Royal Deeside : Ballater Walking Festival - Welcome

A warm welcome awaits you in Ballater, 40 miles west of Aberdeen and about 60 miles north of Perth, in the heart of Royal Deeside, at the eleventhth annual

Ballater Royal Deeside Walking Festival

Saturday 17th to Friday 23rd May 2008

Royal Deeside, in the eastern Cairngorms National Park, starts at the western end of the Dee Valley and follows the majestic River Dee from Braemar, scene of the world famous Highland Games, down past Balmoral, Ballater and Aboyne to Banchory in the east. The area contains some of the finest mountain and glen country in Scotland - ideal for a walking break.

The programme for the festival is being prepared but here you will find a draft version. If you require a printed version of the brochure please contact us (details below). Alternatively, a pdf version of the brochure can be down-loaded (3.2Mb) for printing. A printable booking form is also available

Participants in one of the more adventurous walks during the Ballater Walking Festival

Since 1998 when Ballater launched a week of organised walks to cater for visitors to Royal Deeside, this festival of walks has expanded considerably and now provides a programme designed for walkers of all capabilities from 'Munro-baggers' to those who like a gentle stroll. Most of the walks are situated within what is now the Cairngorms National Park, though a few will stray into parts of West Aberdeenshire which border the Park or the Angus Glens to the south of it. In 2007 100 walkers participated in the festival taking part in four walks on avearge. We were delighted that a widely expressed view was that the Festival was the best yet. What makes us special is that not only is Ballater srrounded by magnificent walking country but the festival is run by a mix of professionals and enthusiastic volunteers.

Each day three categories of walk are available: easy, moderate and strenuous/long.

Easy walks are generally low level ones of anything up to six or seven miles;
Moderate walks typically measure around ten or twelve miles and may include some hefty hills or the occasional Munro.
Strenuous/Long walks will either include several hundred metres of ascent (and descent!) or walks of considerable length.

All the strenuous walks are led by a professional mountain guide and the remainder will be led by local residents or full-time rangers from Aberdeenshire Council or Balmoral Estate, many of whom have particular knowledge of the wild life, vegetation or local history which they are happy to share with visitors.

Each evening there is a talk or demonstration designed to appeal to our visitors and on Friday evening the week is rounded off by a traditional ceilidh (see Social Programme ).

Travel to Ballater can be
by car from the south via the A93 Perth - Blairgowrie-Braemar road, from the north via Tomintoul on the A939 or
by rail/air to Aberdeen and then by bus or private vehicle westwards on the A93.

You are welcome to contact the organisers for more information or to make a provisional booking. Royal Deeside Walking Week is run for the benefit of the local community by

Ballater (RD) Ltd
The Bank House, 7 Bridge Street,
Ballater, Aberdeenshire,
Scotland AB35 5QP

Tel 0 13397 55467 (If phoning from outside United Kingdom +44 13397 55467)

e-mail info@royal-deeside.org.uk
web Ballater (RD) Ltd