Day 211 of the BRIT 2012 mile walk
was a very special day. I had the privilege of walking this morning at
the Balmoral Estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire. Balmoral has been one of
the residences of the Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen
Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. It remains the private property
of Her Majesty the Queen and is not part of the Crown Estate.
Walking in Balmoral has been a
personal desire for many years. To finally see this beautiful Estate and soak
up the calmness and breath-taking scenery was a very special occasion and
experience for me.
Soon after the estate was purchased the existing house was found to be too
small. It was demolished, and the current Balmoral Castle was completed in
1856. The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the Royal
Family, and now covers an area of about 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres).
Queen Victoria recorded in her diary that; "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils” After Prince Albert's death, Queen Victoria spent increasing periods at Balmoral, staying up to four months a year during early summer and autumn. After Queen Victoria's death, the Royal Family continued to use Balmoral during annual autumn visits. King George V had substantial improvements completed during the 1910s and 1920s and since the 1950s, the Duke of Edinburgh has also added herbaceous borders and a water garden.
Balmoral Estate is within the Cairngorms National Park and contains the
most stunning variety of landscapes. Within the Estate there are seven “Munros”
(hills in Scotland over 3,000 feet) and the highest is Lochnagar.
The mountain was the setting for His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’
children's story, “The Old Man of Lochnagar”, that he told to his
younger brothers, their Royal Highnesses, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. “The
Old Man of Lochnagar” was published in 1980 with royalties accruing to The
Prince’s Trust http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/
1931, the castle gardens were first opened to the public, and are now open
daily between April and the end of July, after which Her Majesty the Queen
arrives for her annual stay. For more information on Balmoral Castle and the
Balmoral Estate, the link is here; http://www.balmoralcastle.com/
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| Welcomed to Balmoral by the Lord Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire, James Ingleby, the Provost, Jill Webster and the Black Watch |
Today I had the honour of being
joined at Loch Muick by the Lord- Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire, James Ingleby, and
his wife Moira, the Provost, Jill Webster and Marcus Humphrey CBE OStJ DL FRICS
MA. Marcus served as the Grand
Master Mason of the Grand Lodge of Scotland from 1983–1988, is owner of the
Dinnet Estate which borders the Balmoral Estate and he is currently Deputy
Provost, a Deputy Lieutenant and a Conservative Councillor for Aboyne, Upper
Deeside and Donside.
In addition I was delighted to be
joined by servicemen from Alpha (Grenadier) Company currently providing Her
Majesty the Queen’s Guard at Balmoral.
My sincere thanks to Colonel
Fenton, Commanding Officer of The Black Watch 3rd Battalion The
Royal Regiment of Scotland, and to Major Rob Hedderwick, Officer Commanding of
Alpha Company, for their support and giving their kind permission for members
of Alpha Company to walk with me today.
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| With the Lord Lieutenant, the Provost and members of Alpha Company The Black Watch 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland |
From Balmoral, I drove on to the
City of Aberdeen where I was welcomed at the University of Aberdeen http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ by
their Head of Communications, Shaunagh Kirby who coordinated this part of my
BRIT 2012 mile walk.
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| With staff and students from the University of Aberdeen at their magnificent Sports Compex |
It was a pleasure to be
introduced to students and staff at the University before I was taken on the
second half of my BRIT 2012 mile walk today through the beautiful park and past
the historic University buildings by Students’ Association members and
University students.
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| Members of the University of Aberdeen Student's Association in front of the stunning King's College |
It was great to be able to talk
so openly with the students of the University and in particular, to spend time
with the inspirational Adam Khan, President for Charities at Aberdeen
University Students’ Association.
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| An absolute pleasure to walk with and listen to students today including the inspirational Adam Khan, President for Charities |
Following my walk I was greeted
by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Alison Skene who welcomed me into the City
of Aberdeen and kindly took me to meet the Lord Provost, Mr George Adams.
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| With the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Alison Skene and the Lord Provost, George Adams in front of the statue of Robert the Bruce |
I am grateful to both the Lord
Provost and to the Deputy Lord Lieutenant for taking the time this afternoon to
sit and talk with me about BRIT and it was an honour to sign the Lord Provost’s
visitor’s book.
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| Signing the Visitor's Book with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Alison Skene and the Lord Provost, George Adams |
Today has been a truly
unforgettable experience and I have super memories of so many kind, generous,
warm and inspirational people from Aberdeenshire. I very much look
forward to building on a relationship with the University of Aberdeen.
I am finishing Day 211 with 658
miles to go.
My very best wishes,
Phil