Banchory and Scolty – the Tower, the Falls of Feugh and Milton
A day by car, from Banchory and back.
The route
Banchory sits on the north bank of the Dee, just above where the Water of Feugh joins it, and everything in this day lies within a few miles of its main street.
It starts with coffee at Ride, on the road through town. Then it crosses the river, and a forest path climbs Scolty Hill to the tower raised in 1842 in memory of General William Burnett, with lower Deeside laid out below. Down at the Bridge of Feugh, the Feugh tumbles over rocks beside an old stone bridge, and salmon can be seen leaping in season. For the afternoon, the South Deeside Road leads east to Milton of Crathes, a courtyard of shops and cafés in a restored farm steading by the river. The Royal Deeside Railway runs short trips from its platform there on set days; on any other, the Deeside Way follows its track west, and Crathes Castle stands across the road.
Before you go
Book a bed near Banchory
The day starts and ends in Banchory, and beds on Deeside go early at weekends: book once your dates are set.
The day
Banchory
A slow day close to Banchory, starting with coffee on the main road through town. It crosses the Dee and climbs through the woods to Scolty's tower, then watches the Feugh pour past its old bridge. The afternoon follows the Dee east to Milton of Crathes, for lunch in an old farm steading by the river.
28 min at the wheelAbout 10 miles
Ride Coffee House
A café
The day starts at Ride Coffee House on Station Road, the main road through Banchory, a minute's walk from the Deeside Way and a favourite stop for walkers and cyclists. There's speciality coffee, cakes and traybakes, rolls, soup and toasties, and dogs are welcome. Sit in by the wood-burning stove, or out front at the tables on the paving.
7 min by car
Scolty Hill
A walk
It's 7 minutes' drive down Dee Street, over the Dee and right where it's signed for Scolty Woodland Walks, to the car park. From there the path climbs steeply through the trees to the tower, about 1.5 km and 190 metres up: allow an hour and a half there and back. The tower was raised in 1842 in memory of General William Burnett, a son of the Burnetts of Crathes. Its spiral stair is often open, for a view down the Dee, on a clear day to the sea, and south to Clachnaben.
5 min by car
Falls of Feugh
An attraction
It's 5 minutes' drive back down to the B974 and south to the Bridge of Feugh. Cross its narrow old bridge, built in the late 1700s, and park on the left. Then walk back onto the metal footbridge beside it: just upstream, the Water of Feugh tumbles over rocks on its way to the Dee. Salmon are most often seen leaping here from September to November and in February and March, when rain has raised the river.
10 min by car
Milton of Crathes
An attraction
It's 10 minutes' drive east along the South Deeside Road, left over the Dee on the A957 and left again on the A93 to Milton of Crathes, a courtyard of businesses in a restored farm steading by the river. Lunch is at the Milton Brasserie, served from noon to 3pm, or have coffee, a jambon beurre and a pastry at Maison Castanié, a French deli. Yolk General Store sells pantry goods and homewares. Crathes Castle stands across the main road, up its own drive.
3 min on foot
Royal Deeside Railway
An attraction
The Royal Deeside Railway runs only on set days, mostly Sundays: on any other day, walk the Deeside Way west beside its track, or walk under the A93 to Crathes Castle. On a running day, it's a 3-minute walk to the platform, where a train leaves on the hour from 11am to 4pm for about a mile along the old Deeside line and back, 15 to 20 minutes in all. It's pulled by a diesel or by Bon-Accord, a steam engine built in 1897. Tickets are sold on the day.
If it rains
In rain, leave Scolty for a clear day: its path turns slippery and the view from the tower goes into the cloud. The falls are at their best instead, as the Feugh runs full and loud after heavy rain, and the footbridge takes only a few minutes. Then go on to Crathes Castle, whose drive leaves the A93 opposite Milton of Crathes, for the tower house and its painted ceilings, with Café 1702 by the shop; it opens daily, 10am to 5pm until 31 October and 10am to 4pm from November. Lunch at Milton after, where the cafés and shops are all indoors.
Worth a detour
- Crathes Castle
On a day the train isn't running, swap it for Crathes Castle, straight across the A93 from Milton, up its own drive: 5 minutes by car, or half an hour on foot through the underpass. The Burnetts' tower house has painted ceilings and a walled garden. It opens daily, 10am to 5pm until 31 October and 10am to 4pm from November, last entry to the castle at 4.15pm in summer; tickets are sold in its shop, and the car park is £5, free to members. Give it two hours.
Photograph by adventurewiththescotts