Starting from Aberdeen we trace the river Dee to Balmoral where you can walk in the footsteps of generations of Royals who have called this estate home.
Take a stroll in the charming Victorian village of Ballater, explore the local heritage, the Victorian train station and the views of the area.
Next, we visit the iconic Cambus O'May suspension bridge, before we continue our journey to the Tomnavarie Stone Circle and Migvie Kirk where we learn more about the ancient culture of the Picts.
Finally, on our way back to Aberdeen, we stop at Queen Victoria's favourite views of Aberdeenshire.
(When Balmoral closes for the season, we will substitute Crathes Castle)
Posted By : alanacY3680QW
Overall we had a nice day. Balmoral was absolutely beautiful and even though you can only view the ballroom of the interior of the castle, the grounds are amazing and could take you far more than two hours if you wanted to see it all. Included in the ticket for balmoral is an extremely informative audio guide. Other than balmoral, the other stops on the tour were so so. You could take them or leave them and I don't feel the tour would be all that different. Our tour guide was not very talkative and did not provide a lot of information to us about the stops or the history of the local area. Additionally the layout of the van was more like a minivan than a coach bus so it could be an awkward seating arrangement depending on how many people are in your group or how many people are on the tour. It's a convenient way to get to balmoral from Aberdeen if that is what you're looking for. If you have another way to get to balmoral or if balmoral is not a must see for you, then this not a tour that I would recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-07-03 12:12:39 
Posted By : Meander59637640434
My wife and I did this tour with Jamie. He was so easy going and extremely knowledgeable of the area. Had a lot of stories to tell. He gave us ample time to visit Balmoral Castle and for lunch. Even took us to some hidden waterfalls, so cool!
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Posted On : 2024-06-17 09:10:45
Posted By : Keith_W
We really enjoyed this tour and all the guide, Alex, was able to tell us about the area. I would highly recommend getting out of the city and taking in more of the beautiful countryside and this is a perfect tour to do it on!
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Posted On : 2024-06-13 04:11:56 
Posted By : 266flavias
I took this tour with the people at Grampian Escapes. All very beautiful. The castle itself was a little disappointing because despite having to buy a separate ticket to enter, you can only visit the gardens and just one room in the castle, which is the Ballroom. You can only see the rest of the castle from the outside. The rest of the tour is worth every penny.
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 13:01:09
Posted By : michelepQ8373TT
My husband and I had a wonderful time. Alex our guide was fantastic. He has a textbook knowledge of local history. He took the time to point out things that we did not notice on our own. He went above and beyond in all aspects.
Highly recomend the tour.
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 08:09:21
Posted By : Sandra_C
So glad we booked this tour. Jamie was a thoroughly enjoyable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2024-06-10 02:04:02
Posted By : Culture61062378917
We were a group of 4 friends touring Scotland for 16 days. We went on multiple tours. This one was by far my favorite. Our guide, Alex, was superb. He kept us entertained all day. Later in the afternoon he played several types of Scottish music, all of which was great and I’m going to download it. I am a huge British Royal Family fan, so actually seeing Balmoral was a thrill. It would have been nice had our trip been in July or August when the castle will have more open rooms, but we were committed to May. I don’t understand the reviews that complain about only seeing the ballroom as that is clearly explained in the tour listing and in the Balmoral website. Plus there were many other stops in the tour too. I got many wonderful photos. Alex gave us a great recommendation for lunch on our lunch stop and got us a 10 % discount too. I simply loved the entire day and if I’m ever back in the Royal Deeside area, would do this tour again. Thanks for a great time!
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Posted On : 2024-05-22 08:35:34
Posted By : Mitch_Monroe
Our touring party is two American couples on a 10-day visit thru Scotland. We had 1 full day in Aberdeen and needed to find the best tour possible for our limited time. We hit the jackpot with Grampian Escapes and Tours!
We were astounded by the depth of the tour (visited so many spots on the way to and from the castle) and by our tour guide’s knowledge. Jacqueline was thoroughly engaging, very knowledgeable, and so much fun with which to travel. Even after doing this for 7 years, she is still enthusiastic about sharing her love of all things Aberdeen. We learned about local history, plants, flowers, and the best places for shopping and dining.
The self-guided tour of Balmoral Castle was very enjoyable and worth the tour as a single event. When you factor in everything Jacqueline brought to the tour, this trip was worth every penny. Highly recommend!!!
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Posted On : 2024-05-18 03:43:16
Posted By : Ann_G
Fabulous tour. Our guide, Jamie, was excellent. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. The castle and environs were stunning and the Balmoral gardens unbelievable.
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Posted On : 2024-05-17 16:09:07
Posted By : M8356FKdavidd
Alex our guide was perfect His intimate knowledge of the area it’s history and topography was second to none
He was most welcoming and amiable
We would return when the opportunity arises Full marks to Alex !
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Posted On : 2024-05-04 04:07:46
