2 Bedroom The North East, Royal Deeside & Cairngorms cottages

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With its position in one of the most north-easterly areas of the UK, Royal Deeside is a popular spot for lovers of more remote landscapes, and is the home of Balmoral Castle. Balmoral stands in the great shadow of the Lochnagar Mountain and has been the Summer residence of the Royal Family since the days of Queen Victoria.

The Cairngorms National Park lies in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, and covers more than 3,800km of spectacular landscape, with Britain’s highest and most massive mountain range, and the biggest area of native forestland. The Cairngorms contain the remnants of the original Caledonian pine forest, and include a rare pinewood which is only found in Scotland and Norway. A quarter of the UK’s rarest and most threatened bird, animal and plant species make their home in the Park, and it is one of the best places to spot a number of birds, including the Scottish Crossbill , the Golden Eagle and the Capercaillie.

Things to do in Royal Deeside, the Cairngorms and the North East
The Cairngorm Mountains draw walkers and climbers from all over the world. Five of the six highest mountains in Scotland lie within the Park. Aviemore is an international ski resort, and the area is bursting with historic monuments, many of which date from the time of the earliest, ancient local inhabitants. Fishing, golf and whisky distilling are also major local attractions for holidaymakers to the region.

Top Destinations

Aberdeen – Taking its name from its position between the Rivers Don and the Dee, Aberdeen is also known as the Granite City. Notable buildings include an impressively turreted Town House, the stunning gothic lines of Marischal College and the fine castellated Citadel of the Castlegate. The oil industry and fishing are now the key local industries in the Aberdeen area.

Inverness – This northern-most city and capital of the Scottish Highlands is a bustling centre of local life, with the grandeur of St Andrew’s Cathedral dominating the banks of the River Ness, and the 19^th century neo-Norman walls of Inverness Castle perched on a hill overlooking the city.

Forres – Approximately 30 miles from Inverness, Forres was the site of a royal castle from at least 900 AD. It is also the home of Sueno’s Stone, a huge, ancient carved stone which is thought to commemorate a battle between the Picts and their Norse invaders. The town has recently become a particularly popular location for walkers, with the creation of a new network of footpaths, waymarked by the Forres Footpaths Trust. Forres is most famously known in literature as the site of Duncan’s castle in Shakespeare’s version of ‘the Scottish Play’, also known to the less superstitious as ‘Macbeth’.

Aviemore – Not only an international centre for ski-ing, and one of the first ski resorts established in Scotland, Aviemore is also the site of the ancient Aviemore Ring Cairn and Stone Circle, thought to have been built by farmers and herdsmen around 4000 BC. This area of north eastern Scotland is particularly rich in megaliths and prehistoric monuments.

Pitlochry – Situated under the dramatic skyline that is dominated by Ben Vrackie, Pitlochry is close to three whisky distilleries, and is home to Blair Castle and to the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The area is also particularly well known for hill walking, mountaineering and angling, with a 310m ‘salmon ladder‘, situated at the dam of the local power station.

Fraserburgh – At the extreme north eastern corner of Aberdeenshire, Fraserburgh is the largest shellfish port in Europe and also a major commercial harbour for the trade in white fish. With the fishing industry at the heart of the town, it was the site of the first RNLI-operated lifeboat station in Scotland; it also has an interesting lighthouse museum and an award-winning sand beach.

Crathie – Crathie Kirk is the Church of Scotland church used by the Royal Family during their Summer visits. The small, picturesque village of Crathie sits on the edge of the Royal Balmoral estate, on the banks of the River Dee.