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Tag Archives: Balmoral

Castle Fever

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Scotland, The Royal Family, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Ballater, Balmoral, Castles, Prince Philip, Queen Victoria

I have been thinking of Balmoral lately, with the Royal Family in residence for their summer holiday, and Prince Philip having to retreat to the hospital in Aberdeen for a recurring health issue.

Beautiful Balmoral in the spring…a splendid castle. Photo by me

When we visited Scotland in May, we found our charming inn, the Dundee Hotel…

The Deeside Hotel in Ballater, our home while in Scotland. Photo by me

…tucked in along the road not far from Balmoral, just on the western edge of Ballater, and managed to drag our luggage up the narrow stairs to our room. Charm does not usually come with elevators in Great Britain.

Outside our room at the top of the stairs, the signs of the area…red deer and scotch. Photo by me

It was unusually warm for this part of the UK, probably close to 80 degrees, and after managing to get one window open in the room (air-conditioning doesn’t seem to be the norm in Scotland) we decided to walk in to town to enjoy the sun and get the lay of the land.

The parlor at the Deeside Hotel. photo by me

One thing I noticed walking down the main road was that there was definitely a castle theme in the architecture.

A neighborhood castle. Photo by me

Ballater is a holiday location on the “Deeside” which is what the locals call the area on the north side of the River Dee.  Most of the town closes up for winter and the season is March to November at the most, although there are a few ski resorts nearby.

We assumed that many of these homes were second homes, and obviously if you have the money to have a home in Ballater, it might as well be a castle.

Even new construction favors the castle tradition in Ballater. Photo by me.

It may be the Balmoral influence, which is only about 6 miles down the road. Or maybe they are just waiting for the Americans to invade and feel they need some extra fortification.

In the hills of Ballater on the main road. photo by me

None-the-less, it is a wonderful area, and returning to our rather warm, and bright room (the sun sets after 9:45pm in May) we decided it was definitely worth the long trip north. After all, it was one of Queen Victoria’s absolute favorite spots on earth. And no one would dream to argue with her.

The original train station used by Queen Victoria in Ballater. Photo by me

Balmoral, A Gardener’s Paradise

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by pat in Gardens, Scotland, The Royal Family, Travel, United Kingdom

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Balmoral, Deeside, English gardesn

One of the main reasons we chose the Deeside village of Ballater to use as our base in the Scottish Highlands was its close proximity to Balmoral Castle.  I had seen photos of the royal residence on many occasions, and decided it was time we paid it a visit. The Royal Family uses this idyllic spot as their summer retreat, so there are only certain times of year you can visit.  We lucked out.

The River Dee was always rushing along. After all, it is only early spring in Scotland. They had snow the week before. Photo by me.

Winding down the road alongside the River Dee, all of a sudden we saw the small carpark area and a modest sign tucked under the trees announcing it’s presence.

The welcome sign at the carpark a short way down the lane from the main gates. photo by me.

We parked, paid our pay and display and as instructed walked over a bridge above the river and approached the gate house.

The gatehouse at Balmoral. Photo by me.

Quite an entrance.  You can only tour the gardens, one ballroom, several exhibitions set up in the stable area and then of course the usual gift shop (very tastefully done) and coffee shop. But we were happy with that and bought our tickets at the gate house and decided to walk down the road to the castle rather than wait for the tram. Less Disney, more royal.

We didn't see a squirrel in site. photo by me

We walked from the gatehouse to the welcome area through the scent of pine that shamed any Christmas Tree lot.  The pines were planted in Queen Victoria’s time, and now were massive and varied.  I have never seen anything quite like this.

The walk down the drive was incredible. The decades old pine trees smelled like Christmas morning. photo by me

As the path curved through the pines, the main building came in to view.  What can this be like to come home to after a long London winter?

Our first view of Balmoral coming down the lane. Photo by me.

Because of this unseasonably warm week, the prep for the summer gardens was in full swing and it was so complex and beautifully laid out, surrounded by the magnificent hills of the Cairngorms and the Balmoral Forest.

Spring has arrived at the Balmoral gardens. Photo by me

As we wound in to the gardening area I found so many glorious images of spring that I didn’t know where to start.  I thought I would just let the pictures speak for themselves.

The seedlings have already been started just in case warm weather came. photo by me

New plantings. photo by me

Every corner was planted with little surprises. They plant enough for the kitchen, and flowers for the castle as well as the local church. Photo by me

I am not sure if the covers are protection from frost, or the local creatures. Photo by me.

Seed potatoes for sale. The whole garden seemed so intimate, like a visit to a family farm. There just happened to be a castle in the background. photo by me

There are several greenhouses filled with potted plants preparing for the summer holidays when the royal family arrives. photo by me

Balmoral is a magical place, and visiting it in spring was really special. photo by me.

Scotland is like going through a magic mirror into a fairytale land. It was worth every penny of the high priced petrol it took to drive here.

North of the Wall…Scotland

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by pat in Scotland, The Royal Family, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Balmoral, Scotland, travel

We are beginning to plan for our trip over to England, even though word has it from that side of the pond that the snow is still falling (as it is here up north), and it is a particularly cold winter. No worries.  By the time we go, the fields will be turning green, and the icy sleet will have turned to a warm drizzle.

This English Hedge Sparrow in West Bromwich, England is ready for spring. Photo by Tony Hisgett, Birmingham

We are planning to spend part of this trip north of Hadrian’s wall, that Roman construction that was built around 122AD to keep the Scots in Scotland,  provide a way to collect tariffs from any trade going back and forth, or possibly just an expression of Roman emperor Hadrian’s power. No one is quite positive on the subject.

This map shows the location of Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall in Scotland and Northern England. Created by Norman Einstein, September 20, 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 80 roman mile construction was thought to have been plastered and white-washed, a pretty impressive sight by anyone’s standards. I have actually passed by it several times at fairly unimpressive spots, but the history and romance of it is very intriguing.

Hadrian's Wall between Housesteads and Once Brewed. Photo by Michael Hanselmann

Even though we have ventured to Scotland before (to both Edinburgh and to Oban on the west coast), we are going a bit further north this summer to Ballater, which is the closest village to Balmoral (as in the estate Queen Victoria purchased in 1848, and where the royal family still spends most August holidays).  There does seem to be lots to explore in the area in addition to the estates and gardens of Balmoral.

There is a safari trip I discovered online, where a guide takes guests by Range Rover through the estate and “… through the heather high up the flanks of Lochnagar, one of Scotland’s most famous mountains”….think of the stalking scenes in the movie “The Queen”.

Safari tours of Balmoral

We’ll have long days to explore.  Our last trip to Scotland that we did  in the month of June, I seem to recall it was still light at 11 pm at night!  But even though the daylight hours are very long, it was also very cold.  So I thought a tour of a Scotch whiskey distillery might be the thing to do.  There are many within an easy day trip of Ballater, including Glendronoch Distillery near Aberdeen.  They seem to be scattered all over the place. There is even one that services Balmoral.

Glendoroch Distillery in Scotland. A tasting here will take the cold Scottish chill away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other place I have always wanted to see is the village in “Local Hero”, the 1983 comedy drama starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster, and one of my favorite movies of all times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a certain magic to the movie with a real sense of paradise lost, and the locations contribute a lot to that magic.  Although the movie takes place in one fictional village location, Fernesse, the actually shots were filmed in several Scottish locations, including Banffshire, Pole of Itlaw, and Pennan about two hours north of Balmoral on the coast.  It might be fun to hunt them out.

Pennan Village, photo by Tom Jervis from Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I am still exploring online and trying to imagine what we may want to see when we are actually there.  But the possibilities seem endless. Now if the weather will just cooperate.

 

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