Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist o
ce
66 Allardice St, the main street past the
square (late March to June & Sept-Oct Mon-Sat
10am-5pm;
(45min return; from £75). A much cheaper option is to join
one of the weekend tours (March-Aug Sat & Sun 12.30pm
& 2.30pm; £18/person), which take in the castle, a local
seal colony (best from March-May) and the RSPB reserve
at Fowlsheugh. To book, contact Ruari at Castle Charter
(
T
07411 010559,
W
castlecharter.co.uk).
July-Aug
Mon-Sat
10am-6pm,
Sun
1-5.30pm;
T
01569 762806).
Boat trips
From March to October, you can take a private
boat trip from Stonehaven's harbour to Dunnottar Castle
10
ACCOMMODATION
Arduthie House
Ann Street, close to the junction with
Margaret Street
T
01569 762381,
W
www
.arduthieguesthouse.com.
Attractive, arty B&B that has a
small, free to visit gallery on its
grou
nd floor showing
sculptures and landscape paintings.
£70
Marine Hotel
9-10 Shorehead
T
01569 762155,
W
marinehotelstonehaven.co.uk.
Smart en-suite rooms
equipped with coffee machines and flatscreen TVs, right by
the harbour. The bar has a decent selection of Belgian
beers
and whisky, including single malts from the local area.
£110
EATING AND DRINKING
Carron Restaurant
20 Cameron St
T
01569 760460,
W
carron-restaurant.co.uk.
The bright, Art Deco
surroundings of this restaurant help to complement classic,
well-made dishes like beef bourguignon and grilled sea trout
(both £13.95).
Tues-Sat noon-2pm & 6-9.30pm.
Maggie Mays
25 Market Square
T
01569 760333,
W
maggiemaysstonehaven.co.uk.
Cosy corner café
that does a mean hot chocolate topped with Maltesers,
marshmallows and whipped cream for £2.95. For lunch
there are burgers, soups and paninis.
Mon-Fri
9am-4.30pm, Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm.
Tolbooth Restaurant
Above the Tolbooth museum
by the harbour
T
01569 762287,
W
tolbooth-
restaurant.co.uk.
Moderately expensive but beautifully
sited restaurant, serving fresh Scottish seafood such as
hand-dived west coast scallops with pea purée (£23.95).
May-Sept Tues-Sat noon-2pm & 6pm-9.30pm, Sun
noon-3pm & 6-9pm; Oct-Feb closed Sun.
DUNOTTAR CASTLE
Creel Inn
Catterline, four miles south of Dunnottar
Castle
T
01569 750254,
W
thecreelinn.co.uk.
In
Catterline, a clifftop hamlet typical of those along this
stretch of coast,
The Creel Inn
serves moderately priced
seafood and game. At lunchtime a two-course meal
will set you back £14.95.
Wed-Fri noon-2pm &
6-9.30pm, Sat noon-2pm & 5-9.30pm, Sun
noon-8.30pm.
Deeside
More commonly known as
ROYAL
DEESIDE
, the land stretching west from Aberdeen
along the River Dee revels in its connections with the royal family, who have
regularly holidayed here, at
Balmoral
, since Queen Victoria bought the estate.
Eighty thousand Scots turned out to welcome her on her first visit in 1848.
Victoria adored the place and the woods were said to remind Prince Albert of
huringia, his homeland.
Deeside is undoubtedly handsome in a fierce, craggy, Scottish way, and the royal
presence has helped keep a lid on any unattractive mass development. he villages
strung along the A93, the main route through the area, are well-heeled and have
something of an old-fashioned air. Facilities for visitors hereabouts are first class, with a
number of bunkhouses and hostels, some decent hotels, and plenty of castles and
grounds to snoop around. It's also an excellent area for
outdoor activities
, with hiking
routes into both the Grampian and Cairngorm mountains, alongside good mountain
biking, horseriding and skiing.
GETTING AROUND
DEESIDE
By bus
Stagecoach Bluebird
buses #201, #202 and #203
from Aberdeen regularly chug along the A93, serving most
of the towns on the way to Braemar. Bus #201 runs to
Crathes (45min), Banchory (50min), Ballater (1hr 45min),
and Braemar (2hr 10min), while #202 and #203 stop at
Lumphanan and Banchory respectively.
