For our next stop, we tour the castle of the Ballindalloch Estate, the "Pearl of the North," which has been the home of the Macpherson-Grant family since 1546 (and remains so today). 

It's more of a mansion than a castle, and is is one of the very few privately owned castles in Scotland to have been lived in continuously by its original family. It exemplifies the transition from the fortified tower house necessary in 16th century Scotland to the elegant and comfortable country house so beloved of the Victorians in the Highlands. 

The estate is also well-known for its cows, which is the oldest Aberdeen Angus herd in the world (and was partially owned by the current Queen Elizabeth II until the 1980's).  Blue bloods.  We tour the house and the grounds, which include a walled garden, a rock garden, and a river walk along the Spey.