Mar Lodge
Cairngorms National Park
What is it?
The centrepiece of a celebrated sporting estate in the Highlands, built for the Duke and Duchess of Fife in 1895.
Why it is special?
The foundation stone for the estate was laid by Queen Victoria – she helped make Scottish estates like this fashionable with her purchase of Balmoral. The newly romanticised notion of Highland culture was also popularised by writers like Sir Walter Scott and James Macpherson.
Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, the estate occupies nearly 8 per cent of the Cairngorms National Park, covering in total 29,340 hectares of some of the most remote and scenic wild land in Scotland, including four of the five highest mountains in the UK.
Tell us something we didn’t know
The ballroom o the estate was moved to its present location in 1898 and was intended specifically for staff use. It is built with white-painted timber overlaid with a distinctive red-painted diamond lattice trellising. More than 2,000 deer skulls are attached to its exposed timber ceiling.
What else can I do there?
Walking and climbing- the estate includes 15 Munros (Scottish peaks over 3,000ft). Camping - wild camping is encouraged for short stays for those who want to enjoy the solitude of the Cairngorms.
How to get there
The Estate lies 3 miles west of Braemar. It can be reached by road on the A93 north from Perth or west from Aberdeen.
Buses to Braemar
0871 200 2233
www.travelinescotland.com
