Ballater is the nearest village to Balmoral, seven miles up the Dee, and it wears the royal connection openly — several shops once held royal warrants. The Victorian railway station, terminus of the old Deeside line, has been restored as a visitor centre telling that story (rebuilt after a 2015 fire). It’s a walkers’ town too, well placed for Lochnagar and the eastern Cairngorms.
Photo martin bennie / Unsplash
