King Charles III inherited Queen Elizabeth II's beloved Balmoral estate when she passed away, and now he continues the royal tradition of spending summer holidays at the idyllic location. In addition to the grand castle itself, the estate has many separate buildings, but did you know the neighbouring estate has an extra special royal cottage where overnight stays are forbidden?
There has been a picnic cottage restored on the grounds. What's a picnic cottage, we hear you ask? Exactly what it sounds like… a beautiful cottage providing a shelter for picnics when the weather isn't fair, not a cottage for staying in.
The Queen Victoria Picnic Cottage was renovated in 2024 by Moxon Architects with the guidance of National Trust Scotland, restoring it to its former glory. As the name suggests, it was a place much enjoyed by Queen Victoria for picnics when she was visiting Scotland, and now visitors are able to take a good look around.
© Courtesy of National Trust for Scotland by Ben Addy, Moxon ArchitectsA wooden porch was added after it was discovered that the building would have once had one originally, and the rest of the property was made safe and weatherproof.
© Courtesy of National Trust for Scotland by Ben Addy, Moxon ArchitectsDavid Frew, National Trust for Scotland Head of Mar Lodge Estate, explained: "The property was in a poor state when the Trust acquired Mar Lodge Estate in 1975, and subsequent works had taken place to stabilise its condition, including fixing walls and installing a new roof and shingles in the past."
© Courtesy of National Trust for Scotland by Ben Addy, Moxon ArchitectsBalmoral Estate
It's hard to imagine quite how vast the Balmoral estate alone is, and in Prince Harry's tell-all memoir, Spare he details one childhood summer, where the royals gathered at a secluded lodge on site called Inchnabobart.
He penned: "We came to the last wooden bridge, the tires making that soothing lullaby I always associated with Scotland. Da dong, da dong...da dong, da dong. Just below us, a burn seethed after recent heavy rain up top. The air was thick with midges. Through the trees, in the last moments of daylight, we could faintly make out huge stags peering at us. Now we arrived in a great clearing, an old stone hunting lodge to the right, the cold stream running down to the river through the wood on our left, and there she was. Inchnabobart!"
© AlamyHe continued: "We ran inside the lodge. The warm kitchen! The old fireplace! I fell onto the fender, with its worn red cushion, and inhaled the smell of that huge pyramid of silver birch firewood stacked beside it. If there’s a smell more intoxicating or inviting than silver birch, I don’t know what it could be. Grandpa, who’d set off half an hour before us, was already tending his grill at the back of the lodge."
Balmoral to close its doors
The castle has been open since April for members of the public to go inside, but on 10 August it will shut its doors once again. The website explains that "the only room in the Castle open to the public at this time is the Ballroom, where visitors can see our 2025 exhibition".
They also have a line-up of special events in August, including a cinema evening and a family fun day. The family day includes a birds of prey display, the iconic Balmoral BBQ and a children's film played on a large outdoor screen.
