Here you will find a few suggestions of some of the things to
do or see in or around Royal Deeside.
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Brig
o Feugh
They say that the sight of a leaping salmon is one of
Nature’s noblest spectacles. See for yourself at
the fine arched bridge at Banchory-Ternan, just south
of the town. Here where the Feugh rushes over a series
of falls before joining the Dee 440m farther on is one
of the best places to watch. At the north end of the bridge
stands the toll house built by the government along with
the bridge in 1790 as part of the Turnpike Acts to improve
road access. |
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An
army of occupation
In 1748 after the Jacobite Rising of 1745, Braemar Castle
was leased to the government and housed a garrison of
56 men and two officers until 1831, when the Highlands
were thought to be suitably pacified. Several soldiers
carved their names on window shutters, and can still
be made out, including two of 1762, Ensign B Sullivan
Suthers and Corporal William Dix. High on Craig Coinnich
(Kenneth’s Crag) overlooking the castle is a small
cairn erected by the Redcoats to commemorate their service
here, and carrying the inscription
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Royal
praise from afar
The old Deeside Railway has carried more crowned heads
than any other line in the world, with representatives
of almost every European Royal family travelling on
it during its century-old existence. In 1902, King Lewanika
of Barotseland in South Africa — enjoying a Deeside
visit following his attendance at the coronation of
King Edward VII — saw the view of the Moor of Dinnet
from his carriage window, and iis said to have leapt
to his feet with the exclamation "Oh Africa! Arica!
The Makota Hills!"
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White
suspension bridges
The upper waters of the Dee rejoice in a series of delicately-fashioned
steel suspension footbridges of which the best-known
is that at Cambus o’ May. Built in 1905 and rebuilt
90 years later, it is a beautiful piece of Edwardian
light engineering. Its original purpose was to provide
direct connection between Cambus o’ May and the
lands of Ballaterach on the southern bank. Nowadays
it proves a magnet for picknickers and swimmers.
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