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The Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion at Braemar, green timber under red roofs and a white clock tower.
Aberdeenshire

Braemar Highland Games Centre

The story of the Highland games and the Braemar Gathering, in a pavilion by the games park.

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Welcome

Every September the Braemar Gathering fills the games park at Braemar with pipers, dancers, heavy athletes and, by long tradition, members of the Royal Family.

The Braemar Highland Games Centre tells the story of the Gathering and of Highland games in general, long after the tents have gone.

It is housed in the Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion, beside the park, unveiled by the late Queen in September 2018 and named for the then Prince Charles, whose charity supported the project. The exhibition follows the games through the ages as a living part of Scottish culture and sport: the piping, the dancing, the tossing of the caber and the hill race.

At its centre is the Braemar Royal Highland Society, founded in 1815, whose objects, documents and costumes tell how the Gathering grew and how its link with the Royal Family began with Queen Victoria. The Gathering itself takes place on the first Saturday of September; book well ahead to attend.

Close byFarquharson's Bar and KitchenBraemar's village pub, in an old grocer's shop, with a beer garden over the Clunie Water.1 min by roadSee itThe white front of Farquharson's in the middle of Braemar.
Before you go

The centre is in the pavilion beside the games park in Braemar.

The Gathering itself is on the first Saturday of September.

Where
The games park, Braemar.
The Gathering
First Saturday in September.
Where it is

Braemar.

Close byAround Braemar.
  1. Gordon's glass counter of cakes under its chalkboard sign in Braemar.The Gordon’s Tearoom BraemarUnder a mile1 min by road
  2. Bertie's Whisky Bar, red velvet chairs among walls of bottles in lamplight.Bertie's Whisky BarUnder a mile1 min by road
  3. The Flying Stag, AberdeenshireThe Flying StagUnder a mile1 min by road
  4. The Bothy's wood-lined café room in Braemar, a dog at the big windows over the river.The Bothy BraemarUnder a mile1 min by road
  5. Saltire flag flies above the Fife Arms Hotel's stepped gablesBraemarUnder a mile1 min by road
Directions
The white front of Farquharson's in the middle of Braemar.BarsFarquharson's Bar and Kitchen0.3 miles
A path through the heather towards the wooded slopes of Creag Choinnich above Braemar.WalksCreag Choinnich0.6 miles
Sitting room with white fireplace, portrait and framed prints, sofas draped in floral coversAttractionsBraemar Castle1.1 miles
Wooden footbridge over a rocky river surrounded by pine forestAttractionsLinn of Quoich2.0 miles over the water
The deep trench of the Lairig Ghru between steep hillsides.AttractionsThe Lairig Ghru4.0 miles
Loch Callater lying in its glen between heather slopes and hills.WalksLoch Callater4.9 miles
River tumbling over rocky rapids through pine forest under grey skiesAttractionsLinn of Dee6.5 miles
Rusted metal standing stones on a hillside overlooking a wide glenAttractionsThe Watchers6.5 miles
Stone church with spire and rose window at end of tree-lined driveAttractionsCrathie Kirk9.5 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Braemar Highland Games Centre, and when each is next free.

A landscape view of Faunoran House from the garden, the terrace and its white table, the house reflected in the long pond.Faunoran House
  • Sleeps 10
  • In Crathie
  • 8 miles from Braemar Highland Games Centre
Free 16–18 OctA grand stone house with multiple gables and chimneys stands on a lawn at dusk, a Land Rover parked in the drive under a stormy sky.Gairnshiel Lodge
  • Sleeps 16
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Braemar Highland Games Centre
Free 18–20 OctA wooden table and chairs with green cushions stand on a stone patio beside a gabled stone house, a lawn stretching in front.Laggan Cottage
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Braemar Highland Games Centre
Free 18–20 OctTwo grey linen sofas face each other across a dark wooden coffee table, checked roman blinds at the windows and a framed landscape print on the wall.Old School Cottage
  • Sleeps 7
  • In Aberdeenshire
  • 11 miles from Braemar Highland Games Centre
Free 17–19 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in AberdeenshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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