Royal Deeside :Ballater
Walking Festival : Information for 2009

Ballater Walking Festival offers a programme designed for walkers of all capabilities from Munro-bagging to pleasant rambles. Each walker can choose to take part in whatever grade of walk they feel suits them best and can participate on as many as six days or as few as one. Most of the walks are situated within the Cairngorms National Park, though a few enter parts of West Aberdeenshire or the Angus Glens which border the Park.

Each day, three categories of walk are available: Easy, Medium and Strenuous. Easy walks are up to six or seven miles long and normally have a minimum of gradient; Moderate walks typically measure around ten to twelve miles and may include some substantial hills or the occasional Munro. Strenuous walks either include several hundred metres of ascent or are of considerable length. A professional mountain guide normally leads the strenuous walks. Other walks are led by local residents or full-time rangers from Aberdeenshire Council or Balmoral Estate, many of whom have special knowledge of the wild life, vegetation or local history which they are happy to share with visitors.

A message from the organisersl

In 2009 Scotland hosts Homecoming 2009, a year long set of events to remind those with Scottish links of the attraction of their homeland. Many of the walks in the Ballater Walking Festival have strong associations with local history and with Balmoral. We have highlighted two walks in the programme as ‘Homecoming’ walks, to reflect those associations.

Last year the walking festival again attracted high numbers and several walks filled up as early as February. We have to limit numbers, on health and safety grounds, for some of the walks (mainly strenuous) and we therefore urge you to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. The categories of walks on each day are chosen to reflect the different capabilities of walkers. Please look carefully at the descriptions of each walk, before signing up for any individual walk, to ensure it is within your ability.

Unfortunately, we have had to raise slightly our charge for the Strenuous walks because of increased costs. However, we have managed to hold our costs for the Medium and Easy walks at the same level as in previous years.

We have put together another varied selection of walks that reflect the wonderful countryside of Royal Deeside, whether your passion is for mountains, rivers, forests, history or wildlife. Once more we will be assisted by our enthusiastic and knowledgeable helpers. We look forward to welcoming regulars and newcomers to our festival in May, where you can be assured of a warm welcome from everyone involved.

Evening Programme An evening entertainment programme starts with the formal registration and reception on the Saturday. This enables participants to mix with each other, the leaders and local residents who will accompany them on the walks. Other highlights include dinner, probably on Wednesday, at a local restaurant and the week is rounded off on Friday with the popular traditional ceilidh.