Braemar and its Castle – Village, Lunch and Castle
A few hours.
The route
Braemar Castle stands on the A93 just east of Braemar, a white tower house of 1628 that the village community took on and now runs itself.
This is an easy half day on upper Deeside: the village, a good lunch and then the castle.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Darroch Learg in Ballater, 13 miles away.
Book a table at the Flying Stag in Braemar for noon or soon after, on the Fife Arms' website or on 01339 720202, and check that Braemar Castle is open that day: daily from May to September, Wednesday to Sunday in April and October, and shut from November to March.
The day
Braemar
A slow late morning in Braemar and a long lunch at the Fife Arms, then the castle, 2 minutes down the road.
About three and a half hours
Braemar
An attraction
Park at the Balnellan Road car park in Braemar and start with a coffee at the Bothy, a café open every day from 8.30am. Walk to the bridge over the Clunie Water, below the Fife Arms, and round the shops.
About 5 min on foot
The Flying Stag
Lunch
Lunch is at the Flying Stag, the Fife Arms' public bar beside the bridge, where the owners of Larch House in Glenshee send their guests. Food is served from noon every day, and it's worth booking a table: ring 01339 720202 or use the Fife Arms' website, and for six or more ring rather than book online. Dogs and children are welcome. If it's full, the Bothy and Gordon's Tearoom (Wednesday to Sunday) take walk-ins.
2 min by car
Braemar Castle
An attraction
Drive 2 minutes east along the A93 to Braemar Castle. The Earl of Mar built it in 1628. Its ten rooms are all up a spiral stair, furnished as the Farquharson family's home. There's plenty of pink in them, for Frances Farquharson's friend, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Then walk out to the Fog House, a thatched folly, for the view. Last entry is 4.30pm; it opens daily from May to September and Wednesday to Sunday in April and October.
If it rains
The Bothy, lunch at the Flying Stag and the castle's rooms are all under a roof, so rain only shortens the wander round the village and the walk out to the Fog House.
Worth a detour
- Crathie Kirk
Crathie Kirk stands beside the A93 about 12 minutes east of the castle, and is the royal family's parish church: Queen Victoria first worshipped here in 1848, laid the foundation stone of this granite church in 1893, and it opened in 1895. It is open to visitors from April to October, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and shuts for lunch from 12.30 to 1pm. Not on a Sunday, which is the kirk's day of worship. If you're driving east anyway, the stop adds about 2 minutes, and 20 minutes inside is plenty.
Make it a weekend
