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Royal Deeside
It was Queen Victoria who can be credited with ‘discovering’ this amazing area, making it her Highland retreat and building her castle at Balmoral. It’s been known as Royal Deeside ever since. She showed commendable taste, for the journey along the Dee from Aberdeen takes you through stupendous countryside of increasing grandeur, past the pretty town of Ballater to the tourist draw of Braemar.
Royal Deeside Self Catering Cottages
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A Truly Royal Experience
Royal Deeside is a beautiful area, renowned for its many castles and its salmon fishing and the Royal family have regularly spent holidays here since Queen Victoria bought the estate.
Glen Tanar, accessible via Aboyne (west of Banchory), is ideal for walking, horse riding and mountain biking. Ballater, 10 miles west of Aboyne, has a restored train station (although the railway line has been closed for a long time) with exhibits about the visits of the Royal family to Balmoral. There are many walks in the area including many from Loch Muik (9 miles south west of Ballater), one to the 400 metre Craigendarroch and more strenuous and lengthy walks up the 871 metre Morven and the 1154 metre Lochnagar.
To the West of the County
Balmoral Castle, 8 miles west of Ballater, was converted from a 16th century tower into a mansion house for Queen Victoria in 1855. Only a small part of the castle is open to the public and only for a few months in the year.

Braemar lies west of Balmoral at a height of 1,100 feet and is surrounded by mountains - good for hill walking and near to the ski resort of Glenshee, further south on the A93. Braemar hosts the Braemar Gathering (Highland Games) in September and has an interesting heritage centre.
From Braemar, a little road (that is ideal for cycling) leads past the other royal residence of Mar Lodge through a wide valley to the lovely Linn of Dee and then you can walk for miles in the Grampians and beyond them the Cairngorms.
You can also walk, or cycle if you're brave enough, for a couple of days cross country to Blair Atholl. There are also plenty of opportunities for mountain biking and horse riding. There are many walks starting at Inverey, five miles west of Braemar, including the long hike through the Lairig Ghru and the Glen Luibeg Circuit.
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Date | Product | Score | Customer Comment | Our Response |
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30-Jun-2025 | Cruinn Leum Round House FH5 (overall) |
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Very professional, efficient and freindly service, very helpful and prompt response to any queries. The level of information provided succinct and clear. I highly recommend Unique Cottages to any family and freinds. | |
29-Jun-2025 | Kingfisher Cottage EC6 (overall) |
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We've used Unique Cottages for quite a few years now. We use them again and again because they offer very good cottages without the waffle and without the faff. A down to earth but professional service. | |
29-Jun-2025 | Port Carnish, Uig Beach FN1 (overall) |
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Wow, an amazing holiday cottage in an even more stunning location, Richard looked after us, he was a great host, the view from the cottage is ever changing but always astonishing, saw golden eagles most days, sea eagle on the great Sea Trek from Miavaig, bone white sands and turquoise seas on both lewis and Harris, done lots of holidays on Scotland West coast and it never let's us down. Hard to find a beach better than Reef on Bhaltos but Uig pushed it close. Planning another visit 2027. | |
29-Jun-2025 | Albert's Cottage AG3 (overall) |
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Modern eingerichtete Cottage direkt am Meer, ein toller Ort zum Erholen. Super freundliche Anwohner in Gardenstown, die immer das Gespräch gesucht haben. Für Naturliebhaber sehr zu empfehlen,. Die Cottage ist mit allem ausgestattet, was man für einen Self-catering-Urlaub benötigt. | |
29-Jun-2025 | West Carsaig Cottage AU7 (overall) |
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Super cottage, great hosts | |
29-Jun-2025 | Seaforth Cottage GZ1 (overall) |
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Fully equipped unit. Everything worked efficiently. Perfectly quiet location. Easy to find. Well kept gardens and surrounding areas. It was honestly the best accommodation we've stayed in. | |
29-Jun-2025 | Jalna HF9 (overall) |
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This was our second stay at this wonderful cottage. - one of the best we have stayed in. The facilities are second to none as the owners care very much about the comfort of its guests. We were welcomed by the owners who prepared the cottage for outr stay which included a generous welcome pack of goodies. Jalna is a great base in a very quite village making it an exceptional base to visit and explore the East Fife Coast and purchase locally grown produce of high quality. Highly recommended! | |
29-Jun-2025 | The Haven FK4 (overall) |
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Easy to use and cottage reflected the blurb. | |
28-Jun-2025 | Blackhill Farmhouse GS5 (overall) |
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The service was second to none! | |
28-Jun-2025 | Shepherd's Cottage at Dunrobin GZ5 (overall) |
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Stayed 3 weeks. Spotlessly clean. A generous welcome tray. Plenty of firewood. Supplied sheets and towels etc for three weeks. Comfortable beds and sofas. Well stocked kitchen. Prompt in repaying the deposit bond. Excellent communication. |