<P> Currently, the estate is still owned outright by the monarch, but, by Trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment, it is managed by a trust . </P> <P> Balmoral Estate is within the Cairngorms National Park and is partly within the Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area . The 50,000 - acre (20,000 ha) estate contains a wide variety of landscapes, from the Dee river valley to open mountains . There are seven Munros (hills in Scotland over 3,000 feet (910 m)) within the estate, the highest being Lochnagar at 3,789 feet (1,155 m). This mountain was the setting for a children's story, The Old Man of Lochnagar, told originally by Prince Charles to his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward . The story was published in 1980, with royalties accruing to The Prince's Trust . The estate also incorporates the 7,500 - acre Delnadamph Lodge estate, bought by Elizabeth II in 1978 . </P> <P> The estate extends to Loch Muick in the southeast where an old boat house and the Royal Bothy (hunting lodge) now named Glas - allt - Shiel, built by Victoria, are located . </P> <P> The working estate includes grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies . It also offers access to the public for fishing (paid) and hiking during certain seasons . </P>

When do the royal family go to balmoral