What it’s really like at Balmoral

We go inside the late Queen’s favourite home

Lesley at Balmoral. Pics: Lesley McCullaugh

The late Queen loved Balmoral – it was her favourite place to be, somewhere she could truly relax. Built for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1856, the Queen, like Victoria, loved to escape to the Scottish castle every summer, walking, riding and shooting on the 50,000-acre estate.

“It’s the most beautiful place on earth,” Princess Eugenie said of it. “I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands... Walks, picnics, dogs - a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs! And people coming in and out all the time. You just have room to breathe and run.”

I have always wanted to visit Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, so I am delighted to bring you this special report from friend and subscriber, Lesley McCullaugh, who toured Balmoral this month, with her husband.

“This was a major check on my bucket list,” she explains, saying the castle cuts an imposing figure at the foot of the Cairngorms, with its beautiful landscape and spectacular River Dee. “With very impressive kitchen gardens, introduced by Prince Philip, the castle itself was smaller than I expected and seemed much cosier than the other castles and palaces, the Royal Family live and work in,” she says. “I can certainly understand how the Queen named Balmoral her favourite place in the world.”

Lesley loved the grounds, especially the kitchen garden and George V gates. Pics: Lesley McCullaugh

She says she was surprised how much of a family home it seemed - it is “so much more liveable and comfortable than I expected. It’s not a super-imposing house - apart from the clock tower, it looks like a regular stone house of the kind you see all over in Scotland,” Lesley says. “I was impressed by the kitchen gardens, as they grow so much food and also all the flowers they use to decorate the house,” she adds.

“Through the years, the Royal Family has put a lot of themselves into the castle and estate and you can see this everywhere, such as Prince Philip helping design and install the kitchen gardens, George V designing the main gates and Queen Mary also designing some of the garden.”

So, what can you see? While guests can roam around the gardens, they don’t get much access – yet – to the interiors of the castle, apart from the ballroom, which has special displays in it. However, there are new tours offering more access – this summer tickets went on sale for special Castle Interior Guided Tours, for the first time and sold out instantly. It’s expected the house will be opened up more, in the future.

There are also special events this summer, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream performance on July 20 and Family Day on August 3, with a Birds of Prey exhibition and screening of Wonka.

The beautiful river Dee and kitchen garden. Pic: Lesley McCullaugh

“Some people may be put off by the limited access to the house itself,” says Lesley. “We only had access to the ballroom which had a display of the King’s artwork and a few outfits worn by the late Queen, Queen Mother and the current King and Queen, but I still had a fantastic experience. I actually had the feeling I wouldn’t want to impose any further into what is obviously a very private and special home for the Royal Family,” she says.

She was there for around two hours and arrived as soon as it opened at 10am. Her tip is to get there early as it became very busy later. There’s a café and gift shop onsite and the Queen’s Building Restaurant is undergoing refurbishment and re-opens July 1.“It’s definitely worth the trip,” she says.

The Travel List

• Where: Balmoral Castle is in Ballater, Aberdeenshire.

• What: The grounds, gardens and exhibitions at Balmoral are open daily until Sunday 11th August. 

• How to book: visit balmoralcastle.com