Continuing on our journey through the Cairngorms on Wednesday September 18th, our lunch stop was in Braemar. This was a very busy village with tourist buses and many visitors. We found a parking spot in front of the Fife Arms, a 5 star hotel in the Highlands.

We were early for lunch so we walked about the village.

The Parish of Braemar and Crathie is one of the largest, highest and most remote in Scotland. It is set in the magnificent Cairngorms National Park, more or less equidistant from Aberdeen, Inverness and Perth, and on any given day the number of visitors to the area may exceed the resident population.

On August 17, 2019, Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II visited Braemar and Crathie Parish Church in Aberdeenshire. 

Braemar church is built in the shape of a cross with a very prominent pulpit which reflects the significance of the preaching of the word by its founders.

The communion Table is made of oak and came from the original Parish or East Church. The Font bears the inscription “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”.

There were several banners around the church. This one struck a chord with me.

It was easy to see that the church needs some repair work done.

We crossed over the Clunie Water to see more of the village.

Laura saw this photo opportunity!

We planned on eating our lunch at The Fife Arms, a 19th-century hunting lodge on Clunie Water. This ornate hotel is a 2-minute walk from central Braemar, 15 minutes from Braemar Castle and 8.9 miles from Glenshee Ski Centre.

We waited for lunch service to begin at The Flying Stag and enjoyed our surroundings. On this very warm day air conditioning would have been appreciated. Windows were opened and we had some cooling.

Remember my theme for the Cairngorms or the Highlands? Antlers abound everywhere we turn.

We couldn’t dilly dally here since we were on a quest to reach Dunnottar Castle on the North Sea before it closed for the day. After lunch we headed east from Braemar and passed the many acre Balmoral Estate with not a glimpse of the castle. The castle can be visited from April until the beginning of August. Leaving Braemar, we were only halfway done with our fun experiences for this day in the sunshine.

Our weather continued to be exceptional for our driving days for that we again were very thankful. We did reach the castle in time and there are many photos to share so this post will come to an end here.

Currently here in Colville we have experienced rainy days with some snow showing on the mountain tops around us. Hope all is well in your corner.