Arisen from the ashes

On our way back from the Lonach Gathering we always stop off for breakfast in the lovely old town of Ballater. One of the highlights of the town is the Old Royal Station which was was the terminus of the line that ran inland from Aberdeen along the Dee valley. It was the nearest station to Balmoral Castle and consequently Queen Victoria and subsequent monarchs were regular visitors.  Sadly it was closed in 1966 by the dastardly Dr Beeching but continued to serve as a visitor centre, shops  and a tearoom. You can see the station as it was in 2014 in a previous blip.

Disaster struck in 2015 when the station was gutted by a major fire. But now it has risen from the ashes and re-opened a few weeks ago as a library, visitors' information centre, tearoom and restaurant. The extra shows the old Royal Waiting Room which now serves as a dining room.