Scotland: Castle Trail Deeside Aberdeenshire Day Questions
 

Do you think this is too much for one day? What if we cut out Crathes Castle gardens? Still too much for one day? Most likely we will end up doing Crathes randomly and separately since it's only 30 min from Aberdeen and we've been there before.

Start: Aberdeen
*Crathes Castle early (gardens only - already have been inside the castle)
*Finzean Estate Tea Room, between Aboyne and Banchory (tea or breakfast until 11:30, lunch 12:00-3:30)
*Craiglever Castle
*Kildrummy Castle
*Braemer (town) or skip the town and drive to the end of the road to look around, not hike (Linn O' Dee)
*Ballater to Loch Muick - to look around, not hike
*Tease Coffee Bar, Banchory (if needed)

or we can do this in reverse.

If it's too much, what should we take out to do on another day?

Can anyone tell me more about getting to Linn O'Dee from Braemer? I know there is a car park and toilets.

Thanks as always.

Too much unfortunately. The drive alone will take half the day.

W/ or w/o Crathes - it will take at least 5 hours drive time. More if you drive out to Loch Muick. Craigevar is a 60-90 minute stop. Kildrummy involves quite a walk (close to a mile if I remember correctly) to the castle and then more if you want to see the gardens. Crathes Gardens is easily an hour's stop.

Okay, I will rethink. Thanks

What if we only go to Craigievar as far as the castles go? Still too much for both Muick and Linn O'Dee? Of these two places I am more inclined to nix Muick and go all the way to Braemar.

It's more than a bit.

We fouled up and drove to Balmoral (didn't know HRM was there), backtracked to Corgarff (yawn), then went to Craigevar (nice for a look around and a snack), Fraser (full tour) and Drum (full tour) all in a day. But we had a top end map with all the unnamed country lanes marked on it and we had a slight head-start because we were staying in Maryculter, which is 6 miles west of Aberdeen and outside the traffic problems on the A93. You can do a lot . . .

I still need more help. Just under three weeks to go. Where is shelia?