Local Area

~ Aboyne

Aboyne is a charming village on the River Dee, set in the magnificent back drop of Royal Deeside and lies at the edge of the Cairngorms mountains.

The village has a varied selection of shops and places to eat, a theatre and swimming pool. Hill Trek and Monkey Business, two shops situated in the village, will provide outdoor clothing for all weathers and age groups for those who have come unprepared. A fantastic butcher, supermarket and general store will serve all your catering requirements. The large village green is the venue of the annual Highland games and also the focus of the Aboyne and Deeside Festival held every July.

~ Eating out

Lunch

• ~ The Black Faced Sheep in the village is excellent and has a great emporium of gifts and goodies.
• ~ The Spider On A Bicycle in Station Square Aboyne caters for Vegans and Veggies well, and has a fantastic selection of cakes. Great for a coffee or breakfast as they are open from 7.30 am.
• ~ The Finzean Farm Shop, which is only 5 miles away, has a fantastic selection of local Scottish produce, crafts and fabulous home cooked food.
• ~ The Deeside Activity Park has delicious home made burgers, soups, and mince and tatties (slow cooked beef and mashed potatoes) and wonderful baking. Great for kids!
• ~ Further afield in Ballater, Rock Salt & Snails and The Bothy are great family favourites.
• ~ In Banchory Buchanans Restaurant has great coffee and light lunches at the Woodend Barn Arts Centre.
• ~ Tease and The Bird cage on the High Street in Banchory have fab coffee, cakes and light lunches.
• ~ The River Cafe at Campus O’ May on the way to Ballater is one of the kids favourite lunch stops. Amazing home baked bread for sandwiches and Italian ice ream and very fancy ice ream sundaes.

Dinner

• ~ The Boat Inn is just 10 minutes walk and do good pub grub.
• ~ The Rothesay Rooms in Ballater, owned by Prince Charles is a fine dining treat. The food will not disappoint…. excellent.
• ~ Indian Brasserie in Ballater is Award winning delicious Indian cuisine, well deserved after a day on the river or a mountain climb.
• ~ The Banchory Lodge Hotel has bistro style food and has a fine positione overlooking the River Dee. Cocktails on the deck on a lovely summers evening is worth a try.
• ~ If your travelling towards Logie Coldstone or Kildrummy direction, the Kildrummy Inn has a fine menu with delicious food. Alex the hotel Head Chef was on the BBC professional Master Chef a couple of years ago. Half an hour from the Coo Hoose.
• ~ Buchanans is a favourite with the Banchory locals, which is always good to know. Very good bistro food.

~ Eating In

Local Produce

I know you are on holiday but the following is a helpful guide to the best places to find local Scottish produce. The Coo hoose has a well equipped kitchen and has some great recipe books for inspiration.

• ~ Supermarkets: There is a well stocked Co-op in the village and Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrison all deliver.
• ~ Deeside Activity Farm Shop, Aboyne. The Cairnton Farm shop beef will not disappoint and they also stock Ingrim’s pork sausages and bacon products. A product list is avilable for ordering and delivering for when you arrive and I can organise a Breakfast Basket if you are only staying for a short break.
• ~ Finzean Farm Shop, from which you can obtain game from the estate, beef from their farm, Ingrim’s pork, with a great selection of grocery products and fresh vegetables.
• ~ John Troup Butcher, Aboyne – Great beef, pork and lamb. Their pies are excellent for an easy tea. Speak to Allan and say I sent you.
• ~ Sherridans Butcher, Ballater. By Royal appointment. Great for game, beef and sausages of all flavours made on the premises.
• ~ George Strachan, Aboyne. By Royal appointment, this grocer shop can be found in Aboyne and Ballater and has great selection of Scottish Whisky and produce.
• ~ Dee Larder in Ballater has a great selection of cheese, preserves, and fresh herbs. They will also make fresh takeaway sandwiches to order.
• ~ Chambers Bakers in Ballater; a must try is their Balmoral Bread, my kids love it! Also good for picnic lunches with a very retro selection of cakes, tray bakes and freshly made sandwiches. Also try their steak scotch pies, just the job after climbing a Munro.
• ~ Raemoir Garden Centre in Banchory has a great deli selection, very good cheese, cold meats and homemade ready meals.
• ~ Fish – There are many fish vans that flee about Deeside on a daily basis, they come from Arbroath, Montrose and Gourdan on the coast. They stop and sell from the back of their van, so keep a look out!

~ Outdoor Activities

Salmon & Trout Fishing

Salmon fishing on the River Dee is internationally famous as the top Spring Atlantic Salmon River in the world during February – May. It has some of the best beats in Scotland, and all set in the stunning scenic back drop of Royal Deeside. All the Beats along the Dee are fly based and have a catch and release policy only. There are some fabulous stocked Trout Lochs. Have a look at the Glen Tanar website as they have the most picturesque loch with two boats and four rods. Tullich Fishery just outside Ballater is great too, with the mountain of Lochnager as a back drop, it’s perfect for beginners and has a pool for kids to have a go too. Rods for hire. Aboyne Loch is open all year for coarse fisherman. Visit www.fishdee.co.uk and for more information and to book fishing.

Aboyne Golf Course

You will find over 50 great courses in Aberdeenshire, catering for both the novice and more experienced golfer. Aboyne can boost two golf courses. Aboyne Golf Club, is a well maintained 18 hole Parkland course with spectacular views and well stocked pro shop.

Deeside Activity Park

Deeside Activity Park offers a range of outdoor activities including: quad biking, kart racing, archery, clay pigeon shooting, 4×4 offroad driving, paintball, and rifle target shooting. Great fun for all ages. Farm shop and restaurant, with indoor play barn and outdoor all-weather sledging slope.

Battlegrounds Adventure Activities

Battlegrounds Adventure Activities bases at Banchory is a 5 star fun day out with Paint Balling and Lasar Tag.  More info at www.battle-scotland.co.uk

Walking & Hill Walking

The area is a walkers paradise and offers some of the best walking in Scotland. There is no less than 24 Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet) in the Braemar area alone.

• ~ The Ballater Walking Festival in May is a major annual event.
• ~ The Active Aboyne Festival in September has a large number of hill walking and outdoor activity events.
• ~ Walk Deeside is a local company that offers outdoor activities and guided hill walking holidays.
• ~ Running The Highlands offers training weekends, tailored running weekends and quirky guided runs.
• ~ RunBlalmoral which is annual events usually the last weekend in April, for more information visit www.runbalmoral.com

Skiing

3 of Scotland’s 5 major Snow Centres and within easy reach of Aboyne.

• ~ The Lecht is 45 mins (28 miles)
• ~ Glenshee is 1 hour (43 miles) and the biggest
• ~ Cairngorm is less than 2 hours away (66 miles)

Deeside Gliding Club

If you fancy taking to the air, Deeside gliding Club is located near Aboyne and is reowned for being the foremost wave soaring site in the British Isles. the UK altitude record of 38,600 feet was set in a glider flown from the club.

Horse Riding

Glen Tanar Equestrian Centre offers safe, quality riding along some of the most stunning country side on Deeside. For all abilities and ages. Trek up mountains, along riverside and through ancient Caledonian woodland. Spectacular views and scenery to be enjoyed.

Water Skiing

Aberdeen Water Skiing Centre operates on the Loch of Aboyne and catering for all levels and ages, from beginner through to national competition level. April – October. Visitors welcome Saturday and Sunday afternoons, booking required.

Cycling

Deeside is surrounded by terrain suitable for all abilities. Explore forest trails, single track desents and quiet roads. The IMBA has recently awarded Scotland the worlds’ top mountain bike destination for the second year running. Cycling Highlands, in Ballater, specialise in bike hire, guiding and corporate events. They are also the largest bike shop in Aberdeenshire. Speak to Richard the owner for more information or visit their website. Recently opened is a mountain bike park in Aboyne, situated in Bell Wood Forest on the out skirts of the village. With ‘pump track’, a down hill section, and jumps area.

• ~ Cycle Highlands
• ~ Bike Balmoral 

Castles, Scottish History & Culture

Z-plan Scottish Castles, beautiful walled gardens, art galleries, the Granite City – Aberdeen, and much more. Please use the following to plan your tour:

• ~  www.nts.org.uk   (National Trust for Scotland)
• ~  www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
• ~  www.snh.gov.uk  (Scottish National Heritage)
• ~  www.visitscotland.com
• ~  www.aberdeen-grampian.com

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