August in Scotland is traditionally the busiest time of year for visitors, and quite often, it is hard to find the accommodation of your choice without having booked well in advance. Unsurprisingly, this is because many international Visitors like to take advantage of the best of Scotland’s weather and, of course, the tradition of an August holiday.
This year might be slightly different, with the Olympics just over the Channel. Many people will attend in person or stay at home to watch the events at leisure. Many International visitors are elongating their trips by adding extra European stops to their journey before and after the Olympics.
Many of our guests enjoy spending a quiet day with us because they have planned too much on their trip. I think we have all done that, and of course, we all want to see everything, but sometimes it is worth remembering you are on holiday, so plan some relaxation and walking.
This is all possible because, thankfully, there is so much to explore in Scotland and what opportunities this presents to find so many undiscovered treasures. One such treasure discovered many years ago by Queen Victoria is Balmoral Castle Estate. Typically, during August, the Castle is closed to visitors, and even though the Queen will spend longer in Scotland this year, many of the Grounds will remain open.
The Balmoral Estate is a beautiful 90-minute drive from us, and since you have super long daylight hours during August in Scotland, this is a lovely time of year to visit the Estate.
This is where having the time and opportunity to explore pays off. Despite having visited the Balmoral Estate many times, I had never made the time nor the opportunity to explore the Cairns Walk and the Grounds. The Cairns Walk is a delightful ramble throughout the Forest above the Castle. Spend as long as you like, take a variety of routes suitable for all levels and explore as many Cairns as you can.
To do this walk justice. Ideally, you should book tickets for the Castle Grounds and take advantage of the colour-coded map the Estate provides.
If you are unfamiliar with the Scottish term for Cairn, a cairn is a group of stones placed on top of one another to form a mound. The term is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word “carn”.
Carrying a stone from the bottom of the valley to be placed on top of an existing cairn has become part of Scottish folklore and custom. Over time, cairns have grown into large mounds and are an intriguing and curious sight. An ancient Scottish blessing, “Cuiridh mi clach air do charn”, means “I will put a stone on your cairn”.
In the instance of the Balmoral Cairns, the purpose of the cairn is to commemorate the memory of a loved family member. Cairns can be found throughout Scotland acting as memorials or by climbers to mark their success at reaching the summit of a Munro. They can also be used as waymarkers.
The largest and highest Cairn is Prince Albert’s spectacular Pyramid. I advise you not to miss the older and smaller Prince Leopold’s Cairn, which sits overlooking the Castle. To truly appreciate the hidden beauty of these Cairns, take a trip to Craithes Church and look up the mountainside to view them—don’t be surprised if you cannot see them. I couldn’t, and yet the views from these Cairns are genuinely unique.
Once you have explored all the Cairns, visit the Castle Gardens and the Tearooms.
Guest Blogger Derry’ take on August in Scotland.
Sometimes, my Mum is rude and tells me I am a big girl. Recently, even the veterinary surgeon doing my Annual Health checks said I was overweight and needed more exercise. Well, let me tell you, I am 17 hands high, which is 1.72m to those of you in the real world. So that means I am big-boned, and I can’t help that. I also boast a Mummy Tummy because I have had several babies. It might be true that I do enjoy my food and have a healthy appetite, but there is nothing wrong with that.
So, I hope it will not be too hot here in Scotland. Even though I have grown a beautiful fine chestnut-coloured coat for the Summer, it still means it can make me very hot when working. I like to get out and about in the next-door Forest, all 1800 acres, and I enjoy a pleasant saunter around the picturesque Blairs Loch; I 
prefer leisurely doing it all. However, I will have to work a bit harder this summer.
If you are reading this and don’t want my Mum to make me work too hard, I would appreciate it if you let her know in the comments to make sure I get plenty of lie-ins and extra carrots to keep me going; it is essential for a horse of my size. Better still, if you are coming to stay, bring carrots.
So August in Scotland:
It is not just about exploring Cairns; it is also about finding some particular time for yourself, just getting away and having a break. We have lots of walking, Castles, Beaches, and Golf Courses waiting for you.
Even this week, guests told me I had sent them on the most exciting walk they had seen. The walk was along the Moray Coastline, which features fascinating rock formations, fantastic birdlife, dolphins, and historic viaducts.