The Central Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 155

Banchory and around
BANCHORY , meaning “fair hollow”, is a one-street town that essentially acts as a
gateway into rural Deeside. The small local museum ( Mon, Fri & Sat 11am-1pm &
2-4pm; July & Aug also Tues & Wed; free) on Bridge Street, behind High Street, may
warrant half an hour or so if you're a fan of local boy James Scott Skinner, renowned
fiddler and composer of such tunes as The Bonnie Lass o'Bon Accord .

Crathes Castle
Crathes, just east of Banchory • Jan-March Sat & Sun 10.30am-3.45pm; April-Oct daily 10.30am-4.45pm; Nov & Dec Sat & Sun
10.30am-3.45pm; last admission 45min before closing • £12 including access to the gardens; NTS
Four miles west of Drum Castle and around two miles east of Banchory, Crathes Castle
is a splendid sixteenth-century granite tower-house adorned with flourishes such as
overhanging turrets, gargoyles and conical roofs. Its thick walls, narrow windows and
tiny rooms loaded with heavy old furniture make Crathes rather claustrophobic, but it
is still worth visiting for some wonderful painted ceilings; the earliest dates from 1602.

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INFORMATION BANCHORY AND AROUND

Tourist o ce Inside Banchory museum (April-Oct Mon-
Sat 10am-5pm; July & Aug also Sun 1-5pm; T 01330

822000). Staff can provide information on walking and
fishing in the area.

ACCOMMODATION
Raemoir House 2.5 miles north of Banchory T 01330
824884, W raemoir.com. Glamorous country-house hotel
set in spacious parkland, complete with a decad ent dr aw-
ing room. The best rooms have four-poster beds. £180
Tor-Na-Coille Hotel Inchmarlo Rd, Banchory T 01330

822242, W tornacoille.com. Once a retreat for Charlie
Chaplin and his family, Tor-Na-Coille has a scenic location
on the town's southern edge. Some of the s mart rooms
overlook Banchory Golf Club's rolling fairways. £125

EATING AND DRINKING
The Milton Near the entrance to Crathes Castle
T 01330 844566, W miltonbrasserie.com. Smart restau-
rant just across from Crathes Castle, serving moderately
priced à la carte meals such as a red pepper and star

anise risotto (£12). Mon & Tues noon-3pm, Wed &
Thurs noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Fri & Sat noon-3pm &
6-9.30pm, Sun noon-5pm.

Aboyne and around
Twelve miles west of Banchory on the A93, ABOYNE is a typically well-mannered
Deeside village at the mouth of Glen Tanar , which runs southwest from here for ten
miles or so deep into the Grampian hills. The glen, with few steep gradients and
some glorious stands of mature Caledonian pine, is ideal for walking, mountain
biking or horseriding.
ACTIVITIES ABOYNE AND AROUND

Horseriding One- and two-hour horseriding lessons
(from £36) are on offer at the Glen Tanar Equestrian Centre
( T 01339 886448, W glentanar.co.uk).
Gliding If you have a head for heights, consider taking
a flight from the Deeside Gliding Club (trial lesson £75;
T 01339 853339, W deesideglidingclub.co.uk).

Kart racing and quad biking Family-oriented thrills
such as kart racing and quad-bike trekking can be found
at Deeside Activity Park (both activities £45/hr; T 01339
883536, W deesideactivitypark.com), 4 miles northeast
of Aboyne. The park is signposted off the A93.

Ballater
Ten miles west of Aboyne is the neat and ordered town of BALLATER , attractively
hemmed in by the river and fir-covered mountains. The town was dragged from
obscurity in the nineteenth century when it was discovered that waters from the local