Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Crathie Church, Deeside, Scotland

 This evening, I am focusing on Craithie Kirk (Church) which is located in the Scottish Highlands close to the Royal Castle at Balmoral. This area falls within the Cairngorms National Park and the highest and most remote part of Scotland.

Christianity in this area dates back to the 6th century resulting in a succession of places of worship in the vicinity.The present church was completed in 1895 after a foundation stone laying by Queen Victoria in 1893. The Royal connection continues to this day as the Royal Family worship at Crathie when in residence at Balmoral.

Crathie Church is part of the Church of Scotland ( Presbyterian).

The ruins of the church (and graveyard)  which preceded the current one can be viewed from the front door of the present church. In the graveyard are buried local people who served Queen Victoria including her famous servant, John Brown. 

The interior of the church is normally open to the public.

Craithie Church, Deeside, Scotland

 Craithie Church is easily accesssible for visitors to Balmoral Castle . Another visitor attraction nearby is Royal Lochnagar Distillery.

Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Deeside, Scotland

This evening, i am focusing on Royal Lochnagar Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Some key facts:

• Established 1845 and named after the nearby mountain of the same name.
• Situated close to the royal residence at Balmoral.
• In 1848 may have provided the first ever distillery tour when Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children toured the distillery as guest of proprietor, John Begg.
• Patronage from nearby royals secured change in the spirits’s prefix from ‘New to ‘Royal’.
• Much of the output in the early years went into the VAT 69 blend. Now a major constituent of  premium expressions, blue and gold label, of Johnnie Walker blends.
• Prince Charles visited in 1995 to celebrate the distillery’s 150th anniversary.
• Spirit is matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
• Main product as single malt is the 12 year old at 40pct (below).

Royal Lochnagar Whisky, Scotland

Glenshee Highland Scenery, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on the small village of Glenshee, located in Perthshire and  just south of the Grampian Mountains, about 1 hour drive north of Pitlochry.

Glenshee is a Highland community situated on the A93  which runs between Blairgowrie and Braemar (close to Balmoral Castle).  The area is a haven for outdoor activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, deer stalking and (in winter) skiing. The going can be tough in winter and even in March I once had to turn back when on a tour due to the road being blocked by snow.

The origin of the name is interesting. The word Spittal is a Scots word borrowed from the Latin hospitium (from which the modern word hospital is derived). The Scots word meant a hospice or resting place for travellers. It is believed that there has been some sort of travellers rest at Glenshee for about 1000 years. As for the rest of the name, Glen means valley and Shee refers to the River Shee or Shee Water. So, in modern English the name might roughly translate as the ‘Travellers Rest in the Valley of the River Shee’.

I stayed a couple of nights here recently in context of a tour, an experience which proved quite interesting and resulted in contact with parties of hikers and hillwalkers.

As for lodgings, the Spittal of Glenshee Hotel is deceptively large but really aimed at the outdoor market. Whilst at the higher end is the Dalmunzie (pronounced Dalmungie) Castle Hotel.

Most visitors come to this part of the country to connect with the scenery and not the inside of hotel rooms. continue reading…