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Iwan and Manuela Wirth with two dogs in the woods Exterior of the Fife Arms hotel looking down on to the Clunie Water The entrance to the garden from the Fife Arms hotel A river winds through a rocky shoreline surrounded by dense green trees, with mountains rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
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A corner of a bed with a bedside table, lamp and red furnishings
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The oyster and champagne hut in the courtyard The entrance and chalkboard menu at Gordon's Tea Room Elsa's Cocktail Bar during the day, a large window in the centre, pink bar stools on the right next to the cocktail bar. A waitress shaking up a cocktail in Elsa's Cocktail Bar A Sunday roast on a table at The Clunie Dining Room A dram of whisky in Bertie's Whisky Bar
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A painting by Lucien Freud hung on an orange wall in the hotel reception The Richard Jackson 'Red Deer Chandelier' on view in the hotel reception A landscape drawing by James Prosek who was one of our first artists in residence Circle Of Pieter Brueghel The Younger (1564 – 1636) in painted room with tables and chairs
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A wild swimmer in the river Dee A Birdseye view of the river dee in Braemar, Aberdeenshire
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Drone shot of the exterior of the fife arms hotel, with mountains in the background
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Balmoral Castle

No visit to Royal Deeside is complete without visiting the Highland home of the British Royal family. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased the Balmoral Estate in 1852, and today visitors are welcome to explore the beautiful grounds and gardens, with a limited number of tours inside the castle also taking place on select dates in the spring and summer.

Open daily, 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm). Tickets must be purchased directly on the Balmoral website, but the Fife Arms Ghillies are on hand to support with transfers.

  • 2 hours
  • Prices vary
The front of Balmoral Castle with a large lawn in the foreground and trees behind the castle
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Vintage image of Queen Victoria with her husband Prince Albert

History of Balmoral Castle

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased the Balmoral Estate in 1852, however they found the original house too small for them so Prince Albert took on the project of re-building the new castle which is still used today. Their love of the area bought them up to Scotland as often as possible, which only made the area generally grow in popularity, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Royal family.

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