Well-wishers urged to use park & ride facilities to ensure safety at Balmoral Estate

Members of the public who plan to travel to Balmoral to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen are being urged to use the park & ride facilities organised by Aberdeenshire Council.

There are no parking spaces available to the general public and officers are reporting an increasing number of safety issues due to people parking their vehicles in unsuitable areas. A limited number of disabled car parking spaces are available in the coach park at the Crathie Bridge for Blue Badge holders only.

The local authority will have park & ride facilities in place tomorrow (Saturday, 10 Sep) operating from Ballater at Monaltrie Park from 8am until 7pm, and at Braemar Castle between the same times. We strongly encourage people to plan their visit during these times.

Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Kate Stephen said: “We are experiencing an increasing number of well-wishers turning up at Balmoral Estate to lay floral tributes, which was fully expected and welcome. However many people are travelling directly to Balmoral by car where there are no parking spaces available. Our officers have had to ask people to leave the area to find alternative parking arrangements, which is the very last thing they want to do.

“A number of people turned up throughout the night to pay their respects and, given that Balmoral is a very remote and rural place with very little lighting, our officers on the ground were conscious that it was not the safest location to be so late. Therefore I would strongly recommend planning your visit during the park & ride times. 

“We are working closely with our partners to ensure the safety of everyone visiting Balmoral Estate who want to pay tribute to Her Majesty, and we would ask for the public’s co-operation at this time.”

For more information on the park & ride facility, visit the Aberdeenshire Council website.