Our Countryside

The distinctive landscape of Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms is a spectacular sight. With its heather clad hills and rugged mountains, ancient forests and mighty rivers, Deeside is a very special place to visit in all seasons. The Cairngorm Mountains tower over the scattered villages and towns and the River Dee carves its way through the land towards the North Sea.

Unlike some popular mountain ranges in the UK, there is a feeling of space in Deeside’s rolling hills. Often walkers can find themselves completely alone in this vast wilderness enabling them to experience a sense of freedom. And the history of this rich land makes walking, running or cycling in these parts even more fascinating – the past comes to life on trails that take in ancient woods, standing stones, cairns and battlegrounds of old.

Teaming with a diverse and impressive variety of wildlife and plant species, the forests that spread over Deeside are well cared for - many are owned by either The Forestry Commission or run by agencies such as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Heading one mile west of Braemar, walkers will be impressed with an picturesque hillside wood of Birches called Morrone Birkwood – with views over the Cairngorms Mountains graceful herds of red deer roam this terrain. The Muir of Dinnet, east of Ballater boasts some lush heather moorland surrounded by two lochs.

The tumbling River Dee often known as the 'Silver Dee', thanks to the clarity of its water, is a dream for fishermen, with a seemingly endless supply of salmon and trout. Rising high in the Cairngorms Mountains, the upper River Dee surges through enchanting landscape, past towns and villages including, Braemar, Invercauld, Balmoral, and Ballater. Along its banks are lovely woods of birch, fir, and pine all which provide welcome shelter for fishermen. The pleasant scent of pine needles and pine woods is in fact a typical characteristic of the Dee.

This is a landscape to be enjoyed and there are plenty of ways to do it whether it’s roaming the gentle marked pathways, hiking the steepest of peaks, cycling along the winding river or skiing down a magnificent glen.