Balmoral Castle

We had our first overnight guests at our new place the week after Easter. Steve's sister and her hubby, Janet and Dave, came up by train and spent five nights with us. We rented a car and gave them a small taste of the Highlands.

On one of the days, we took a trip to Balmoral Castle. That's the queen's Scottish holiday home. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought the lease for Balmoral Castle in 1848. It was a small castle and provided the royal family a cozy holiday home. But as the family grew (Victoria and Albert had a total of nine kids - four of whom were born after the purchase of Balmoral) and more and more official functions were conducted at the castle, the place became too small. So Albert constructed a new, larger castle about 100 yards away from the original. The foundation stone was laid on February 28, 1853, and the royal family first stayed in their new holiday home in 1855.

We went through the village of Carrbridge on our way to Balmoral. Steve and I stayed in Carrbridge for a few weeks during our transition. It's where the cabin was located. Whilst there, I never got a photo of the iconic bridge. So Steve stopped enroute so we could all have a gander. It is the oldest bridge in the Highlands. It was a packhorse bridge built in 1717. The plaque commemorating it reads:

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, to the inconvenience of both travellers and the local people, there was no point at which the River Dulnain could be crossed when it was in spate, and burials at the Church of Duthill were often delayed.

Brigadier-General Alexander Grant of Grant, Clan Chief, commissioned John Niccelsone, a mason from Ballindaloch, to build a bridge at Lynne of Dalrachney. Built between May and November 1717, the bridge was paid for out of stipends of the Parish of Duthill.

Its parapets and side walls were badly damaged in the 18th century and again in the famous flood of August 1829, giving the appearance it still has today.

If you're in the Highlands, you can rest assured you're going to have some gorgeous views.

I liked the look of these trees against the cloud-encased sky. Making the photo black-and-white added to the eerie quality of the scene. All we need is a full moon and a howling wind.

A view from the bridge leading up to the Balmoral ticketing office.

The view from the other side of the bridge.

A bit of the castle.

The castle's large tower (with Janet on the bench in the foreground).

This statue of the an anatomically-correct boar was sitting under some trees.

Dave, Janet, and Balmoral Castle. The initials on the gates are that of King George V and his wife, Mary. George was the son of Edward VII and grandson of Queen Victoria. He reigned from 1910 until 1936. He and Mary are the current queen's grandparents.

Balmoral Castle all by its lonesome. You can only tour the castle's ballroom, but you get to have a nice wander around the gardens and grounds. It made for a lovely day out.

Getting artistic with the fountain.

The greenhouse was chock full of brightly-colored flowers. The castle is only open to the public from April 1 through the end of the July. The queen spends several weeks there starting in August each year. The greenhouse and the gardens supply all the cut flowers and many of the vegetables required.

The interior of a tulip

The daffodils were still going strong when we were there.

I was surprised to find several sequoia on the estate.

Dave, Janet, and a slightly different view of Balmoral Castle.

This sequoia near the Balmoral cafe was so tall that I couldn't fit it in the frame!

This is the deer larder on the estate. This is where the carcasses of freshly killed deer are hung to mature. Its ringed by tokens from the dead (aka the antlers).