Ballater

Yesterday Mrs CBL and I drove down into Royal Deeside to Ballater, a very attractive village in the south of Aberdeenshire. It is also classed as being in the Scottish Highlands as it is part of Grampian National Park.

Ballater has many royal connections as it is seven miles north of Balmoral Castle, built in Victorian times (1850s) as a summer residence for the royal family.

The royal train stopped at Ballater which was the terminus of the Great North of Scotland Railway line.  The station which opened in 1866 closed in 1966 and in due course was converted into a visitor centre and tearoom.

In May 2015 the station was destroyed by a major fire.  Funded by Aberdeenshire Council, with a sizeable donation from Prince Charles, the station was rebuilt and furnished to a very high standard.  It reopened in August 2018.

Mrs CBL and I can thoroughly recommend a visit. The Carriage Tearoom serves a good coffee but even more importantly a first class scone!

If you take time to look at the extras you will see the tearoom, bistro and shops.  Prince Charles’ Highgrove Shop is full of top quality merchandise at top prices!  I was tempted by one of his bunnets (see extras) but couldn’t find one big enough for my head!!

We enjoyed a walk around the village before heading to Loch Kinord for another walk (see extras) and finally to the Burn O’Vat. The Vat is a pothole which was formed by the melting of a glacial ice sheet some 12,000 years ago.  It is 20 yards/18 metres wide and 15 yards/13 metres high.

I entered into the Vat through a very narrow gap (see extra for those whose eyes have not yet glazed over in boredom!).  Probably wisely Mrs CBL stayed outside and caught up with the day’s events on her iPhone which were, of course, nowhere near as exciting as the adventures we’d had!!

A very, very late lunch was enjoyed at a garden centre in Banchory!

Out And About #3 was a great day out.