Scotland self catering rental Deeside Mains of Inverey

Mains of Inverey
Near Braemar
Royal Deeside
Scotland

Betten 4-5, 3 bedrooms

Queen Victoria showed excellent taste when she fell in love with beautiful Deeside - Royal Deeside as it subsequently became known - and it has remained a firm favourite not just with the royal family but with countless visitors ever since.

And there can be few more enchanting parts of Deeside than the quiet road which follows the river up from Braemar (6m, shops, hotels, restaurants) to end just beyond the Linn of Dee. Only one and a half miles short of the spectacular Linn, between the hillside and the river, you will find Mains of Inverey, a charming, traditional, stone-built cottage, once the estate farmhouse. There has been a house on the spot since 1735 and there is said to be a secret passage running from it to the Castle of Ey, used as an escape route by the local laird, but this has never been found. Mains of Inverey has now been lovingly restored and modernised to a very high standard by the owners for their own use. It stands in its own secluded and secure garden (patio area, furniture), and there is a lovely wild garden full of blowing poppies and other wild flowers in season to the side.

See also: Highland Aisle (Betten 2) and Highland Chancel (Betten 2) in Braemar.
and 3 cottages (Betten 4 to 6) on Royal Deeside.

Inside, the house is bright, cosy and comfortable, with a large, very well-fitted kitchen, sitting room with multi-fuel stove, a separate dining room and small bedroom off for an extra body if required. Upstairs, there are two bright bedrooms with coombed ceilings, and a luxurious bathroom.

Mains of Inverey stands in the new Cairngorms National Park and right at the start of some of the superb hill walks for which the region is famous, in Glen Ey, Glen Derry, Glen Lui and the Quoich. There are excellent cycle tracks round about and two mountain bikes are available for hire with the cottage. The area is a paradise for naturalists and bird-watchers, with red squirrels, ptarmigan, grouse, eagles and of course, deer in abundance. Deer come right down to the cottage until June, and visitors are warned that the autumn rut can become quite exciting. (The owners have coped by tying balloons to the hedge - when things get too noisy and heated, going out and bursting a balloon is usually sufficient to send the protagonists off to settle their differences elsewhere!) Fishing is available in the Dee, which runs just yards from the house (permits can be obtained from the Mar Lodge estate keeper and a local ghillie is available), and then, for the winter, there is the major ski centre at Glenshee, just 14 miles away.

The area has many castles and stately homes which are open to the public, including, of course, Balmoral (12m). Aberdeen is 60 miles away through the pretty towns of Ballater (20m) and Aboyne (30m). Between these, there is a quad biking and outdoor centre just north of Dinnet, (25m), and, for horse lovers, an ILPH rescue centre which is open to visitors at certain times. Radio reception in the area is generally poor and mobile reception in the immediate area can be patchy (the downside of all these glorious mountains!). However, there is a telephone box and a post box within 50 yards of the cottage.

Heating is by oil central heating and wood burning stove. Fuel and wood are available and further supplies are available for purchase on site. Bed linen and towels are included. One pet is welcome. Sorry, no smokers.