Are you looking for an active holiday where you can enjoy both outdoor adventure and cultural activities? Are you looking to get off the beaten track and try new experiences? Then read our blogs on the adventures to be had when you holiday at Deeside Holiday Park.
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Explore Royal Deeside with a drive that follows the route of the River Dee through scenic villages out to the Cairngorm National Park. You will be following the A93 through Banchory, Aboyne, Ballater and on to Braemar.
The town of Ballater with royal warrants above many of the shops is a good place to stop. There are several restaurants and cafes to choose from for lunch. You might also want to pick up something for dinner from H.M. Sheridan’s the Butcher, Byron Bakery or Deeside Deli, who all supply the royal family when in residence at Balmoral Castle.
The next stage of your journey will take you past Crathie Kirk where the royal family go to church and onto Balmoral Castle. Here you can explore the formal and vegetable gardens and take in the exhibition in the Castle Ballroom. This is where the royal family enjoy ceilidhs over the summer months. There is also a cafe and opportunities for afternoon tea.
A stop off at Linn o' Dee, a favourite picnic spot of Queen Victoria, just beyond Braemar offers some stunning photo opportunities. Visit the gorge and watch the River Dee squeeze through the gap in the rocks. There are waymarked trails along the Dee through the Caledonian pinewood and into Glen Lui for views towards the Cairngorms.
The small market town Stonehaven centred around the harbour is just 10 miles from the park. Although Stonehaven Harbour is no longer packed with fishing boats, it is a busy recreational harbour with 140 moorings and a few small fishing boats. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a drink, a meal, a fish supper or an ice cream with a view over the water.
The town has one of the region’s most notable visitor attractions, Dunnottar Castle. On the top of a craggy cliff edge, surrounded on three sides by the North Sea, the ruin is a popular attraction thanks to its dramatic setting. It may look a little familiar as it’s been used as the backdrop for Hollywood films including Hamlet and Victor Frankenstein. It is also said to be the inspiration behind Disney’s Brave.
If you fancy experiencing more of the stunning coastline, Stonehaven Paddleboarding offers lessons from beginner to advanced. Guides will help you explore caves and coves along the coastline. They also offer sunrise paddles where if you are lucky, you will get up close and personal with the seals and dolphins.
Along the seafront, you will also find the Stonehaven Heated Open Air Swimming Pool, the UK's only art deco Olympic-sized seawater lido. Built in 1934 this popular attraction is filled with clean seawater heated to 29°C/85°F and surrounded by sheltered sun terraces. Open daily from late May to early September, it offers a great fun day out for families as well as quiet swims and entertainment and midnight swims in the high season.
Nothing screams summer holidays quite like a trip to the coast. So, throw on your shorts, and slap on some sun cream for a day at the seaside. Aberdeenshire is blessed with many beautiful award-winning beaches and there are four within just half an hour's drive of the park.
One of our favourite beaches is Balmedie Beach (19.5 miles from the park) which has won many awards over the years. This flat sandy beach has golden sands that stretch as far as the eye can see. There are also amazing sand dunes, great and small, to explore with 1700 metres of boardwalk winding through the dunes.
On the landward side of the dunes is an area of grassland, where the car parks and picnic benches are situated. Barbecue fire stands are available to book.
To find out more check out our guide to Aberdeenshire’s beaches.
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