Ballater - Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms, Scotland

Ballater is the nearest town to Balmoral Castle, which explains the many “By Royal Appointment” signs that you’ll see on local shops and businesses. It is an attractive village, surrounded by hills and mountains, and enjoys a warm climate over the summer months. It lies within the Cairngorm National Park.  

It has a great range of accommodation including Hotels, Self-Catering, Bed and Breakfast, Guest Houses, Lodges and Hostels. Click on the Businesses section above to see the complete selection of all types of accommodation and places to eat in Ballater. There a lot of things to do in Ballater. Check out our What's On pages and Visitor Itineraries section.

A planned agricultural town dating back to the 1800s, Ballater boasts many speciality shops, friendly hotels and guest houses. The Old Royal Railway Station  in Station Square is a fabulously restored landmark that houses a tourist information centre and displays describing its 100 year history as the station where the Royal Family alighted for their Scottish holidays. Don’t miss the unique Royal Waiting Room built for Queen Victoria and the Royal Train Carriage.

A few miles to the south lies wild Loch Muick and the legendary mountain of "dark Lochnagar" made famous by Lord Byron and also more recently Prince Charles who wrote a children's book about "The Old Man of Lochnagar". Here you may well spot red deer, golden eagles and grouse on the 8 mile footpath around the loch. To find out more about Ballater and all that this Victoria village has to offer, visit www.visitballater.com and www.ballatercommunity.com .

In many ways this area is the eastern gateway to the Cairngorms National Park and it is is entered through the Royal Deeside villages of Dinnet, Ballater and Crathie. Ballater is the largest village on the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park and is conspicuous for the number of Royal Warrant signs on many of the shops. Outdoor activities such as golf, ski-ing, walking, mountain biking, fishing, shooting and stalking have always been popular and this part of highland Scotland is famed for the natural beauty of its lochs and mountains and was a great favourite of Queen Victoria.

Ballater is an excellent base from which to tour the area and take part in any of the activities available or relax in this tranquil setting. There is a wide range of accommodation available from B&Bs, guest houses, self catering, chalets and bunkhouses right up to sumptuous hotels. A variety of retail outlets offer everything for the visitor from gifts to outdoor clothing, and there are numerous cafes and restaurants.

There are a number of regular events held within the area, such as the Ballater Walking Festival in May http://www.royal-deeside.org.uk/RDnews/walkweek.htm , Ballater Victoria Week in August http://www.victoriaweek.org/ , Ballater Highland Games http://www.ballaterhighlandgames.com/ in August,  Ballater Bike Bash http://www.cyclehighlands.com/ in April, and Royal Deeside Golf Week in July http://www.ballatergolfclub.co.uk/ .

 

Lucy's

The Old Station Station Square, Ballater

Tel: 013397 53855

La Mangiatoia Restaurant

Bridge Square, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QJ

Tel: 013397 55999

Craigard Lodge

Abergeldie Road, Ballater, AB35 5RR

Tel: 013397 53258

Viewfield Cottage

1 Viewfield Road, Ballater, AB35 5RD

Tel: 013397 55384

Balmoral Bar

1 Netherley Place, Ballater, AB35 5QE

The Bike Station

Station Square, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RB

Tel: 01339 754004

Ballater (RD) Ltd

7 Bridge Street, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55467

Gairn Lodge Cottage

67 Golf Road, Ballater, AB35 5RU

Tel: 013397 56025

Woodside B&B

Old Line road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UT

Tel: 01339 756351

Byzantium

1-3 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55055

A.B.Yule Newsagent

49 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QD

Tel: 013397 55362

The Station Restaurant

Station Square, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QB

Tel: 01339 755050

Darroch Learg Hotel & Restaurant - Ballater

56 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UX

Tel: 013397 55443

Number 7 Cornellan Square

Number 7 Cornellan Square, Ballater, AB35 5RD

Tel: 07519 700456

McEwan Gallery

Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UB

Tel: 013397 55429

Gairnshiel Lodge

Glengairn, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UQ

Tel: 013397 55582

13 The Monaltrie

Bridge Square, Ballater, AB35 5GQ

Tel: 013397 55118

Auld Kirk Hotel - Ballater

31 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB35 5RQ

Tel: 01339 755762

GJB Accountancy (Ballater) Ltd

7 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55257

Cambus O May Hotel

By Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5SE

Tel: 01339 755428

Celicall Guest House

3 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RL

Tel: 01339 755699

Deeside Books

18-20 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 54080

Habitat @ Ballater

Habitat @ Ballater, Bridge Square , Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB35 5QJ

Tel: 013397 53752 / Mob: 07790

Inchgeal Lodge

Tullich Road, Ballater, AB35 5SH

Tel: 013397 53849

Invercauld Lodges

12A Invercauld Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RP

Tel: 013397 55015

Bonn na Coille

8 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RL

Tel: 01339 755414/01224 585500

Phoenix Chip Shop

2 Viewfield Road, Ballater, AB35 5RD

Tel: 013397 55119

McEwen's of Perth

Station Square, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55452

Countrywear

15 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55453

Cybernaut Internet Cafe

14 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35 5QP

Tel: 013397 55486

Creag Meggan

Bridge of Gairn , By Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5UD

Tel: 01339 755767

Fairdene B&B

School Lane, Ballater, AB35 5RJ

Tel: 013397 55929

Alistair Cassie

39-41 Bridge Street, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QD

Tel: 013397 55396

Deeside Hotel

45 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RQ

Tel: 013397 55420/56079

Tangley House B&B

41 Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB35 5RQ

Tel: 01339 755624

Lary Cottage

4 Invercauld Road, Ballater, AB35 5RP

Tel: 0779 3633156

Crannach Bakery & Coffee Shop

Cambus O May, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5SD

Tel: 01339 755126

The Gordon Guest House

Station Square , Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB35 5QB

Tel: 01339 755996

Lonville Cottage

20 Viewfield Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RD

Tel: 013397 53808

Ballater Caravan Park

Anderson Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QR

Tel: 01339 755727

The Birches

Ballater

Tel: 013397 56279

Inverey Holiday Cottage

5 Monaltrie Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5PE

Tel: 013397 55396

7 The Monaltrie

Bridge Square, Ballater, AB35 5GQ

Tel: 01224 855296

Alexandra Hotel

12 Bridge Square, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35 5QJ

Tel: 01339 755376

Bean for Coffee

35 Bridge Street, Ballater, AB35

Tel: 013397 55514

Bealach Cottage

Viewfield Road, Ballater, Abereenshire, AB35 5RD

Tel: 013398 83518

Fairdene Self-Catering

School Lane, Ballater, AB35 5RJ

Tel: 013397 55929

Bruach Mhor

37 Deebank Road, Ballater, AB35 5QT

Tel: 01224 315607

Netherley Guest House

2 Netherley House, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB35 5QE

Tel: 01339 755792

Highland Yurts

Tornauron, Crathie, Ballater, AB35 5TJ

Tel: 013397 42295

Attic Apartment

No.4 10 Bridge Square, Ballater, AB35 5QJ

Tel: 01224 486929