Balmoral Castle

We've lived up here for 11 years and never visited Balmoral Castle, so we thought we'd put that right today:-)  A lovely drive through Glenshee, with snow still on the mountain tops.  The sun was shining in the sky, but the car pinged its warning of ice at 3 degrees!!  We should have taken heed!

We had lunch in the café first and then began our walk round the grounds. You expect sunshine and showers in April and the spots of rain were bad enough, but then we had hailstones!!  Fortunately they didn't last long and I was able to get a few photos in between the showers, but it was so very cold to be outdoors. 

We were disappointed that you only get to see the Ballroom inside the castle, as all the other rooms are Private, even though the Royals were not in residence.  It was nice to see it at last, but if we go again, it will be in the warmer weather!  A few more photos in Extras.