See & Do -
Glenbuchat lies about 45 miles east of Aberdeen in Upper Donside, and is well situated to offer visitors a wide variety of interesting and historical places to explore, and plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy.
For general information on a wide range of activities, check out these websites:
At time of publishing all the following website links were active. We cannot be held
responsible for changes to third-
http://www.upperdonside.org.uk/
http://visitcairngorms.com/strathdon
http://www.welcometoscotland.com/regions/aberdeen-
http://www.embracescotland.co.uk/self-
Lying within the Cairngorm National Park, there is a wealth of information to be found on its website. http://cairngorms.co.uk/
We are also neighbours to the Glenlivet Estate which has a wide range of activities detailed on its website. http://www.glenlivetestate.co.uk/
Walking and Climbing
The Strathdon area has a number of walks of different distances and varying degrees of difficulty. A list of all local walks can be found at:
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/glenlivet.shtml
Information about two annual walking festivals will be found at:
Moray Walking Festival -
Tomintoul Walking Festival -
The Cairngorm Park has a whole range of climbing available from snow and ice to summer
rock of all grades, and Lochnagar above Balmoral, is not far away -
Wildlife
You will see roe deer, hare and pheasants in the fields around Belnaboth East and
the stoat may even put in an appearance. Lots of small birds visit the garden, but
look out for the osprey which occasionally flies over the woods to the front of the
cottage. As you are driving up the A93 between Glenshee ski centre and Braemar, look
up to the tops of the hills on the right for red deer and watch out for Grouse which
may be sitting by the roadside as you drive from Crathie to Gairnshiel -
Distilleries
Although there are no distilleries in Upper Donside, it is only a short drive to Speyside and the Malt Whisky Trail http://www.maltwhiskytrail.com
Or on your way north you can visit the Royal Lochnagar Distillery beside Balmoral
Castle http://www.discovering-
Or visit the Whisky Castle in Tomintoul and sample a few different brands -
There are also Whisky Festivals on Speyside in spring and autumn -
Castles
The north-
Not included in this trail is our local castle at Glenbuchat, which is owned by Historic Scotland.
http://www.historic-
And of particular archaeological interest is the Doune of Invernochty, seen as you enter the village of Bellabeg from Corgarff – a 12th century ‘motte and bailey’ castle, of which only earthworks survive. http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/16762/details/doune+of+invernochty/
Galleries & Museums
We can count one of the most remote galleries in the country as a neighbour. The
Lost Gallery is reached by driving a couple of miles up the Glenbuchat road at the
Bellabeg Spar shop -
At Corgarff you will find Gerard Murphy Photography, whose studio is open from March to October. Here you can view his wonderful collection of landscape and travel photographs from around the world.http://www.gerardmurphyphotography.co.uk/index.html
In Tomintoul you will find A’anside Studios, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aanside-
Alford has two very interesting museums to visit:
The Grampian Transport Museum which has a very full events programme throughout the
year -
Highland Games & Agricultural Shows
Strathdon is famous for the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games held every August
in the Bellabeg Park just across from the shop. On the day of the Games, the Lonach
men set off early in the morning and march through Strathdon stopping off at a number
of the large houses for a ‘wee dram’ before parading into the Park. It is a wonderful
sight to see this large army of local men in Highland dress, led by their own pipe
band -
Second to the Lonach Games is perhaps the Braemar Gathering, always held on the first
Saturday in September, and famously attended by the Queen and other members of the
royal family -
There are many more Highland Games events held within the north east: -
The Grampian region is also home to many Agricultural Shows, often held on weekdays,
as opposed to weekends. Two of the most popular are the Turriff Show and the Keith
Show, both held at the beginning of August -
The annual Taste of Grampian at the Thainstone Mart in Inverurie in June is well
worth a visit where you can sample and purchase a fantastic range of Scottish produce,
and watch cookery demonstrations by well-
http://www.tasteofgrampian.co.uk/
Sports
We are only 12 miles from the Lecht Ski Centre which offers mountain biking and Deval Karts in the summer months. http://www.lecht.co.uk/summer/
A few miles further on at Glenlivet you will find the Glenlivet Mountain Bike Trails
offering 5 trails with differing degrees of difficulty. You can download the brochure
from their website -
On your drive north, you can also stop off at the Glenshee Ski Centre, which offers mountain biking in July and August.
http://www.ski-
Golf
There are a number of golf courses within driving distance of the cottage, eg. at
Aboyne, Alford, Ballater, Banchory, Insch, Kemnay, Lumphanan, Tarland, Torphins -
Fishing
The River Don is widely considered to be one of the finest brown trout rivers in Europe, as well as having a good reputation for salmon and sea trout. Permits for fishing for salmon and trout in the River Don are available from the local hotel, currently priced at £15 per day. This covers a 9 mile beat.
The brown trout season runs from 1st April to 30th September. The salmon season runs from 11th February to 31st October.
All you need to know can be seen at the ‘Fishing the Fly in Aberdeenshire’ website
-
Situated about 10 miles away, between Kildrummy and Lumsden, is the Mossat Trout
Fishery, where you can fish for rainbow trout -
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