This is the Queen's private residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and the summer holiday destination of the Royal family.

In 1852, Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, fell in love with the Highlands and bought the property. But, the original 15th century castle was too small, so Albert built a new one 100 yards away from the old.

This is a working estate that is run privately by the Queen's Resident Factor. On the estate, 100 hectares are farmed and 75 others are let to local farmers. The propery also boasts the 1000 hectare Ballochbuie Forest, which has been the site of a regeneration experiment initiated by Prince Philip and monitored by the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology (ITE).

Some 85,000 people visit Balmoral each year, and the estate maintains and restores footpaths throughout the property for visiting hikers.