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Stone arch topped with a cross stands alone in a glen

Queen's Well

Welcome

The head of Glen Esk has a wild, open feel, and the walk to the Queen's Well takes you right into it.

The well is an ornamental stone crown in Glen Mark. It marks the spot where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stopped to drink from a spring on a pony trek from Balmoral in 1861. Its granite arches are a surprisingly grand sight in the hills. The walk starts at Invermark car park in Glen Esk. Most people do it as a linear five-mile route, or you can make it a six-mile circuit. It's easy going in good weather, but the stony track crosses open moorland that can be exposed, so bring layers.

Round the cornerInvermark CastleA tall ruined tower house of the Lindsays at the head of Glen Esk by Loch Lee, built to guard the glen against Highland raiders.1 min by roadSee itAerial view of a loch feeding a river through a glen with green fields
Close by
  1. The river running down the head of Glen Esk towards the hills.Loch LeeUnder a mile5 min by road
  2. The white front of the Retreat at Tarfside, with tall chimneys and a red-framed window.Glenesk Folk MuseumA folk museum and café in the Retreat at Tarfside, high in Glen Esk, telling the life of the glen and run largely by volunteers.6 miles18 min by road
Directions
Aerial view of a loch feeding a river through a glen with green fieldsAttractionsInvermark CastleA step away
Stay nearby

Places to stay near Queen's Well, and when each is next free.

Stone tower with turret roof surrounded by pine trees at duskTower O'Ess
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Aboyne
  • 6 miles from Queen's Well
Free 28–30 OctDarroch Learg, AberdeenshireDarroch Learg
  • A hotel
  • In Ballater
  • 9 miles from Queen's Well
Check datesWoodend
  • Sleeps 4
  • 9 miles from Queen's Well
Free 1–3 NovWest Millfield
  • Sleeps 5
  • 9 miles from Queen's Well
Free 1–3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay on the mapAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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