What to See in Braemar - Top Sights and Attractions

Ski area in Scotland. Glenshee Ski Centre is an alpine snowsports area in the Scottish Highlands. It is located above the Cairnwell Pass at the head of Glen Shee on either side of the A93 road between Blairgowrie and Braemar. Glenshee is Britain's largest alpine snowsports area and is referred to as the 'Scottish Three Glens'. in reference to Les Trois Vallées. The ski area covers 2,000 acres.

22 lifts provide access to 25 miles of pistes. There are 3 chairlifts, 3 T-bar lifts and 16 button lifts, mostly Pomas. A 4-seat chairlift is planned to replace the Cairnwell T-bar.

The pistes are spread across four mountains. The western side of the ski area is a large bowl encompassing The Cairnwell 3,061 ft and Càrn Aosda 3,009 ft. The eastern side extends onto Meall Odhar 3,025 ft and Glas Maol 3,504 ft. There are 8 green pistes; 13 blue; 13 red and 2 black including the 'Tiger', one of the steepest pistes in Scotland. The longest single run, Glas Maol, is 1.2 miles and is considered by some to be amongst the best pistes in Scotland.

Extensive snow-making often allows the slopes to remain open in poor weather longer than other ski areas in Scotland. The ski area is served by panoramic webcams.^[1]

National park in Braemar, Scotland. Mar Lodge Estate is a highland estate in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1995. Its principal building, Mar Lodge, is about 4 miles west of the village of Braemar. The estate is recognised as one of the most important nature conservation landscapes in the British Isles and occupies nearly 8% of the Cairngorms National Park, covering 29,340 hectares. The natural heritage value of the estate is reflected by the fact that much of it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area. The entire estate has been classified as a national nature reserve since May 2017, and is designated a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Extreme weather conditions are experienced across the estate, especially on the plateau. Landslides, avalanches and floods alter the landscape and give it an interesting geomorphology. The estate is characterised by rounded granite Cairngorm mountains to the north, with deep corries and crags down to the valley floor. Spectacular glacial breaches include the Lairig Ghru and Lairig an Laoigh. To the south west are the more open, rolling hills of the Geldie. Waters flowing from the mountains become the headwaters of the River Dee.

The estate is popular with hill walkers, containing 14 Munros, and 4 of the 5 highest mountains in Scotland, including Britain’s second highest mountain, Ben Macdui. A car park and toilet facilities are provided by NTS close to the waterfall of the Linn of Dee, which is the main access point to the area. Public access to the estate for outdoor activities such as hillwalking, climbing and wild camping is permitted by the general right to responsible access that applies to all land in Scotland under the Scottish outdoor access code.^[3]

Archaeological museum in Braemar, Scotland. Kindrochit Castle is a ruined 14th-century fortification in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located at Braemar, in a strategic position on the banks of the Clunie Water, a tributary of the River Dee. The ruins are protected as a scheduled monument.

Kindrochit was a hunting seat of King Robert II, who issued charters here most years between 1371 and 1388. In 1390 Robert III granted a licence to Malcolm Drummond to build a new tower on the site. The present ruins comprise the ground floor of the tower, measuring around 19.3 by 13 metres (63 by 43 ft). The site of the earlier royal lodge was excavated in the 1920s and included a hall around 30 by 9 metres (98 by 30 ft), with square towers at each corner.

John Erskine, Earl of Mar showed the ruined castle at Kindrochit to John Taylor when the poet made his Pennyles Pilgrimage to Scotland in 1618. Taylor, who rode with the Earl from Braemar Castle, was told that Malcolm Canmore had built the castle in the 11th century. He thought it remarkable because he did not see another house in the next 12 days of their ride.

C. Michael Hogan has suggested that Kindrochit Castle, as well as Kildrummy and Durris Castles, were likely sited based upon strategic positions relative to the ancient Elsick Mounth trackway, which provided a strategic crossing of the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains.^[5]