Royal Deeside Map 1

Ballater, Glen Muick, Balmoral

ISBN 978-1-906184-61-2

The area around Ballater, on Royal Deeside, is perfect for mountain biking and walking. This guide covers an area of the Cairngorms National Park, to the south and west of Ballater, as far as Lock Muick and Balmoral. There are tough trails with stream crossings, hard climbs and fast descents for the technical expert. Or, for a pleasant cycle, there are easier tracks too. There are magnificent views of lochs, rivers, Caledonian pine forest and mountains. Try some of the suggested routes or just adventure on your own, using this map and the routes as a guide

Specially made for biking

Can be used for short walks

Information, hostels, cafés, & bike shops

Suggested routes

A clear written description

MTB single track information

Local facilities

Tourist attractions

Printed on waterproof paper

The following are extracts from Royal Deeside Map 1:-

Yellow Route. Easy From Ballater 13.8km 2hr bike ride.
Take the road south out of Ballater and cross over the River Dee at the Ballater Bridge. Turn right onto the South Deeside Road (SDR) and follow this over the Bridge of Muick. Turn right onto a forest road that takes you all the way around the Knock and back to the SDR. Turn left and after 0.7k take the forest track on the right through the gates. Head through the forest until reaching the minor road. Turn right and continue to Mill of Sterin and follow the road around turning left after crossing the River Muick. Either take the road back to Ballater or follow the route through the forest as highlighted on the map.

Orange Route. Moderate. Ballater to Lochnagar Distillery and Balmoral 27.2km, 3 hours. This is a long, easy ride along the SDR. This road is usually quiet but take care as traffic can be very fast. Head south out of Ballater over the Ballater Bridge and follow the road west for 10km. Near Abergeldie turn left and follow the road to the Lochnagar Distillery. Continue downhill to Easter Balmoral where there is a shop selling refreshments. Turn left for Balmoral or right to return on the SDR to Ballater.

Red Route.,,,

There is some excellent MTB single track in the area, some of which are shown on the map with their local names. The Streak of Lightning is steep and technically difficult.