Hi, we (Germans) are visiting Scotland end of june and would like to visit the Drumtochty Highland Games at June 26th. We will arrive nearby just the day before and I would like to know whether you have to buy tickets in advance or whether you can drop in there in the morning to buy the tickets. I just saw on the web site that it is a big event with a lot of people.
Do I have to buy tickets in advance and if I have to where do I get them in the internet?
We think to stay on camp side Haughton Caravan Park in Alford, perhaps ther is a ticket shop nearby where I can reserve tickets and pik them the day before?

best regards
Jens

Hi,

There's a lovely spot near east Loch Lomond where you can drop your towels.

Hi Jens
Drumtochty Highland Games is a good event and in a beautiful setting at the bottom of the Grampians. I do not think you can buy tickets before hand it's only at the gate. Pretty sure that's correct, certainly the way I have always done it. Alford is quite far away from it though, it's a good hours drive and is not a quick road, you either go through Aberdeen or over the Grampian Mountain Range. The nearest site to Drumtochty is @ Fordoun http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/link.php?n=180&c=
This would only be 10 mins drive. It's a fine enough site and although I have never stayed there I did store my old camper there.

Hi Alex,
thanks for the answer and the way of getting the tickets just at the gate.
We thought of Alford because we wanted to stay there for about 6 or 7 nights to see the games, Aberdeen, Belmoral, Whisky trail and have some walks in the landscape. This place looks like a good base for traveling to the points of intrest I mentioned. The one hour drive does not fear me, because we are at the start of our holidays and the first days we can get up quite early.
We hope for a nice summer with a lot of sun shine like in Cornwall and Norfolk where we had been very lucky.
Best regards
Jens

Good to hear that you have no worries with the drive Jens, it is a nice drive, take the Banchory to Fettercairn road if you want a hike through the mountains, in fact I travelled that road on Monday. We were at the Grampian Transport Museum http://www.gtm.org.uk/ in Alford - it is worth a visit too if you are into that sort of thing. I haven't stayed on the site there but it looks fine and will certainly prove to be a nice central base for all your activities around about.
I'm reckoning it will be a nice summer this year, we are certainly due one!

Hio Alex, back from Scotland after 2.500 miles great tour through southern Highlands with the caravan. The highland games had been great fun and a real highlight. You had been right, it was quite far away, but the route through the mountains had been great. The weather was beautiful for 2 weeks and we only had sunshine. Only the last week in on sky<e was very windy and a bit wet.
We were on tour all the days, but there is so much to see around our base in Alford, we couldn't see everything. For transport museum the wheather had been too good.
One subject I have to tell everybody. The camp site in Alford is very nice, situated in this beautiful park. But the showers and toilets are a catastrophy. I didn't see such bad maintained facilities before. The Site is owned by the Aberdeen council (s-th- like this) and they do not invest in clean toilets. We answered the question paper of the site and told the situation, and I hope it will attend to the owner. It is a pitty about this nice landscape. Perhaps you from the scotchcamping have the possibility to force the owner and warden to do s.th better.
All the other site in your map had been very nice, clean, helpful and we had a great time. Even the evening Germany won against England in the wourld cup was great in a pub in Alford.
In result Scotland's landscape is worth to spend another holiday.

Best regards
Jens / Germany