The Best Holiday Cottages in Aberdeenshire
Gamekeepers' cottages, converted steadings and cabins with wood-fired hot tubs: the best self-catering stays across Deeside, Donside and the edge of the Cairngorms.
Written by Hidden Scotland
Aberdeenshire does holiday cottages exceptionally well, and there's a reason for that: the estates. Glen Dye, Glen Tanar, Glenkindie and Gairnshiel between them account for a good chunk of this list, each a working estate that has turned its old gamekeepers' houses, gardeners' cottages and steadings into some of the best self-catering in Scotland. These were homes for butlers, joiners and horse handlers long before they had hot tubs. The history isn't decoration here; it's in the door frames.
A cottage makes sense in this part of the country in a way a hotel sometimes doesn't. Deeside and Donside are slow-travel territory. You want a base: somewhere to dry boots, light the stove and cook whatever you picked up in Ballater or at the farm shop. The castles, the distilleries and the coast are all day trips. The evenings belong to the fire.
Below are the cottages we rate, spread across Royal Deeside, Donside and the eastern edge of the Cairngorms. Most sleep between two and seven. A few stretch the definition of cottage, it must be said, with the biggest sleeping sixteen. Dogs are welcome at many, and wood burners come close to standard. Book early for summer and the school holidays. The good ones go quickly round here.
Built in the 1890s for the caretakers of Glen Dye Lodge, North Lodge sleeps six on the banks of the River Dye. A private riverside path leads to its own cabin, with a wood-fired hot tub, log stove and a Big Green Egg for cooking outdoors.
2
The newest of the Gairnshiel properties, set among silver birches at Crathie, a short walk from Balmoral. Five ensuite bedrooms over three floors, all with super king beds, plus a black-finished bar and a large rear terrace. Built for gatherings, and finished to a standard that takes some beating.
1
One of the converted farm cottages at the centre of Glen Dye, with room for seven. Guests can collect eggs from the estate hens, raid the vegetable garden in season and finish the evening at the Glen Dye Arms, the estate's BYOB pub.
1
Recommended by Locals
Another of the steading cottages, with interiors in the confident, colourful style the Gladstones have made their signature. The family have been on this land for seven generations, and the place is run with real care.
1
Recommended by Locals
The old hay loft above the steading, now a light-filled home for four. Firewood is unlimited and a welcome hamper waits on arrival, both standard form at Glen Dye. The wood-fired hot tub is the spot for a late dram.
2
Recommended by Locals
A two-bedroom Glenkindie cottage for four, tucked up a quiet corner of the estate with a wood burner, an enclosed garden and space for two dogs. Small, warm and very easy to settle into.
0
A 19th-century cottage at the end of its own track on the Glenkindie Estate, sleeping five across three bedrooms. There's a wood burner in the kitchen, a big garden, and the water supply runs straight off the hill. You don't get that in town.
0
The largest of the Gairnshiel cottages, sleeping eight on the banks of the River Gairn. The panoramic room is the party piece, glazed for watching the weather roll down the glen. Ballater is a short drive for supplies and a decent supper.
0
Glen Dye's smallest hideout, built for two. A log burner, unlimited firewood and a wood-fired hot tub under the trees cover the essentials. Romantic without trying too hard, which is the best kind.
2
Home to Lord Glen Tanar's butler in 1900, when the job paid £85 a year plus a weekly beer allowance. It sleeps six in the middle of the estate, with an open-plan living space, original doors and an enclosed garden with a crab apple tree.
0
A former village schoolhouse ringed by a dry-stone dyke, next door to Gairnshiel Lodge and ten minutes from Balmoral. High ceilings, a log burner and a farmhouse table made for long dinners. Sleeps seven.
0
An old farmhouse on the Gairnshiel estate, renovated in 2016 and kept deliberately simple so nothing competes with the view. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms for four guests, plus a terrace with a barbecue for slow mornings in the sun.
1
A late 18th-century coaching inn above the River Don in Strathdon, refurbished with twin log burners and a box bed tucked into the smallest bedroom. Sleeps six, sits just off the North East 250, and makes a fine base for Donside's castles.
3
A granite cottage on the Glen road, once lived in by the estate's forestry horse handler. Low ceilings, wood-panelled walls, stained glass and window seats. Sleeps five, a few minutes on foot from the Glen Tanar visitor centre.
0
A turreted Victorian tower at the mouth of Glen Tanar, where the Water of Tanar meets the Dee. Built under William Cunliffe Brooks, the banker who reshaped the estate after 1865, it sleeps two. Strange, romantic and unlike anything else on this list.
2
A snug open-plan farm cottage for two at Glen Tanar. Nothing flashy, just a well-made little house in one of Deeside's loveliest glens, with the estate's pine forests and hill tracks waiting outside.
0
Self-catering cottages and apartments on the MacRobert Estate, a short walk from Douneside House and its gardens. Sleeping up to six, with dog-friendly options, they suit anyone wanting hotel-standard grounds at cottage prices.
0
A Victorian sporting lodge on the estate next door to Balmoral, stripped back to its granite bones by the Belgian family who took it on in 2015. Nine minimalist bedrooms sleeping sixteen, a games room, sauna and outdoor hot tub. Made for big private gatherings.
0
'Cutties' to locals, a former inn on the fringe of Glen Dye Forest that has stood the best part of 300 years; legend says Jacobite troops billeted here before battle. Sleeps six, with a studio outbuilding, an outdoor pizza oven and its own wood-fired sauna and hot tub.
1
The gamekeeper's old house at Glen Dye, now sleeping six. Days go on river dips and moorland tramps; evenings in the wood-fired hot tub with a view of the hills and not much else. Two dogs welcome, as is the way here.
1
The estate's former coach house, close to the heart of Glen Dye. Warm, characterful interiors in the family's usual style, and evenings tend to end at the Glen Dye Arms, a BYOB pub with a roaring fire and a record player. Bring your own vinyl.
1
Once the estate joiner's home at Glen Tanar, and the craftsmanship shows: exposed beams, solid detailing and a wood-burning stove for the evenings. Sleeps four, with forest trails starting more or less at the door.
0
The smallest of the Glen Dye steading cottages, sleeping four. Compact, characterful and well placed for Garden Camp, the estate's shared recreation space with outdoor games and a stove-warmed room for wet days.
1
Glenkindie's cottage at Kildrummy, sleeping six in pet-free comfort. The ruins of Kildrummy Castle, a 13th-century stronghold of the Earls of Mar, stand nearby, and the Lecht's ski slopes are within easy reach in winter.
0
Set on the 15,000-acre Glen Dye estate, which climbs through ancient woodland to the granite tor of Clachnaben. Inside, expect the estate's trademark warmth and colour; outside, moorland walks and some of the darkest night skies in the county.
0
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Email