Celebrate The King's Coronation at The Fife Arms

Located 10 minutes from Balmoral and with a long-standing royal connection, guests can commemorate the King’s Coronation with a Royal Afternoon Tea, Whisky Tasting and heritage crafts at The Fife Arms in Braemar.

The intricate craft of hand-crafted scoop nets is still alive.

The ideal remote UK getaway far from the crowds in the Cairngorms National Park, The Fife Arms and Royal Deeside has a rich and longstanding connection with the Royal family, stemming from the 1850s when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert built Balmoral Castle as a family home, just 9 miles from Braemar.

The Fife Arms, which was opened by then The Prince of Wales himself in 2019, is the perfect setting to celebrate the King’s Coronation.

From May 5, guests can enjoy a special Afternoon Tea and a Royal whisky tasting in Bertie’s Whisky Bar, featuring a flight of King Charles’ favourite drams.

New heritage craft items are available from the online shop

A veritable whisky library, at Bertie’s guests will start with Johnnie Walker blue label, then Glenlivet 15-year-old.

This will be followed with a Widdy Cocktail, which is inspired by Queen Victoria's favourite pre-dinner aperitif of Royal Lochnagar and claret.

The tasting will finish with a Laphroaig 10-year-old sherry cask finish. A Royal Afternoon Tea of Coronation Chicken, Dunkeld Smoked Salmon and classic Victoria Sponge will be served alongside a selection of fine teas, Ruinart or whisky.

For more information or to book, visit www.thefifearms.com or call 01339 720200.

Sporran making is a highly skilled craft

His Majesty The King has long been a passionate supporter of traditional crafts and heritage skills.

To celebrate his Coronation, The Fife Arms – which itself has gained a reputation for championing local makers and sustainable practices – has collaborated with some remarkable artisans to create pieces that reflect The King’s interests.

The Fife Arms have chosen makers whose specialist crafts appear on the Red List of Endangered Crafts drawn up by Heritage Crafts – of which King Charles is President – which is a list that ranks traditional crafts by the likelihood they will survive to the next generation, highlighting heritage craft practices under threat. It stands as a call to action, representing a shared desire to avoid the cultural loss each time a craft dies.

By supporting these makers, we are helping to keep their crafts alive.

Pulp uses discarded linen from The Fife Arms to make richly textured art rag paper.

Within the collection, items featured range from felted red squirrels to Braemar Chocolate Shop chocolates.

The three heritage crafts chosen by The Fife Arms are: hand-held wooden fishing net making; sporran making and hand paper making. The artists working in these fields have crafted pieces that combine these time-honoured skills with contemporary designs, a passion for sustainability and a deep appreciation for all things Scottish.

Hand-Crafted Wooden Fishing Nets by John Bell: The art of fly fishing requires great stealth – small, quiet movements that create minimal disturbance to the water.

Up until the early 1900s, most nets were made from steamed ash, but metalwork soon replaced this and, as modern materials came available, wooden frames almost vanished entirely. However, fishing brings out the passion in many, and there has been just enough of a market for beautifully hand-crafted scoop nets to keep this intricate craft alive.

Handmade Dress Sporrans by Monty Lewis: Before pockets were developed, it was usual to wear a pouch suspended by a belt or girdle worn around the waist.

Pockets started to replace these pouches, but unlike trousers, the Scottish kilt could not provide pockets and so the sporran (Gaelic for purse) was born.

Sporran making is a highly skilled craft involving a unique combination of techniques – including working with leather, horn and horsehair. Monty Lewis, a young craftsman dedicated to reviving this endangered craft, wore a kilt every Sunday to school as a boy (even though this was in Sussex) and became fascinated by the flamboyant sporrans he saw at Scottish reels.

Artisan-Made Paper by Alison Newman of Pulp: Pulp, a hand papermaking workshop based in Glasgow, has used discarded linen from The Fife Arms to make richly textured art rag paper.

Not only is this practice keeping alive the endangered craft of hand paper making but it is taking textiles that might otherwise have been destined for landfill and creating something beautiful from them – an inspiring example of the circular economy in action. It will be sold in sets of 10 sheets contained in a handbound folder. Notelets and envelopes decorated with designed inspired by Scottish nature will also be available.