Posts for August, 2024

Discover more with our brand new guided whisky tour.

Join us for an exclusive experience led by our knowledgeable guides as you explore the castle and uncover the rich history of Blair Castle’s whisky. Learn about the fascinating discovery of our whisky, illicit distilling, and the heritage of whisky on Atholl Estates.

This unique tour is perfect for anyone eager to delve into the story of whisky in Perthshire, Scotland.

Each participant will receive a take-home whisky flight and a special gift. The whisky flight includes three sample-sized whiskies:

Tullibardine 15 Year Old Single Malt The Glenturret Triple Wood Single Malt Blair Castle Speyside Single Malt (Limited Edition)Full-sized bottles of these exceptional whiskies are available for purchase in our gift shop.

Tour Details:

Duration: 1 hour Cost: £60 per person
Schedule: Wednesdays & Saturdays, 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM
Group Size: 2 to 10 people per tour
Bonus: Entry to the Castle & Grounds is included in your ticket

Don’t miss this chance to enhance your whisky knowledge and enjoy a truly memorable experience at Blair Castle. Over 18’s only.

Popular local artist Angus Grant is among 300 crafters and artists taking part in this year’s North East Open Studios. The event, which is in its 21st year, offers the public the chance to visit studios and workshops across the region and see firsthand the processes and equipment used to make beautiful artwork.

This is the first time Angus has taken part and he is offering the chance to see his pottery at the Spey Bank Studio in Grantown-on-Spey. He’ll be available to talk about making ceramics and maybe even demonstrate some of his making techniques.

Saturday 30th November 2024

Ballater Winter Festival is an annual event that brings the community together to celebrate the magic of Christmas. Mark your calendars and join us for a day of festive fun and merriment.

*** Details coming soon! ***

Below the castle, a tented village will surround the side of the Castle, the mews, café, Balmoral gift shop and stable buildings with exhibitors from near and far vying for your attention with a wide range of beguiling Scottish crafts, food and drink.

A wonderful range of refreshments will be available from Balmoral’s newly refurbished cafes, alongside several street food vendors will be artisan tarts and cakes from the Highland Pâtissier and superb range of homemaking from Rabbit Hole Cakes.

There will be a fine selection of locally produced craft beer, wickedly tempting rum, gin, liqueurs, cider and vodka and the beautiful botanical spirits of Highland Boundary.

For the food enthusiasts amongst us there will be a fine range of home baking, delightful patisseries, exquisite macaroons, a sublime range of salmon, seafood and accoutrements, fresh game in the shape of sausages, steaks, loin cuts and pies. Surprisingly different home made meals, divine Deeside honeys, fabulous cheeses, any amount of mouth watering fudges, bespoke chocolates together with old fashioned confectionary and not forgetting truly delightful pickles.

With the Christmas season just around the corner, this would be such a delightful way to start exploring all the gift options our exhibitors have to offer.

This will be one of our largest events to date with a tantalising collection of artisan art and craft. The ranges will include aromatic candles, antler art, skincare and soaps, captivating ceramics and artworks, a fine array of beguiling jewellery, luxurious textiles, awe inspiring photography, charming stationery, recycled homeware, enticing stained glass, the loveliest of children’s clothes and the cutest of wooden gifts and toys to name just a few.

A full list of those taking part will be available on social media in the weeks leading up to the event.

Are you ready to turn your dream home into a reality? Join us at Scottish Self-Build and Renovation (Highlands) 2024, kindly sponsored by Filpumps, on Saturday, 21 September 2024, from 10am to 4pm at Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Aviemore. Whether you’re planning to build, renovate, or embark on smaller home improvement projects, we’ve got you covered!

Why Attend:
Discover a one-stop hub for all the expertise you need to bring your project to life. From architects to building materials, energy efficiency to bespoke furniture, we’ve got it all under one roof – click here to view the floor plan.

Expertise on Hand:
Architects, Cost, Planning and Structural Advice
Building Materials
Energy Efficiency, Grants and Incentives
Ground Works
Heating and Cooling
Insulation
Kitchen, Bathrooms and Interior Design
Private Water Systems
Timber Frame
Windows and Doors … and many more!

Save the Date:
Date: Saturday, 21 September 2024
Open Times: 10 am – 4 pm
Venue: Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Aviemore

Embodying Braemar Literary Festival’s celebration of text in all its creative forms, British genre-splicing supergroup LYR take to the stage to perform an emotive and atmospheric set, featuring a powerful combination of the written and spoken word entwined with soaring original compositions.

With a talented and highly respected line-up comprising author and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Pearson, LYR have carved out a unique place within the contemporary British music scene with two critically acclaimed albums Call in the Crash Team and The Ultraviolet Age to date.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience LYR’s aural and lyrical talents in the intimate setting of Braemar.

Get ready for an intimate weekend of music in the heart of the Cairngorms this autumn.

Braemar Folk Festival returns with packed mainstage concerts in the atmospheric surrounds of St Margaret’s, while cosy venues throughout this quintessential highland village come alive with foot-stomping jam sessions, bespoke workshops and informal acoustic sets.

Nestled in the upper reaches of the Dee valley, among the mountains and Caledonian pine forests, there is plenty of opportunity to roam in the hills, swim in the rivers and lochs and enjoy the stunning nature and landscapes that this special part of Scotland has to offer.

Braemar Folk Festival is now an established and growing focal point in Scotland’s cultural calendar and was a finalist for ‘Event of the Year’ at the 2022 BBC Trad Music Awards. This October’s event is set to be the biggest yet — we can’t wait to welcome you to Braemar.

Exhibition of work done at workshops in the Iona Gallery in 2024

Exhibition of unsold artwork by local artists of the Society of Badenoch & Strathspey Artists

“Glenlivet it has castles three, Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie”. This easy guided walk will take us to the 16th century tower house of Blairfindy and begins outside the iconic Glenlivet Distillery. On the walk in we’ll enjoy stunning views over one of Scotland’s most famous glens. You’ll learn a bit about Glenlivet’s rich history and some whisky history too.

Blairfindy Castle was completed in 1564 by John Gordon. In its heyday Blairfindy was a fine example of a three storey L-plan tower house and even today shows a remarkable degree of preservation. A project to stabilise Blairfindy Castle took place in 2019, funded through the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership, a programme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The castle is now open to visitors for the first time in decades and has been specially adapted to encourage nesting birds and pollinators.

Please park at the The Glenlivet Distillery car park. The walk will start from outside the stillhouse under the green signpost marked ‘Blairfindy Castle 1/2 mile’.