Tips for first timers to the Braemar Games? and rec's for Lumphanan area dinner and an easy walk?

Car parking for the Braemar Gathering is not where the event is held. You will be driving in from Lumphanan on the A93 and on the outskirts of Braemar directed to park your car in a field, not a dedicated tarmacked area. This is about a 30 minute walk away from where the games take place. Make sure you have whatever you think you may need with you otherwise you will have to walk back to the car to retrieve it. I've always been led to believe there is a shuttle bus from the field to the car park but when attending the games myself I never noticed one. Perhaps others can confirm whether there is or not.

Stewards will be on duty to man the car parking fields and you will need to follow their instructions when entering and leaving. Conditions underfoot may be wet and muddy depending upon what the weather has been doing in the days before the event. This may impact upon the length of time it takes to get parked and again to leave the field at the end of the day.

Last year there was a complaint on a local Facebook page concerning the time it took someone to exit the field. Whether the criticism was justified or not I could not say but there is one road in to Braemar and one road out. I'm guessing a lot of people head to their own vehicles once the royal party leaves the arena, then end up sitting in their cars because bottlenecks occur and progress to return to the A93 becomes slow. The population of the village is around 800 people and some 16,000 people attend the gathering so delays to get in and get out of the village are inevitable.

Google maps does indicate a three hours to Fort Augustus but parts of this drive require great concentration to negotiate because the route is not straight, flat or wide. It may take you longer than you think to reach your lodgings.

Here is an excerpt from a trip report of my time in Scotland 2022. My situation was different from yours because I took the bus from Banchory, but I will echo what Sownack says, that the town is small and the traffic will be very slow going in and out of Braemar. He has given you some excellent tips for driving.

As for my tips about the venue itself: try not to miss the march of the pipes and drums into the field for opening, a cushion is helpful for comfort on the bleacher seats, it’s fine leaving your seat for a bit but I chose to stay put until I either became hungry or had to use the loo. Food and drink are plentiful as well as porta-potties. The area where the dancers is somewhat away from where the heavy athletics are, so it is nice to walk around and see everything at least once. Also, it gives your butt some relief from the hard bleachers. LOL, YMMV The Braemar gathering and games was one of the highlights of my time in Scotland and I expect you will also have a great time.

“Highlights Braemar: The #201 bus from Braemar to Banchory was delayed AND we (at least 70-80 people) lined up on the wrong side of the street so we had to do a quick pivot and walk in front of the slow moving traffic to the correct side of the street. It was actually comical. Could have kicked myself for that silliness since I used to commute by public transportation and should have known better. I met some pretty interesting people while waiting in that line though.

It was so much fun being with all those highlanders, marching with the pipers and drummers through town to the field before the start of the games. Reminded me of marching to a Sounders (soccer) match but with more fanfare. We all had such a fabulous time watching the competitors: cross country hill racers, tug of war, hurling weights, tossing the caber, dancers, pipers and drummers. It was a fabulous full day of fun and frolic.”

Thank you both for this great info! Does the opening march take place before 9 AM, when the games officially start? What time should we plan to arrive in Braemar to have time to park and walk to the games in order to see the march? Since we'll still be adjusting to the time difference, fingers crossed we'll fall asleep early on Friday night and can be up at the crack of dawn :)

Deanna, I could not remember what time I marched with the pipes and drums into the event grounds, so I looked at the timestamp on my photo of the march and it says 11:47. That makes sense because my program for the 2022 gathering states that the first march of the Massed Pipe Bands will take place at noon. Not sure if it is the same schedule every year but thinking it will be. Hope that helps.

Thank you Linda, that does help! I was afraid it would be at the very beginning and was dreading the early morning lol.

Hi, Deanna,

There are not many places to eat in the Lumphanan area, so if you don't mind a short drive to Aboyne, I can recommend the Boat Inn. As the area will be heaving with visitors due to the Braemar Gathering, best to make a reservation ahead of time.

There is a small tea shop in Lumphanan, but I don't know whether they'd still be open by the time you arrive on Friday. There are several restaurants in Banchory, but most of them close when they roll the sidewalks up after 5:00 p.m.. Perhaps sownack can make a recommendation. The restaurants which are still open after 5:00 are mostly associated with hotels, so once again, a reservation is pretty much necessary. There is one Chinese restaurant, and at least one chippy, in Banchory, both of which are open late. If you get really desparate, you can pick up a sandwich and drink at the Morrison's or Tesco in Banchory.

You may want to check with your host at the B&B for recommendations about walks in the Lumphanan area. That's mostly farm country, so most of the walks would be on local roads. If you end up in Aboyne, there is a good walk in Glen Tanar. It's a five mile loop, but you can shorten it to an out and back. If you end up at the Boat Inn, it would be a good way to walk off your meal. There is a fee to park in Glen Tanar, but I doubt if it would be enforced by the time that you get there.

If you end up in Banchory, you should definitely visit the Falls of Feugh, which are about a mile south of town. I think that it's one of the best waterfalls in Scotland. Best of all, there is no fee to park, and the (very clean) loos are open 24 hours. (Also no charge!)

If you can escape the hustle and bustle of Braemar for a few minutes, you should visit the ruins of Kindrochit Castle, which is located on the east bank of the Clunie, right behind Farquharson's Bar and Kitchen. The castle dates from the 14th century.

I had considered Celtic Legend for my most recent trip, but Avis was over 200 pounds less, and they are right there at ABZ.

There are two main routes to Fort Augustus from Braemar. Three hours is an optimistic driving time, as sownack noted. You will be faced with thousands of other cars leaving Braemar at the same time, and there are only two routes out of town. Probably the easiest way would be to backtrack toward Ballater on the A93, take the B976 at Crathie Kirk, and the A939 (the Lecht Road) to Grantown. That will greatly increase your options.

Have a wonderful time at the Gathering!

Mike (Auchterless)

Good advice as ever from Mike (Auchterless) and The Boat is an excellent choice for dinner. I ate lunch there recently and have no complaints. Booking a table would be essential and this is the website you need

www.theboatinnaboyne.co.uk

Deanna I am curious about your decision to stay one night in Lumphanan then drive to Fort Augustus after attending the Braemar Gathering. Did you not look into staying somewhere along the A93 or just off it for two successive nights? You said you are flying in from North Carolina and will be tired and jet lagged on arrival in Aberdeen which sounds as though you are not stopping off on the way, or have I misunderstood? I am concerned that the jet lag might catch up with you both when you drive from Braemar to Fort Augustus.

Thanks Mike and Sownack for the amazing detailed advice! Sownack, we had already booked six nights in Fort Augustus before we decided to fly in a day early to attend the games in Braemar. We leave the USA on Thursday 5 Sept, arriving in London at 7 AM on Friday 6 Sept. We have a five hour layover in Heathrow before our flight to Aberdeen - if we get through Passport Control quickly enough, I'm hoping we'll have two or three hours to buy a day pass to a lounge where we can shower and nap a little. And my hubby will catch a nap on the flight to Aberdeen. But you make a good point, and I am definitely open to suggestions if you can recommend somewhere that would be better for a two night stay? I can cancel our one night at Mapleview, and while I think it's too late to change our booking on Fort Augustus, we could just let them know we are arriving a day later than planned and keep the booking the same. We'd be paying for that second night in two places, but it might be better and safer to do it that way, especially if I can find an inexpensive place for a two night stay. Where would be the best place strategically for a two night stay?

Hi, Deanna,

I have to say that I was a bit worried about your not having enough rest before heading off to your B&B, but it looks as though you have that sorted out.

The Arnold Clark location where you'll be picking up your car is smack dab in the middle of Aberdeen. I've driven in Aberdeen at least 35 times over the years, so I'm familiar with the area. If you have SatNav arranged for the car, it will probably send you to Banchory by way of Holburn Street and Great Western Road. Both are currently a mess due to roadworks, and you can't turn right on to Great Western Road. There are diversion signs everywhere.

The easiest way to get to Banchory is to head north on Powis Place (A96). You may have to go down to the Mounthooly Roundabout to turn about, depending on traffic. You'd make a complete u-turn at the roundabout. Follow the road up to the top, where there's a traffic light. Powis Place becomes Great Northern Road (still A96). Go straight at the next roundabout (Kittybrewster Roundabout), and continue on until you get to North Anderson Drive, which will be signposted for the A92. There is a KFC on the left corner.

You will have reached the Haudagain Roundabout, which, until the bypass was built, was considered the worst roundabout in Britain. Turn left on to North Anderson Drive, and follow it through several roundabouts for about three miles until you come to the A93 (Great Western Road), which should be signposted Deeside. There is a traffic light at that intersection, which unfortunately has no right turn arrow.

Turn right on the A93, and follow it to Banchory, where you can pick up the A980 for Lumphanan.

It's going to take a good hour from the time you pick up the car until you reach Banchory. That's going to put you there around 4:00 p.m., if all goes well. As there's not much in the way of food in Lumphanan, I'd recommend finding something to eat in Banchory, especially as you're planning to get to bed fairly early. At that time, you should have plenty of choices in Banchory, but if all else fails, you can get a "meal deal" at either Tesco or Morrison's (Sandwich, drink, and snack for 4 pounds). Again, if you have time, you could drive down to the Falls of Feugh. If you decide to park in Banchory, there is a parking fee in the main car park. However, most of the side streets have free parking. Just don't park on the dreaded double yellow lines! If you need to stretch your legs, Banchory is a great little town for strolling and window shopping.

Once again, very best wishes, and enjoy the Gathering!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: If you don't fancy tackling the roundabouts on North Anderson Drive, you could continue on the A96 until just past the airport, where you would head south on the A90 Aberdeen Bypass, which you'd follow until you reach the A93, which is signposted for Peterculter and Braemar.

p.p.s.: This close to the Gathering, I doubt whether you'll find any two night stays closer to Braemar. Your best bet at this point would be to go with your original plan, get a good night's sleep on the Friday, and get an early start on Saturday. Leaving the Gathering early would be a good way to beat the bulk of the traffic, but you may be having such a good time that you don't want to leave early :).

Thank you Deanna for explaining the reason behind your booking.

The problem is that the Braemar Gathering is a major event and demand for accommodation is high anywhere along the A93 for the first weekend in September. Some places take reservations a year in advance. If you wish to change you plans I suggest you see if you can find somewhere in Aberdeen to spend a couple of nights. There are plenty of hotels with on-site car parking and I would hope you could find something to suit your needs. The drive to Braemar from Aberdeen is straightforward once you get yourself on the A93.

Obviously places like Banchory, Aboyne or Ballater are much closer to Braemar and you might be lucky to find accommodation if someone has a cancellation. You'll need to trawl through the usual booking sites to find something.

Hi once again, Deanna,

Following up on sownack's post, I did a quick check for accommodation along the A93 from Peterculter to Braemar, but there was nothing available in any reasonable price range. If you wanted to stay closer to Aberdeen, and face a twice as long drive on Saturday morning, the closest hotels would be in Westhill, which is west of Aberdeen, just off of the A90, and one exit north of the Deeside Road (A93).

So again, since you already have accommodation for Friday, your best bet would be to follow through with your original plan, and get a good night's sleep.

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

Thank you both, and thanks Mike for the detailed driving instruction and the accommodations search! I think you are right that we should stick with our original plan. My husband has driven in the UK and Ireland on several previous trips, so is fairly used to driving on the opposite side of the road, and as long as we get a good nights sleep on Friday he should be okay to drive on Saturday.
Mike, I copied your driving instructions into a note on my phone, so I'll be able to access them once we get to the rental car. They will be so incredibly helpful! I'll be posting other questions in here as we do more planning, but all of your advice has been most appreciated!

Warmly,
Deanna