Northeast Scotland - Scotland - page 511

Braemar is a pretty little village with a grand location on a broad plain ringed by moun-
tains where the Dee Valley and Glen Clunie meet. In winter this is one of the coldest
places in the country - temperatures as low as -29°C have been recorded - and during
spells of severe cold hungry deer wander the streets looking for a bite to eat. Braemar is
an excellent base for hill walking, and there's also skiing at nearby Glenshee.
The tourist office ( 01399-741600; The Mews, Mar Rd; 9am-6pm Aug, 9am-5pm
Jun, Jul, Sep & Oct, 10am-1.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun Nov-May) , opposite the
Fife Arms Hotel, has lots of useful info on walks in the area. There's a bank with an ATM
in the village centre, a couple of outdoor equipment shops and an Alldays (
7.30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun) grocery store.
Sights & Activities
Just north of the village, turreted Braemar Castle ( www.braemarcastle.co.uk ; adult/child
£6/3; 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Easter-Oct, also Wed Jul-mid-Sep) dates from 1628 and
served as a government garrison after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. It was taken over by the
local community in 2007, and now offers guided tours of the historic castle apartments.
An easy walk from Braemar is up Creag Choinnich (538m), a hill to the east of the vil-
lage above the A93. The route is waymarked and takes about 1½ hours. For a longer walk
(three hours) and superb views of the Cairngorms, head for the summit of Morrone
(859m), southwest of Braemar. Ask at the tourist office for details of these and other
walks.
You can hire mountain bikes from Braemar Mountain Sports ( 01339-741242;
www.braemarmountainsports.com ; 5 Invercauld Rd; 9am-6pm) for £16 per 24 hours.
They also rent skiing and mountaineering equipment.
BRAEMAR GATHERING
There are Highland games in many Scottish towns and villages throughout the summer, but the best known is the
Braemar Gathering ( 01339-755377; www.braemargathering.org ; adult/child from £10/2) , which takes place
on the first Saturday in September. It's a major occasion, organised every year since 1817 by the Braemar Royal
Highland Society. Events include Highland dancing, pipers, tug-of-war, a hill race up Morrone, tossing the caber,
hammer- and stone-throwing and the long jump. International athletes are among those who take part.
These kinds of events took place informally in the Highlands for many centuries as tests of skill and strength,
but they were formalised around 1820 as part of the rise of Highland romanticism initiated by Sir Walter Scott and
King George IV. Queen Victoria attended the Braemar Gathering in 1848, starting a tradition of royal patronage
that continues to this day.