eclectic art pieces. Hanging above the grand staircase by the concierge desk is “Red Deer Chandelier” made from stainless steel, hand-blown glass, plastic, neon and electrical devices to form multi-coloured shapes resembling deer antlers. A monumental 19th century mahogany and pine fireplace is surrounded by an ornate chimneypiece or framework with intricate carvings depicting scenes from the works of poet Robert Burns including statutes from “Ode to a Toothache”, “Jolly Beggars”, “Dr. Hornbook” and more. Flanking both sides of the fireplace opening are carvings of Burns and his lover Highland Mary. In collaboration with piano maker Steinway & Sons, artist Mark Bradford decorated a 2015 Steinway Spiro player piano programmed to play composer Robert Glasper’s score “Still Shining”.  The piano was covered with burned and bleached squares of paper to give it a flaming appearance. An original Picasso painting titled Tête de Femme (1938) sits over one of the couches. It is a portrait of Picasso’s French model lover Marie-Thérèse Walter. This is a rare portrait that features one of Picasso’s own poems within the composition. It is just one of multiple Picassos within the hotel’s vast collection. In addition to the Picassos, the collection includes works from other famous artists including Man Ray, Lucian Freud, Louise Bourgeois and more.

The Flying Stag pub offers a menu of hearty Scottish dishes including curries, fish and chips, burgers, pies, and dishes based on lamb, chicken, or haggis.  A wide variety of drinks are offered including local beers, Scottish whiskeys and other spirits. The eponymous “Flying Stag” is a large stuffed male deer with gigantic antlers adorned with wings resembling those of a ptarmigan, a bird that lives at the highest peaks of the nearby Cairngorm Mountains. Suspended above the bar and flanked by many other mounted antlers, the sculpture was created by American artist and naturalist James Prosek. On another wall are more antlers as well as photographs, portraits, and paintings including one titled “The Cardsharps”, based on a painting by Caravaggio, thought to have been painted by one of his followers.

We chose to have lunch at the more casual Flying Stag pub as opposed to the fancier Clunie restaurant. We started with the smoked mackerel pate topped with burnt apple slices and olives served with sourdough bread. For my main course, I chose the Barnsley lamb chop with spring vegetables, confit garlic & anchovy butter.  Rich ordered the steak sandwich with beer braised onion, chimichurri, mustard mayo and fries. As a side, we shared some honey glazed carrots. We decided not to have dessert in the pub because we hoped to get into the beautiful drawing room for afternoon tea instead. After our meal, we walked towards the back of the pub and were admiring a display case with some taxidermy stuffed birds.  A waiter noticed us and pointed towards a back door and told us to go through there for a surprise.

What we found was a back stairwell with an entire wall and ceiling covered with mounted animal heads, antlers and skulls. The ceiling in particular had horned skulls arranged in a circular pattern that resembled a sunburst around a central chandelier.  A plush red Victorian couch was positioned beneath the wall of heads, providing a strange juxtaposition between the gentile and the macabre.  Off to one side underneath the staircase were display cabinets with more stuffed birds. When thinking back about this space, we referred to it as the “Wall of Death”.

The stunning Drawing Room is known for its amazing, psychedelic ceiling created by Chinese artist Zhang Enli. Titled “Ancient Quartz”, Zhang was inspired by the cross sections of Scottish agates (banded crystalline quartz) and crystals found in the Cairngorm Mountains. On one of the tartan wallpapered walls of the Drawing Room was yet another original Picasso, this one named “Nude and Man with a Pipe” (1967) which is one of Picasso’s later works. The female figure is modelled after Jacqueline Roque, the artist’s second wife and muse for the last two decades of his life. The male figure, depicted as a musketeer, is likely a stand-in for the artist himself.

Because we already had lunch in the Flying Stag, we wanted the least amount of food possible just so that we could sit in this gorgeous room. Finding a cozy table by the window, we ordered two scones and a pot of tea and spent most of our time admiring our surroundings. The Drawing Room has yet another fireplace which is striking with the brown wood against the green and black tartan wallpaper. The chimney piece (more modest compared to the one in the lobby) depicts a heraldic shield under a crown, flanked by two classical male nudes with the mottos “Deo Juvante” (With God’s Help) at the top and “Virtute et Opera” (By virtue and effort) at the bottom.  The décor in the Fife Arms is so beautiful that even the bathrooms are lavish with wood paneling and floral wallpaper.

After our two official meals in the Flying Stag and the Drawing Room, we wandered around the hotel and peeked into some of the other spaces. The Clunie Dining Room featured another giant stag (this time without wings). Its walls were covered with a specially commissioned mural by Argentinian artist Guillermo Kuitca who painted in a distinctive “cubist-like” style with forms and colours inspired by the ebb and flow of the River Clunie.  Bertie’s Whisky Bar is an elegant whisky library named in honour of King Edward VII (aka Bertie). It features over 500 whiskies arranged on bookshelves by flavour profiles. Unfortunately, we missed the Art Deco Elsa's Cocktail Bar named after and inspired by the style of Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.  Wandering around the hallways, we found more contemporary art including one of Martin Creed’s photographic series depicting a tiny chihuahua with a giant Irish Wolfhound.

It was so much fun to explore the Fife Arms. What a great (but extremely pricey) experience it would have been to have stayed overnight, especially in one of the themed rooms.  Maybe one day.