Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Driving Tour: Deeside to Speyside
This tour takes in the castles of Royal Deeside and the distilleries of Speyside, but plan ahead - realistically, you'll
probably only have time to visit one castle and one distillery.
Head west out of Aberdeen on the A93 towards Banchory. Time your departure to arrive at Crathes Castle
for opening time at 10.30am and spend an hour exploring.
Continue on the A93 through Aboyne , a good place for a coffee break at the Black-Faced Sheep ; just bey-
ond the village, you can watch gliders taking off at the Deeside Gliding Club. Alternatively, save your appetite for
lunch at Ballater , a pretty village with royal associations and several good restaurants and cafes.
Stick to the A93 west of Ballater, which has better views than the minor road on the south of the river, to reach
Balmoral Castle . You'll need at least two hours to make the most of a visit here, so plan accordingly. Now take
the B976 northwards to join the A939.
The A939 Cockbridge-Tomintoul road , as it is known, is one of the wildest main roads in Britain. It follows the
line of an 18th-century military road over high heather moors; its steep hills and swooping bends making it a mag-
net for motorcyclists. It passes the remote Corgarff Castle and reaches a height of 644m at the Lecht Ski Centre
before dropping to the village of Tomintoul .
About a mile past Tomintoul turn right on the B9136 which leads to the classic Speyside village and distillery of
Glenlivet ; turn right and then left on the B9009 to Dufftown , the heart of Speyside whisky country. If time
permits, take in a distillery tour (there are seven nearby), before heading north on the A941 to finish at Elgin .
Deeside
The valley of the River Dee - often called Royal Deeside because of the royal family's
long association with the area - stretches west from Aberdeen to Braemar, closely par-
alleled by the A93 road. From Deeside north to Strathdon is serious castle country - there
are more examples of fanciful Scottish Baronial architecture here than anywhere else in
Scotland.
The Dee, world famous for its salmon fishing , has its source in the Cairngorm Moun-
tains west of Braemar, the starting point for long walks into the hills. The FishDee web-
site ( www.fishdee.co.uk ) has all you need to know about fishing on the river.
CRATHES CASTLE
The atmospheric, 16th-century Crathes Castle (NTS; 01330-844525; adult/child
£10.50/7.50; 10.30am-5pm Jun-Aug, to 4.30pm Sat-Thu Apr, May, Sep & Oct, to
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