Ballater Walking Festival - Ballater History Walk - Bridge Street

Depart from Green Hut Ballater at 10am on foot. Please arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Part 1 - (suitable for wheelchair users)
Approximate Distance 2km
Approximate Walking Time 2 hours
Landranger Map no. - 44

Part 2 (not suitable for wheelchairs)
Approximate Distance 10km
Approximate Ascent - 164m
Approximate Walking Time 2.5-3 hours
Landranger Map no. - 44

DESCRIPTION
Part 1- This historical tour of Ballater is being led by local heritage writer and story teller, Joan Anderson. Joan has an excellent reputation for being engaging, humorous and bringing the past to life with emotion and fun. Joan will be telling us stories about a selection of the landmarks and smaller curiosities in Ballater, places weve possibly walked in the past, or taken for granted. This part will mainly be on pavements and good paths and is suitable for wheelchair users, finishing around midday.

Walkers are encouraged to bring their lunch and relax a little before the second part of the walk, to the ruins of Abergairn Castle and Glen Gairn.

Part 2 - Abergairn castle was built around 1614 as a three or four-storey tower, possibly used as a hunting lodge for the Farquharson family, who owned the land. Today you will have to use your imagination as the grand driveways, surrounding buildings and castle are all becoming lost to nature, but there are still some clues. The views of Glen Gairn are beautiful and the walk takes a meandering route back to Ballater, through farmland, to make the most of these vistas.

TERRAIN
The paths are mostly easy. However, the castle itself sits on top of a small grassy mound which is pathless and a little steep. A small number of fallen trees need to be circumnavigated, which means coming off the tracks or clearings for short sections. If you use poles on uneven ground, you are recommended to bring them.