1 / 8Balmoral Arms
Ballater, Aberdeenshire
Yes. Dogs can stay in selected rooms, up to 2 dogs per room.
A traditional country inn in the Victorian village of Ballater, where dogs get beer bones, dog beds and a dedicated dining area in The Ghillies Bar.
Balmoral Arms is a traditional country inn in Ballater, the Victorian village on the River Dee inside the Cairngorms National Park. Family dogs are made to feel at home, as the inn puts it, and the Deeside around this dog friendly inn is packed with forest and riverside walks.
Many of the guestrooms are dog friendly, two dogs to a room at most, and the inn would rather you rang to talk it through if you want to bring more than two. Dogs are given a snack as well: Wow Dog Beer Bones, made from spent grain out of BrewDog's Aberdeenshire brewery, with no alcohol in them. The house rules are written from the dog's side of the lead: keep your humans on a lead around the public areas, keep them on the furniture while you take the fires, the comfy rugs or the dog beds, and keep the barks down.
There is a dedicated dining area for dogs and their humans in The Ghillies Bar, which is where muddy boots come off over real ales and hearty plates. If you are not eating, the Lounge is open to them too. 1852 is the inn's classic Scottish brasserie and grill, and the inn sources produce from the Cairngorms, working with local gamekeepers, farms and growers, with over thirty Scottish malt whiskies and gins to finish on by the fire.
The four premium suites take their names from local landmarks, River Dee, Loch Muick, Balmoral and Birkhall, with maps in the room to match; the Feature Rooms have roll-top baths, and one guestroom is on the ground floor. Craigendarroch Oakwoods and Summit, Ballater, is 0.1 miles from the inn, one of the dog friendly walks we map, and Muir of Dinnet Loch Kinord Circular is 4.5 miles out.
Facts checked October 2026 from the hotel's own website. Details can change, so please confirm anything important, especially the dog rules, with the hotel before you book.
At a Glance: Dogs
- Rooms for dogs
- Selected rooms
- Dogs per room
- Up to 2
- Size or breed limits
- The hotel doesn't say
- Dog fee
- £25 per night
- Left alone in the room
- The hotel doesn't say
- In the bar
- Welcome
- In the lounge
- Welcome
- Eating with your dog
- In a dog friendly dining area
- In the grounds
- Welcome
- Dog extras
- Treats and dog beds
- Walks from the door
- The hotel doesn't say
- Nearest dog friendly beach
- None within 20 miles
Where the hotel doesn't say, check with the hotel when you book.
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For You
- Eating and drinking
- Brasserie
- Rooms
- Suites, roll top baths and ground floor rooms
- Parking
- Free parking
- Children
- Children welcome
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balmoral Arms dog friendly?
Yes. Dogs can stay in selected rooms, up to 2 dogs per room. This comes from Balmoral Arms's own website. Details can change, so check with the hotel when you book.
How many dogs can I bring to Balmoral Arms?
Up to 2 dogs per room.
Is there a charge for dogs at Balmoral Arms?
£25 per night.
Can I eat with my dog at Balmoral Arms?
You can eat with your dog in a dog friendly dining area. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the lounge.
Can I leave my dog in the room at Balmoral Arms?
The hotel doesn't say whether dogs can be left alone in the room, so check with the hotel when you book.
Are there dog walks near Balmoral Arms?
Dog friendly walks on Wildpack within 5 miles include Craigendarroch Oakwoods and Summit, Ballater (0.1 miles) and Muir of Dinnet Loch Kinord Circular (4.5 miles).
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Book now with Booking.comWhat’s Nearby?
Walk0.1 mi awayCraigendarroch Oakwoods and Summit, Ballater
Aberdeenshire
Dogs can run free almost all the way up livestock-free Craigendarroch, to a summit view of Lochnagar for their humans.
Walk4.5 mi awayMuir of Dinnet Loch Kinord Circular
Aberdeenshire
A gentle circuit of Loch Kinord in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve, pairing birch woodland, a spectacular glacial pothole and early Christian carved stones.
Walk6.5 mi awayBalmoral Estate Circular Walk
Aberdeenshire
A historic circuit through the Royal Deeside forests of the Balmoral Estate, visiting the Victorian memorial cairns above Balmoral Castle.
Walk6.8 mi awayGlen Tanar Circular Walk
Aberdeenshire
A relaxed forest circuit through one of Scotland's finest remnant Caledonian pinewoods on the Glen Tanar Estate, with lots of space for dogs to run.
Walk7.6 mi awayLochnagar from the Spittal of Glenmuick
Aberdeenshire
A serious hill day circuit of Lochnagar, the classic Eastern Cairngorms Munro, from the Spittal of Glenmuick; strictly a dogs-on-lead route for fit walkers.
Walk10.6 mi awayAngus Glens: Glen Esk Waterfall Walk
Angus
A longer, scenically rich dog friendly circuit from Invermark around Loch Lee and up to the Falls of Unich and Damff, with waterfalls, crags and big Angus Glens skies.
Dog Friendly Hotels Nearby
The closest dog friendly hotels to Balmoral Arms. Every dog fact comes from the hotel's own website.
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