The final days drive is a long one. It begins by following the snow roads through the Cairngorms National Park and ends in Edinburgh. Spending the night in Tomintoul instead of Grantown-On-Spey will cut a half hour off the drive and may make it easier to reach Blair Castle before the 4pm cutoff. Once you pass Blair Castle though, you should still have many daylight hours remaining, and could add stops in Pitlochry or Perth for more sightseeing.
Cairngorms SnowRoads
The scenic road through Caringorms National Park is officially called the Snow Roads. There is a lot to see here and you can make your own itinerary using this website: https://www.snowroads.com. There are several well known distilleries in the area and a designated ‘whiskey trail’. There is also a ‘castle trail’ to follow, as well as an official app to help you plan. For our route we would visit a few of the castles, after which we turned off the Snow Roads prior reaching its terminus to visit Blair Castle along the A9.
Corgarff Castle
This smaller 16th century castle looks like a fort surrounded by a star shaped wall. You’ll get your first view of Corgarff from an overlook along the A939 which requires a decent zoom to get photos. We arrived at the castle very early and made only a brief stop, taking in views of the castle from the outside. Our plan was to get to Balmoral Castle early and spend much more time there.
Balmoral Castle
As the summer residence of the King, Balmoral Castle and its grounds are as impressive as would be expected. At the gate we were handed a somewhat confusing, off-scale map and sent on our way to walk along the long, wide road through the forests leading to the castle.
Bored of the direct route along the endless driveway, we turned on to the side trails and inevitably found ourselves lost. After some time we came across a very well dressed man who had recently parked his Audi in front of one of the nearby buildings and were politely given directions back to the castle. As we walked away though, we the idea began to cross our minds that perhaps we had just stumbled upon some member of the royal family and, as a bumbling American tourist would, asked him for directions to his castle. We will never truly know, and perhaps its for the best.
We eventually arrived at the castle to find its grounds quite empty. We had beaten the tour buses, which seemed to start arriving around 11. The castle is impressive, but unfortunately you are not able to enter with the exception of one ballroom off to the left and around back. We instead explored the gardens and walked the nearby trails before returning.
Braemar Castle
We found Braemar Castle closed and gated when we arrived, as it was undergoing renovations. We did find the car park open though, and pulled in to take some photos from a distance. Perhaps someday we will be fortunate enough to make it back and explore the inside.
It is an interesting looking castle from a distance though. The surrounding fortifications appear similar to nearby Corgarff Castle with a much larger keep, and leads one to ponder the nature of the uprisings or incursions this type of fortification was intended to prevent. No doubt this castle played a role in the Jacobite Rebellion mentioned in much of the local history.
Blair Castle
Blair Castle is more easily accessible from the A9, which circumvents Cairngorms when traveling between Inverness and Edinburgh. Reaching this castle required exiting the SnowRoads prior to its termination in Aberdeen, and instead traveling west along B950 to A924 toward Pitlochry. As mentioned, the last entry for Blair Castle is 4pm, and the intersection at A93/B950 is the point to determine if you can make it or if you should continue on toward Blairgowrie. It might be a good idea to have a backup plan for this occasion. Sights in Perth would be along the way to Edinburgh, or Dunkeld if you prefer a smaller, quieter town.
We managed to arrive in the early afternoon with plenty of time for a quick lunch. Just after crossing the Bridge of Tilt, a short way before the Blair Castle entrance, we found a park on the left with a small takeout restaurant called “Food in the Park” with a few shaded picnic tables out front. For us, it was a nice quiet opportunity to unwind. As we passed through Pitlochry, I couldn’t help notice it was packed with restaurants and tourists. This may be a good option to stop for a meal as well before, or after, visiting the castle.
Edinburgh
After a week on the road we were happy to remain stationary for a few days exploring the city of Edinburgh. We had reserved an apartment on High Street at New Assembly Close, and I highly recommend this location. The rental car lot in Waverly Station is very close to High Street, so you can drop off your car and walk. Although it is somewhat difficult to drag luggage up the steep hills and across the stone streets. And the old buildings on High Street have no elevators. But still, I stand by this recommendation, the central location of these apartments are well worth the minor struggle.
From here I leave it up to the reader to plan their time in Edinburgh. It is a truly unique city and worth spending multiple days exploring. I do recommend booking a timed entry to Edinburgh Castle in advance as it can get full. If you’re staying on High Street then grab an early slot as it’s just a short walk up the street.
You must be logged in to post a comment.