A collection · Places to stay

The Best Dog-Friendly Accommodation in Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire was made for holidays with a dog in tow: forest walks, rivers shallow enough for a swim, miles of quiet beach and plenty of cottages happy to welcome them.

Curated and written by Hidden Scotland

Few things improve a Scottish holiday like bringing the dog. All those forest tracks and empty beaches feel a little wasted without one, and Aberdeenshire has plenty of both. Around Deeside, paths wind through old Caledonian pines where you're as likely to meet a red squirrel as another walker. Higher up, the heather moors stretch away for miles, and there's every chance you'll have them mostly to yourselves.

The coast is the surprise. North of Aberdeen the dunes run on and on, backed by marram grass and very little else, and on a bright morning out of season you can walk a long way before meeting another set of footprints. Inland, the Dee and the Don both run shallow and gravelly in stretches, and most dogs are in the water before the picnic's down.

Come in winter and the appeal simply moves indoors. Log fires and deep sofas, a walk in the frost and then an afternoon of doing very little. Most of the places in this collection were made for exactly that, and every one of them welcomes dogs, some with beds, bowls and treats waiting on arrival. Wherever you're heading, mention the dog when you book. And pack a towel or two. Aberdeenshire's rivers are irresistible, and its rain is fairly reliable.

Timber cabin with metal roof and decking surrounded by woodland trees

More infoBanchoryNorth Lodge and River CabinPlace to stay · Sleeps 6

An 1890s house for six on the River Dye with its own riverside cabin and hot tub. Dogs swim; the estate asks only that they skip the tub itself.

An aerial view of a stone steading with a slated roof built around a courtyard with a small plunge pool, a gravel drive, and a smaller outbuilding with a tub beside it at the edge of the woods.

More infoBanchoryNo 5 Steading CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 7

Room for seven plus two dogs in the middle of Glen Dye. Hens to ignore, a vegetable garden in season and the BYOB Glen Dye Arms for the evening.

A green sitting room with a blue sofa, a leather and sheepskin armchair and a rustic coffee table before a tall window with red curtains, looking out to pine forest and a valley.

More infoStrachanThe Hay Loft at GlendyePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

Four people and the dog up in the converted hay loft. Unlimited firewood, a welcome hamper and a wood-fired hot tub. Glen Dye lends out crates if you need one.

A stone cottage with a slated roof and black stove pipe sits beside a gravel drive, foxgloves and wildflowers lining the path.

More infoStrachanNo 4 Steading CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 7

Bold Gladstone interiors in the old steading, sleeping seven. The family have kept dogs on this land for generations, so yours will hardly be a novelty. Two welcome, more by arrangement.

An aerial view shows a white harled farmhouse with multiple chimneys set beside a gravel courtyard and stone outbuildings.

More infoStrachanThe Coach HousePlace to stay · Sleeps 12

The former coach house near the heart of the estate. Take the dog along to the Glen Dye Arms after dinner; the pub runs on BYOB and a record player.

A mint-green sitting room has a cobalt-blue velvet sofa with orange and green cushions, two floor lamps with teal shades either side, a rustic wooden coffee table, and framed abstract and sunset prints on the wall above.

More infoStrachanThe Corner HousePlace to stay · Sleeps 6

Warm, colourful rooms inside; 15,000 acres of moor and ancient woodland outside, climbing to Clachnaben's granite tor. A dog could not design a better back garden.

A stone steading with a slated pyramid roof and a chimney stands behind a green nameplate sign, a chair visible through the window.

More infoStrachanNo 2 Steading Cottage at GlendyePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

The smallest steading cottage, sleeping four close to Garden Camp, the estate's shared space with a stove-warmed room for wet days. Suits soggy dogs as much as soggy children.

A granite cottage with a slate roof and a pale green door stands behind a lawn, a blue metal bench by the door and timber fences either side.

More infoBanchoryThe Bothy, GlendyePlace to stay · Sleeps 2

Two people, two dogs, one log burner. Glen Dye's smallest house keeps things simple, with a hot tub under the trees and endless firewood thrown in.

A stone cottage with dormer windows stands behind a low pale blue gate, a bare-branched arch over the path to the front door and frost on the lawn.

More infoStrachanGamekeeper’s CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 6

The gamekeeper would have kept working dogs here, which feels fitting. Sleeps six, with river dips on the doorstep and moorland straight from the gate. Two dogs, no charge.

A stone farmhouse covered in climbing ivy stands behind a gravel drive, seen through overhanging pine branches.

More infoGlen DyeCuttieshillockPlace to stay · Sleeps 6

A former inn pushing 300 years old, with a studio outbuilding, pizza oven and private sauna. Sleeps six. Jacobites reputedly billeted here; these days it's two dogs maximum.

A sitting room with two sofas and armchairs arranged around a low table, framed prints on the wall and a lamp lit in the corner.

More infoGlen TanarButler's LodgePlace to stay · Sleeps 6

Sleeps six at the centre of Glen Tanar, where the butler once earned £85 a year. Two dogs at £25 each, and an enclosed garden with a crab apple tree.

More infoGlen TanarWoodendPlace to stay · Sleeps 4

An open-plan cottage for four in a former hydro sub-station, skylights overhead and the trout loch close by. French doors open onto an enclosed garden, handy first thing in the morning.

More infoGlen TanarWest MillfieldPlace to stay · Sleeps 5

Granite walls, wood panelling and window seats in the old horse handler's cottage. Five beds, two dogs, and forest tracks within minutes of the Glen Tanar visitor centre.

A stone gate lodge with steep gables and green-framed windows sits beside a stone boundary wall, a planter of flowers by the green door.

More infoAboyneJoiner’s CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

The estate joiner's old home, beams and all, sleeping four. Trails leave more or less from the door, which is really all a dog asks of a holiday.

A stone cottage with a red tiled roof and green-framed windows sits beside a gravel patio, a hammock and table set among shrubs.

More infoAboyneRowan CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 2

A small open-plan farm cottage sleeping two, with Caledonian pine forest starting past the gate and red squirrels in it. Modest, warm and quietly lovely. Two dogs welcome.

Stone tower with turret roof surrounded by pine trees at dusk

More infoAboyneTower O'EssPlace to stay · Sleeps 2

A turreted tower for two beside the Water of Tanar, fully dog-friendly and unlike anything else on Deeside. Built under William Cunliffe Brooks, with a private hot tub thrown in.

A stone farmhouse with a gabled dormer window sits behind a timber picket fence, trees shading the drive.

More infoGlenkindieHome FarmPlace to stay · Sleeps 6

One wing of the clock tower steading at Glenkindie's centre, sleeping six with a private garden. Dogs can watch the working farm go past; keep leads handy around the stock.

A stone cottage with green-framed dormer windows and matching door stands behind a gravel drive, trees and open fields beyond.

More infoGlenkindieDalgrassickPlace to stay · Sleeps 4

Two bedrooms, a wood burner and an enclosed garden up a quiet corner of the Glenkindie Estate. Takes four people and two dogs, and feels made for exactly that.

A stone farmhouse with dormer windows stands beside a picnic bench within a wooden fence enclosure.

More infoGlenkindieTornahatnachPlace to stay · Sleeps 5

A 19th-century cottage at the end of its own track on the Glenkindie Estate, sleeping five. Big garden, wood burner in the kitchen, water off the hill and room for two dogs.

Two grey linen sofas face each other across a dark wooden coffee table, checked roman blinds at the windows and a framed landscape print on the wall.

More infoBallaterOld School CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 7

The old village school next to Gairnshiel Lodge, ten minutes from Balmoral, sleeping seven. The dry-stone dyke ringing the garden is useful with dogs; one medium or two small.

More infoBallaterInverenzie CottagePlace to stay · Sleeps 4

A pared-back farmhouse for four on the Gairnshiel estate, renovated in 2016. Dogs stay downstairs, one medium or two small, with the River Gairn nearby for a paddle.

Douneside Holiday Cottages

Self-catering cottages and apartments on the MacRobert Estate near Tarland, sleeping up to six. Dogs are welcome throughout, with the estate's gardens and quiet lanes on the doorstep.

The Fife Arms

Braemar's art-filled Victorian hotel, where £30 a night per dog brings a bed, a bowl and homemade treats on arrival, plus a dog menu in the Flying Stag. Two per room.

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