Balmoral Castle

Wednesday found us driving north of Perth on the A93 through green farmland with fields of vegetables and fruits, including strawberries and raspberries ripe and for sale in roadside stands. Past Blairgowrie, the road begins to rise, becoming narrow and twisting through the moorlands. Soon we were in the Cairngorm National Park, with views of high mountains before us. We climbed to Cairnwell Pass, at 2199' the base to Glenshee Ski Area, the UK's largest winter sport area.
The road on the north side of the pass is broader, descending to Braemar, an alpine resort village with shops, tea rooms, and accommodations. It was a nice stop for morning tea.
Just 17 miles down the road was Balmoral Castle, the summer home of the royal family, sitting on a 49,000 acre estate. To our surprise, the grounds were open to the public. A short walk from the gate brought us to the castle. It did not disappoint us, with a tower, turrets, and massive wooden doors. Also impressive was the access allowed to the grounds. We were able to walk around the castle, enter the ballroom, and stroll the gardens. Tea in the tea room and purchases in the gift shop made the day complete.
Back to Perth and a lovely meal at Robin's house.

Unedited photos of the day at Balmoral are up on Flickr.