Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Ballater Hostel • Aug 08, 2019. Each walk features an easy-to-follow route description, fascinating background & historical detail, and recommendations for points of interest & highlights. Then take the next right (waymarker post) and follow the road past some of Ballater's fine old stone houses. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Braemar and Ballater walks (Walk Highlands website) Ballater Walking Festival (May) VIDEOS, BOOKS & MAPS. The route described includes an optional detour to the ruins of a sixteenth century tower house. Looking south, all of Ballater spread out almost 1,000 feet below us. Return to the road and then head back along to where you reached it earlier, this time continuing ahead towards Ballater. www.ballaterhighlandgames.com. At the next juncton turn left to head down to the road, then cross the final bridge of the walk to return into Ballater. For more information or to make a booking, please call Sporting Lets on 01738 451600 or email enquiries@sportinglets.co.uk Cyclehighlands has been at the centre of this new era since the beginning. Continue ahead as the road becomes a footpath; when it reaches a cross-roads with another lane, go straight across. For the castle, follow the road for four hundred metres to where it bends left. Length 2.2 mi Elevation gain 708 ft Route type Out & Back Hiking Walking Running Views Wildlife Golf. The wind gusted and shrieked, drying sweat and cooling us down. Ballater Highland Games prides itself in having something for everyone, young and old alike. Check out their Loch Muick circuit page. Amongst them is Loch Muick, stern and majestic, whilst Loch Kinord is more intimate, fringed by the beautiful birchwoods of the Muir of Dinnet. The small town itself ranks amongst the most attractive in the Highlands, packed into a grid pattern and centred on a large green - a popular tourist destination even before Queen Victoria ensured its fame. Lying eight miles along the River Dee to the west, its rich history and royal connections are world famous. This is the Royal Bridge, opened by Queen Victoria in 1885; it had several predecessors none of which seemed to survive the Dee in full flood, but thankfully this one seems built to last. With splendid nature and hills in abundance the Royal Deeside and Cairngorms are a walkers paradise. Leave the road here and go straight ahead onto the rough track up into the wood. Great Outdoors Venture out in the crisp and clear fresh air with views for miles across great estates and heathery moors. The Deeside Way links the City of Aberdeen with Ballater in attractive Royal Deeside. The track runs for several kilometres almost dead straight but there are good views towards Craigendarroch, Ballater's oak-clad hill. "In October this year, as part of a month long rock festival, the best places to see Scotland’s geology were announced. All the traditional Heavy and Athletic Events plus Combined Pipe Bands, Tilt the Bucket, Hill race, Tug o’ War, Children’s Races , Trade stalls, Beer tent, Children’s funfair . The elevated position give the castle fine views over the surrounding lush countryside. The idea is simple: to hike from the west coast of Scotland to the east over a fortnight, taking in some of the best wild land the Highlands … Another one of the outdoorsy things to do in Ballater, The Balmoral Cairns are another brilliant walk on Walkhighlands. Lower crags also are popular, with the Pass of Ballater offering excellent climbs in a roadside location. Distance: Burn O’Vat 5.5 miles (9 km) or Dinnet 7 miles (11 km) Start: Ballater Finish: Burn O’Vat or Dinnet Grade: Easy Terrain, gradients and access: Flat gravel off-road cycle path, with a short on-road section if including the Burn O’Vat Visitor Centre and Loch Kinord. It crosses what looks like a railway bridge but there has never been a railway here; the planned extension of the line to Braemar was abandoned as Queen Victoria objected to it running close to Balmoral. This is a white-painted iron suspension bridge for foot traffic only, and was built in 1892 at the expense of Alexander Gordon of Kent - an exile from Ballater. Thursday 8 August, 2019. As Aberdeenshire largest independent cycle retailer – the store can […] Ballater is well served by buses running between Braemar and Aberdeen. When the path slopes down to a track, turn right along it. Tullich Apartment, Ballater - Self Catering: Paradise in the Highlands - See 36 traveller reviews, candid photos, and great deals for Ballater, UK, at Tripadvisor. At the far end of the farm turn right to cross a footbridge over the River Gairn. using a map and compass. The Walks Ballater Walking Festival offers a programme designed for walkers of all capabilities from Munrobagging to pleasant rambles. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and trail running. You can always go to the local visitor centres in the larger villages and towns for more information on local walks. Go through the gate and cross the bridge and continue ahead to reach a track; follow this to the left. The continuation of the waymarked walk goes left here, but if you wish to detour to visit the ruins of Knock Castle you should instead turn right. Walking and mountain bike trails remain open, as do most toilets and car parks, but do check below for local updates for closures. Fairy Pool and Riverside walk, Glen Tanar, River Dee and Cambus o'May circuit, Ballater, Craig Coillich and Pannanich Woods, Ballater, Conachcraig and Gelder Shiel, from Balmoral, Creag an Dubh Loch and Broad Cairn, Glenmuick, FEATURE: Geodiversity and the Burn o' Vat. - See 1,464 traveller reviews, 1,239 candid photos, and great deals for Ballater, UK, at Tripadvisor. Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate At the far end of the woods there is a wooden bench; a fine place to sit and contemplate the world as the river rushes below. Inland is a wild moorland where the strange flat-topped Macleod's Tables dominate the landscape. On the far side turn left and follow the river downstream, before veering right and coming briefly alongside the mighty River Dee. Glenmuick Estate is located in the heart of Royal Deeside and visitors can enjoy Fishing, Stalking, Walked Up Grouse Shooting, Driven Grouse Shooting & Country Sports. The walk begins from the car park in front of the restored railway station in the centre of Ballater (now painted green rather than the red in the photo); the route is waymarked in blue. With many local trails being named and promoted from the shop through the years, the business can provide trail info and technical support along with qualified guides and high end bike rental. In the middle reaches of Deeside, the high mountains are set back behind rolling foothills clad luxuriantly in Scots pine, and the mighty river sweeps past Balmoral Castle en route to Ballater. The tower was the home of the Gordons; in a feud with the Forbes' family, all the Laird's sons were killed and he himself fell down the stairs and was killed when he heard the news. 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