Join
The bridge at Linn of Dee with the river running beneath through a rocky gorge.
Aberdeen City & Shire

Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve

Getting here

Mar Lodge Estate is 3 miles west of Braemar.
Address Mar Lodge Estate Braemar Aberdeenshire AB35 5YJ

To get to Mar Lodge Estate from Braemar, follow the unclassified road (signposted Linn of Dee) from the A93.

To get to Linn of Dee, carry on along the unclassified Linn of Dee road until you reach the Linn of Dee car park.

To get to the Linn of Quoich, continue past the Linn of Dee car park and follow the road to its end at the Quoich car park.

Parking is free for members; charges apply for non-members.

Contact information

Telephone: 01339 720163

Get directions

Provided by Google Maps

Opening times

Estate

Current period 1 Jan–31 Dec, open daily

Entry prices

Mar Lodge Estate
Adult
Free
Family
Free
One adult family
Free
Concession
Free
Car/motorbike parking
Car park
£4.00
Coach/minibus parking
Car park
£10.00
Motorhome parking (max. two-day stay)
Car park
£5.00

Members go free

At all Trust places, admission is free for members.

Join us today

Planning your visit

There is a small information hut at the Linn of Dee. Our ranger team aims to staff this every weekend between Easter and October, and every day during school holidays that fall between those two dates.

Toilets are available in the Linn of Dee car park from Easter until October.

Wild camping is permitted on Mar Lodge Estate. Campfires are not permitted near trees, in forests or on peaty ground – as Mar Lodge Estate is made up of a mixture of these habitats, campfires are not permitted anywhere on the estate.

We try to welcome drones where we can. However, to protect the people, wildlife and places in our care, we have some pre-flight checks for pilots:

  • Always ask for permission in advance. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code does not permit the use of powered vehicles, including model aircraft and drones, without the landowner or manager’s permission (Section 2.14 of the Code). The Civil Aviation Authority sets out in Article 138 of the Air Navigation Order 2009: A person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.
  • If you’d like to fly your drone, please contact the property directly. Pay attention to any advice about areas where you cannot fly. It’s possible that some properties or parts of properties might be ‘no drone zones’ at certain times of year, particularly in summer to prevent disturbance to breeding birds.
  • Anyone who wants to fly a drone at one of our properties (even our countryside and coastal sites) needs to have public liability insurance in place. We also need to see a risk assessment and a flight plan.
  • Make sure you’re up to speed with the Civil Aviation Authority’s drone safety advice and that you review this regularly.
  • If your filming or photography is for commercial purposes, please contact the Trust’s dedicated Filming Manager to discuss – email filming@nts.org.uk
  • Once on site, please follow any signs or guidance given from the team on the ground. And if you spot any rogue drones that seem to be upsetting wildlife or visitors, or damaging our places, please let a member of staff know.

For more information about planning your visit, please see our frequently asked questions.

Facilities & access

We have an ongoing programme of accessible content development. Detailed accessibility guides for the most visited Trust places are available on our Accessibility pages as well as links to useful resources.

We’d love you to visit the Euan’s Guide website to review the accessibility of Trust places and tell us (and others) what’s good and where we need to do better.

Accessible parking is available in the Linn of Dee car park.

Coach parking is available at the Linn of Dee car park. It costs £10 per day.

Dogs are welcome on the estate but please keep them under close control or on leads, especially during bird nesting season between April and July.

Guided tour

We have five holiday properties at Mar Lodge and a bunkhouse:

Braeriach (sleeps 2/4)

Bynack (sleeps 17)

Dalvorar (sleeps 4)

Derry (sleeps 4)

Macdui (sleeps 4)

Mar Lodge Bunkhouse (sleeps up to 12)

Booking a holiday with the National Trust for Scotland helps us to protect these places, now and for the future.

There are Pay & Display machines at the Linn of Dee and Linn of Quoich car parks.

Parking is free for members or £4 for cars/motorbikes (£5 for motorhomes).

Self-guided trails
Walks
  • Several of the self-catering holiday apartments within Mar Lodge are wheelchair accessible.
  • There’s an easy access trail beginning at the Linn of Dee car park.
  • The area immediately surrounding Mar Lodge has a level tarmac surface but the wider estate has rough country paths.