Saturday 3 September will see more than 15,000 people attend Scotland’s most famous Highland Games: The Braemar Gathering, held in historic Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire.

The Games take place just a short drive from Balmoral Castle and HM The Queen has attended all but four Braemar Gatherings in the last 60 years. Indeed, of all the events of which she is a Patron, this is the one she attends most regularly. Her favorite races are said to be the children’s sack race and inter-estate Tug o’ War which sees staff at Balmoral compete against those from neighbouring estates. Participants, from locals to international sportsmen and women, also toss the caber, throw the hammer, putt the stone as well as competing in a relay race, hill race, long leap and sprint. Some of the best of Scotland’s culture is also on display, with world-class performances of highland dancing and piping..

The Braemar Gathering: the famous march of the massed pipe bands

Royal connections to The Braemar Gathering can be traced back some 900 years to the days of  King Malcolm Canmore. For 30 years after the Battle of Culloden in 1745, The Gathering was forbidden by law, though it continued to take place informally, with locals competing in tests of skill and strength. The rise of Highland romanticism, initiated by Sir Walter Scott and King George IV, led to The Gathering being reintroduced formally in 1820. It has been regularly attended by the reigning monarch and members of the Royal Family since 1848 and in 1866 Queen Victoria ordered the addition of ‘Royal’ to the title. It is now organised by the Braemar Royal Highland Society, the country's oldest registered Friendly Society

While The Gathering lures visitors from all over the world, its stunning location in historic Royal Deeside is no less of a draw. With its moody moors and mountains, romantic country houses and castles, pretty villages, rambling rivers, and evergreen forests, it is little wonder this part of the Highlands also remained such a favourite of the Royal Family.

The area offers an abundance of wildlife, as well as opportunities for fishing, field sports, walking, golf, watersports, cycling and skiing. As such it is a hotspot for those looking for an outdoor lifestyle, including holiday-home buyers, active retirees and commuters to the ‘Granite City’ or further afield as Aberdeen International Airport is easily accessible. Braemar, Ballater, Crathie, Banchory, Torphins and Aboyne are among the sought-after locations in Royal Deeside and the average price of property in the region is £255,259, 54 per cent above the Scottish average.