Old Royal Station

Rebuilt Victorian terminus of the Deeside line, used by generations of royals travelling to Balmoral.

Ballater station opened in 1866 as the end of the Deeside line from Aberdeen, and it closed in 1966. For decades it was a visitor centre with Queen Victoria's waiting room and a replica royal carriage. On 12 May 2015 a fire almost completely destroyed it.

The building was rebuilt and reopened in 2018. It now houses the village library, a café and a visitor centre. It's in Station Square in the middle of the village, a natural first stop, and the start of the Deeside Way runs from here.

things to do sight railway history
A story
Ballater was the nearest station to Balmoral, so a century of royal journeys ended here. Queen Victoria had her own waiting room, and in 1896 the Czar of Russia came through on his way to visit her.