By the time we got to Balmoral it was far too late in the day for a visit. So we just scouted the outside.

Gates to Balmoral Estate. With monograms GR for George V and MR for Queen Mary:-

On the appraoch road from the car park lies a War Memorial unveiled by King George V in 1922.

Note the swastikas (or fylfots) at base of the inscription. These are in a different orientation to the later German swastikas and were good luck symbols.
The names on the upper block are of Balmoral estate employees, the lower ones are for men from the nearby village of Crathie.

Dedication plaque:-

Bridge Street, Ballater, showing War Memorial:-

Ballater, Bridge Street looking towards bridge. The shop on the corner sold very good ice cream:-

Unfortunately I didn’t get to a vantage point to see the bridge itself but I was able to photograph the River Dee from the bridge. Looking east:-

Opposite view, looking west:-

Since we were close to Ballater after leaving Corgarff and I had seen its War Memorial on television when the late Queen’s funeral procession passed through the town I thought I should take the chance to photograph it myself.

It’s a granite cross rising from a wall where the names are inscribed, standing in front of the church on Bridge Street. Unfortunately there was a tractor right behind it that day:-

Dedication and names:-

There was what I assumed was a Great War Centenary bench nearby:-

Corgarff Castle is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. We passed it on the way down from Dufftown to Ballater last year on the (in)famous Tomintoul – Cock Bridge road, the A 939. Unfortunately it was on one of the days of the week when the castle isn’t open.

It’s ummissable from the road standing on the hillside as it does, but there’s a steep path up from the car park.

Castle from approach path:-

The unusually shaped perimeter wall was built when the castle was a barracks.

Close view:-

From northwest:-

From southeast:-

From northeast:-

The War Memorial in Dufftown, Moray, is dedicated to the men of Mortlach. A column surmounted by two figures of victory plus a cross, it is situated off Balvennie Street (the A 941 ) in a memorial garden.

Memorial garden gates with plaques commemorating 1914 -1919 and 1939 – 1945:-

Great War Dedication and some names but other names are obscured by the wreaths:-

Great War names W D Alexander – W C Carden.

Great War names:-J Sandison – R Yeats plus C Stuart and F Kerrin:-

Second World War dedication and names:-

While we were having lunch in a nice cafe over the road I spotted this plaque on Dufftown’s Clock Tower, commemorating George Stephen. first President of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.

Those of you who know me very well will understand why his name grabbed my attention.

On the way down from Craigellachie we stopped off at Dufftown, mainly to have a look at Balvennie Castle, once the seat of the Earls of Buchan. We couldn’t go into the interior  since the castle was closed on the day.

Balvennie Castle information board:-

Balvennie Castle:-

Entrance:-

Gate:-

Interior through gate:-

From northwest:-

Mosset Park is home to Forres Mechanics FC, who play in the Highland League. The ground lies right by the A 95.

We happened to pass it on our trip up north in July 2024, so of course I had to stop to photograph it.  It looks tidy enough but I’ve not been inside.

Mosset Park, Forres:-

This memorial to the men and women who served at RAF Banff lies beside the A 98 road between Banff and Portsoy.

Main plaque:-

Lower plaque:-

Memorial stone for Number 14 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit which trained 2,136 pilots on twin-engined Airspeed Oxfords at RAF Banff between May 1943 and August 1944:-

Portsoy is a delightful small fishing village on the Moray coast, with what looked like three harbours. It was a warm day and many children and adults were sporting in the shallowest one of them.

Being picturesque, Portsoy has featured in several films and TV series.

This sculpture of a dolphin overlooks the harbours and the sea:-

This old window space in what is now a free-standing wall framed the Moray Firth coast beyond:-