Loch Kinord Hotel
Family-run, this roadside hotel is well located for leisure and sporting pursuits. It has lots…
Our View
Glen Tanar NNR, on the south side of Royal Deeside and within the borders of the Cairngorms National Park, provides a perfect opportunity to experience Scotland’s ancient Caledonian pine forest and its wildlife. You might see a darting red squirrel, an acrobatic Scottish crossbill, or even hear the gurgling call of a caper caillie as you wander through its ancient trees. From the banks of the rushing River Dee, you might also see the silvery flash of a migrating salmon powering its way upstream. Beyond the trees, birds of prey such as hen harrier, merlin, osprey and golden eagles patrol the moorlands. Spring is a good time to visit the forest, when it is bursting into life with new growth and alive with the songs of long-tailed tits and crossbills. There’s more chance of the pesky midges in the summer, when the woods are fragrant with the pollen from the pinewood and graced by butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies.
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Discover Aberdeenshire
Visitors to Aberdeenshire with any kind of interest in history are in for a treat. There are more castles to the acre in Aberdeenshire than anywhere else in Britain. They range from evocative ruins to lonely tower houses, from well-kept baronial strongholds to royal palaces. Four notable castles worth factoring into your itinerary are Dunnottar, Fyvie, Huntly and Tolquhon.
At Buchan Ness you’ll find yourself at the easternmost point of Scotland. From here you can follow the coast further down this stunning north-east shoulder of Scotland south to Peterhead, once an important whaling community. Beyond it is Aberdeen, where the eastern spur of the Grampians gives way to the North Sea, and two famous salmon rivers, the Don and the Dee, reach the end of their spectacular journey.
Heading west out of Scotland’s granite city, you are soon in a magical world of heather moorland, rolling hills and densely wooded valleys, cut by meandering rivers and picturesque lochs. It is here that you can discover the staggering number of castles and ancient strongholds. However, it’s not all palaces and ruins. Bottlenose dolphins are an everyday sight in the Moray Firth and off the Aberdeenshire coast so grab your binoculars and head to the shores.
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