The slightest mention of Royal Deeside conjures up visions of a landscape steeped in history and bathed in natural beauty. For instance, beneath the grand mountains and proud forests, one of the world’s finest salmon rivers - the River Dee - runs past a series of picturesque villages on the way to the North Sea. This natural playground convinced Queen Victoria to buy and develop Balmoral Castle in 1854 after spending a holiday there six years earlier.

The landscaped woodlands and gardens of nearby Inchmarlo estate were the preferred route of the Queen as she made her way to and from the castle. As a result, the drive through the estate - and the first hole on the Laird’s course – was called “Queen's Drive”.

The Queen’s love of the area created great interest in Royal Deeside and by 1861 a railway had been built from Aberdeen to Ballater where a waiting room was constructed specifically for the Queen and the station extended to take the long Royal trains. It was later reopened as a visitor centre in 2001, the centenary of the Queen’s death.

The history of Deeside stretches far beyond the royal patronage bestowed by Queen Victoria - Britain’s longest reigning monarch. The area is rich with cairns, hill-forts, earth-houses, crannogs, stone circles and standing stones. There are over 20 of Scotland’s castles to tour, in fact the north east of Scotland is home to more castles than any other region in the UK. With a rich and bountiful past, Royal Deeside is a spectacular place to experience Scottish history at first hand.