We visited the region loved by King Charles and fell in love with it too
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The UK is packed with beauty spots, from the Isles of Scilly to the Lake District, but for decades, it's been Aberdeenshire where our Royal Family have returned to every year. To find out its appeal, we took a trip to the Scottish county and instantly fell in love with this incredible part of Britain.
Located in the north-east of Scotland, Aberdeenshire's landscape comprises around 90,000 hectares of woodland, numerous rivers (from the Dee to the Don) and magnificent mountains that delight walkers from far and wide. Of course, there is also the city of Aberdeen and picturesque villages, as well as a rugged coastline (165 miles of it, to be precise). Think of it as an all-round playground for nature-lovers.
Aberdeenshire is the place to witness amazing Scottish wildlife, have fantastic forest getaways and sleep in charming Highland hotels.
Its scenery could easily be mistaken for the wild, untamed beauty of Canada or the United States. With all this to attract visitors, it's no surprise that King Charles and other members of the Royal Family, who are big fans of the great outdoors, choose to travel to Aberdeenshire for their downtime.
Perfect for their royal pursuits, whether it's riding horses by the banks of the River Dee at the Balmoral Estate or walking the dogs around deserted lochs, Aberdeenshire has been the family's preferred holiday destination since Queen Victoria's reign.
An easy train or plane journey from other parts of the UK, Aberdeenshire is easy to access, whether you're looking for a weekend getaway or a longer staycation. You'll find quirky places to stay, wonderful wildlife (including leaping salmon) and historic castles in this fantastic corner of Britain.
With its unique royal connections, country, coastal and city experiences, as well as breathtaking scenery to match, here's why now is the time to plan a trip to Aberdeenshire...
A new chapter for Balmoral
A private home of the Royal Family, Balmoral Castle was where Queen Elizabeth II loved to spend her summers and where the late monarch passed in September 2022. Purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852, the Highland home has been loved and cared for by the Royal Family ever since.
After King Charles inherited Balmoral, the Estate announced a few changes. Access for visitors has always been restricted to the ballroom and this year, from April to August (when it closes for the Royal Family to gather for their summer holiday), a new exhibition will display over 200 unseen photographs, many highlighting Queen Elizabeth II's time at Balmoral and her love of the Highland home.
This year our exhibition will include a photographic display of Royal Monarchs at Balmoral.
An amazing, historical collection of over 200 photographs some of which have not been seen before in public, focusing on the late Queen Elizabeth, portraying her time at Balmoral. pic.twitter.com/MNVmt3TRhh— Balmoral Castle & Estate (@Balmoral_Castle) March 24, 2023
Works of art by Landseer, Carl Haag and Susan Crawford can also be seen by visitors during this time. We're also told the audio guide, which was heavily focused on Queen Victoria's time at the castle, has been updated to give visitors a closer look at Queen Elizabeth's summer holidays in Aberdeenshire.
For those exploring the outstanding gardens of Balmoral, our green-fingered monarch King Charles is making his mark on the outdoor spaces, which encompass three acres of formal gardens with Victorian glasshouses and a conservatory displaying flowers. The large kitchen garden, which is one of the most impressive we've ever seen (along with Raymond Blanc's at Le Manoir and the kitchen garden at The Grove), was introduced by King Charles' late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, and is expected to continue to supply the Royal Family with home-grown food for their summer holidays.
Charming towns and slow stays
Just a 15-minute drive from Balmoral, and a scenic route along the River Dee, the Royal Deeside village of Ballater is a lovely place to add to your itinerary. The Balmoral Arms is the hotel to check in to for a warm and friendly stay in the Cairngorms National Park. This charming hotel, which describes itself as a five-star inn, is well placed for walkers (try Lochnagar, which is known as one of the best hikes in Scotland and the Deeside Way, which follows the line of the Old Royal Deeside Railway).
The dog-friendly hotel has a cosy-modern style with Victorian heritage: it was once an inn where fishermen would stay and, as a nod to its past, has fishing rods propped against the walls. You'll love the roaring fireplace in the lounge in the evenings. Here, we spotted groups of walkers gathering for a night cap and afternoon tea was served in the lounge during the day. The rooms are gorgeous too, with their Highland hues and roll-top bath tubs (much appreciated after long walks). The chocolate Tunnock's treats also make it hard to leave your room.
A walk around Ballater is a highlight for royal fans. You'll see a garage with the Royal Warrant, owned by the mechanic who repairs the royal cars. Ballater butcher H M Sheridan also holds the Royal Warrant and was where Queen Elizabeth II regularly shopped. We were told art enthusiast the Princess of Wales has also been seen browsing the artworks of Ballater Gallery.
During your stay, you'll want to follow in the footsteps of the royals and take a walk around Loch Muick, around a 25-minute drive from the Balmoral Arms. Part of the Balmoral Estate, this scenic loch at the foot of Lochnager is open to the public to enjoy dog walks and take in the mesmerising views of the lake and surrounding hills.
The village of Braemar, in the Cairngorms National Park, is another place to explore. You could have lunch and a local beer at the luxurious Fife Arms' Flying Stag bar and attend the Braemar Gathering in September.
Around an hour's drive east towards Aberdeen, Glen Dye Cabins and Cottages offers an exciting cluster of accommodation options. Located approximately 15 minutes from the town of Banchory and nestled in beautiful woodland, it offers glamping and off grid stays at its very best. There's wifi for those who wish to connect, but Glen Dye is the perfect place to switch off and experience slow living. The 15,000-acre site has an Airstream, a refurbished bothy and a showman's caravan with a camping area for six people among its self-catering properties. There are cottages and cabins, too. You'll also find a shop, a communal sauna and a byob pub on site.
For the ultimate Glen Dye experience, stay at the North Lodge and River Cabin. This semi-detached house by the River Dee dates back to the 1890s and sleeps up to six people in three bedrooms. The cabin is for private swimming adventures, cooking and relaxing by the wood-burning stove. It comes with a Swedish wood-fired hot tub that provides all you need to practice the art of slow living: fire up the tub and take in the peaceful surroundings as you wait an hour or two for the water to heat up the natural way. While at Glen Dye, look out for peregrine falcons, red kites, kestrels, golden eagles, buzzards and other birds of prey.
Wildlife and foraging adventures
If you're visiting Aberdeenshire between September and November or February and March, your first stop should be the Falls of Feugh in Banchory, where you can see leaping salmon during the spawning season. An utterly joyous sight from the stonebuilt Bridge of Feugh, you'll want to bring your camera to capture the breathtaking scene, especially when the trees display their fiery, autumnal hues.
Elsewhere, the Cairngorms National Park and Loch Muick are ideal for red deer spotting. Visit between September and November and you'll be in for a treat when the exciting deer rutting season takes place. The wildlife spectacle sees newcomers challenge the dominant stag for control, with noisy clashes of antlers and roaring to be heard.
Red squirrels are also worth seeking out. As one of the few parts of the UK where you can see them, Aberdeenshire offers red squirrel sightings in the likes of Banchory and Stonehaven, throughout the year. The Balmoral Estate is another red squirrel-spotting location. While we weren't lucky enough to see any of the inquisitive mammals during our visit, Balmoral's Red Squirrel Camera was an excellent way to see the endangered species without disturbing them. Sightings of red squirrels are becoming more frequent in the city of Aberdeen, too.
For marine line, Aberdeen Harbour offers the chance to watch playful dolphins. We headed to the Greyhope Bay Centre at Torry Battery, a community centre and cafe, where you can connect with the marine world in a sustainable way: the centre was built from two donated shipping containers and is run on hybrid renewable energy. Visitors to the centre can borrow a pair of binoculars to watch the dolphins in the harbour below and simply while away an afternoon with a coffee from local roasters and a vegan-friendly cake.
If you've never tried foraging, we're here to tell you that you need to and the place to experience it is Aberdeenshire with Leanne Townsend, who runs Wild Food Stories. A highlight from our trip to Aberdeenshire, we'd easily return to north-east Scotland for the foraging alone. Social scientist and forager extraordinaire Leanne has all the knowledge when it comes to searching forests and riverbanks for edible delights. During our morning course in October, we visited a country park in Alford, where the mushrooms were in abundance.
Leanne runs through the ethics of foraging and teaches the important things to know, such as being 100 per cent sure of a wild food source's identity to avoid picking anything poisonous. Bay boletes, chanterelles and poisonous brown roll-rims were discovered during our adventure, with Leanne giving us tips on how to prepare and eat the edible mushrooms. As we searched for plants, we found hogweed, with its unique citrusy taste. According to Leanne, it is best steamed and served with butter and lemon, or fried tempura-style and dipped in soy sauce.
Nettle, sorrel and sweet cicely were also discovered during our foraging adventure. Before our course came to an end, Leanne treated us to her delicious wild food creations, giving us a taste of pickled chanterelle and spruce served on seaweed oat cakes. Mushroom soup and mushroom pate rolls were washed down with a pineapple weed syrup drink and the wild berry crumble was the perfect way to end the morning. We were converted and feeling inspired to explore foraging when we returned home.
Coastal drives and castles
While it's easy to spend an entire trip enjoying the Royal Deeside villages and towns of Ballater, Braemer and Banchory, it's worth spending some time getting to know the wild coastline of Aberdeenshire. You could start your coastal adventure in Aberdeen itself, possibly spending a night in one of the city's four-star hotels, such as the Malmaison Aberdeen or The Chester. Or, for something unique, head 25 minutes north of the city and sleep in a Beekeeper's Bothy at Tahuna Bothies.
Set above Newburgh Beach, where you can watch adorable seals resting on the golden sand, these self-catering bothies have huge picture windows for you to soak up the coastal setting and gaze at the stars or the Northern Lights, if they make an appearance. The bespoke bothies are kitted out with a kitchenette, a mezzanine sleeping area and a sofa bed in the living area, with enough space for four people to stay.
Famed for its castles, Aberdeenshire has a few along its dramatic coastline, such as Slains Castle, around a 20-minute drive north of Newburgh Beach. The ruin on the coast of Cruden Bay has been reconstructed many times since it was built in the 16th century. It was once where celebrities were entertained, one of whom was Bram Stoker, and is said to have been inspired by Slains when he wrote Dracula. The castle ruins have also featured in The Crown as Castle Mey. An eerie yet stunning attraction, visitors are warned to keep to the paths and stay away from the cliff edges at Slains Castle.
Another highlight of Aberdeenshire is Peterhead Prison Museum in Peterhead, a fascinating attraction that takes you inside the world of Scotland's toughest prison, which operated between 1888 and 2013. An opportunity to walk the corridors of a former prison, the museum takes you through the punishment blocks, the shower block and the hospital used by prisoners. You'll hear staff experiences through an audio guide and experience life as an officer at this captivating six-acre site.
BOOK A STAY AT THE BALMORAL ARMS
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