Dee n' Do Magazine - Issue 5

May - September 2015

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A magazine for

Royal Deeside & Surrounding Areas

ISSUE FIVE

Outdoor Activities Cultural Events + Art Food + Drink Local Business Spotlight Deeside Discoveries History + Tales

Glen Tanar Estate Š Andy Hayes Photography

Life is short don ' t be lazy!

Afternoon Tea from ÂŁ3.60 for tea, coffee and shortbread to ÂŁ21.50 including cakes, sandwiches and a glass of champagne!

Mon - Sat 2.30pm - 4.30pm Sunday 3.00pm - 4.30pm

Extensive range of meals available daily, including breakfast; morning coffee; bar and lounge menu at lunchtime; afternoon teas, supper and dinner.

From corporate meetings to private celebrations, Raemoir can provide it all.

Raemoir House Hotel, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB31 4ED +44 (0)1330 824884

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hotel@raemoir.com

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www.raemoir.com

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Dee n’ Do Magazine Tel: +44 (0)7771 924103 or +44 (0)7837 577338 hello@deendo.com www.deendo.com

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Produced by Burdie Creative Ltd +44 (0)7771 924103 hello@burdiecreative.com www.burdiecreative.com Guest Editor Susan Whyte Huge thanks to Susan for taking the reins on this issue and making number 5 another great success.

Editor Kirsten Horne hello@deendo.com Creative Director Mairi MacLeod Gray +44 (0)7771 924103 Ads & Design Director Kelly Whyte +44 (0)7837 577338

Advertising Manager Hilda Stewart +44 (0)7738 262198 hilda@deendo.com Contributing Photographers Andy Hayes Photography Charlotte Milburn Mark Hamblin Juliette Dinning Jennifer Watson Rae Osborne Anne Marquiss Peter Fraser Stewart Mitchell James Dyas Davidson Printers J Thomson Colour Printers Publisher Dee n’ Do is published three times a year by Burdie Creative Ltd. ©Burdie Creative Ltd 2015. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, Burdie Creative Ltd and its editorial contributors accept no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including and loss or damage arising from reliance on information in this publication.

Copyright All images contained in Dee n’ Do are subject to copyright of the artist, illustrator or photographer as named, but not limited to. Reproduction of any part of this magazine without prior written permission is prohibited.

It's summer – time to get outside, breathe the air, smell the pine forests, feel the sun on your skin, the cool water of our highland rivers and burns running over your toes, and explore this beautiful part of the world.

Even when you've lived in an area for most of your life, there will be many places you have never discovered and here at Dee n' Do, we want to stimulate your sense of curiosity and inspire you to get out there and explore – enjoy finding all these amazing destinations that are here on your doorstep.

Whilst we have always had some of the most stunning landscapes in the world, there hasn't always been an infrastructure of quality establishments catering for visitors to match our magnificent natural resources. However, things have really changed over the years and now, wherever you go, you will find great food, decent coffee and top quality accommodation. There are plenty of cultural activities too if you are not a huge fan of the great outdoors, with galleries galore across the area as well as music - from concerts and ceilidhs to sessions in pubs, it's all happening in Aberdeenshire.

We have an abundance of great produce here in the north east and menus across the area showcase the best of what we have – and in this, the Year of Food & Drink, what better time to eat out and enjoy what's on offer?

Disclaimer All rights reserved.

The views and comments expressed by the authors are not always that of the editor or publisher.

Whether you are here on holiday, new to the area or lucky enough to have lived here for years, we hope you will use Dee n' Do as a guide to planning your summer adventures and making the most of our most glorious corner of Scotland.

Advertise with us Contact us to get your business in the next issue of Dee n’ Do. Call +44 (0)7837 577338 or email advertising@deendo.com and request a media pack.

Get out there and get your boots dirty!

Susan Whyte, Guest Editor

Dee n’ Do : 5

Issue 5 MAY-SEPT 2015

Outdoor + Natural History Cairngorms National Park Moths

8 34

Women in Football

48

Aberdeenshire Gold

54

The Rangers at Glen Tanar

58

Let the Games Begin!

64

Arts + Crafts North East Open Studios

22

Antiques Roadshow

39

River of Fish

66

History + Folklore Ardoe House Hotel

26

Peter Fraser's Ponies

40

Blairs Museum

76

Abandoned Space, Forgotten Places

82

A Royal Childhood at Balmoral

86

Food + Drink Tales from the Drinks Cupboard

20

Bon Appetit – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

30

Ballater Farmers Market

38

Wark Farm

72

Regulars Dee 'n' Doodles

44

Spotlight on Business: Tor-na-Coille

70

Meet Your Host

78

Ask the Vet

91

Founded in 2013 by Kelly Whyte, Mairi MacLeod Gray & Kirsten Horne

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Dee�ide �alKs:

Area: Near Braemar

Loch Callater

Distance: 10 km (6 miles). Add 6 km (3.5 miles) for Loch Kander Terrain: Good track all the way to Loch Callater, but path up to Loch Kander is rough and stony, boots and waterproofs recommended Start & Finish: Auchallater, on A93 3km south of Braemar

Auchallater Farm

Map: OS Landranger 43

TO BRAEMAR

Source: 25 Walks Deeside by Robert Smith

START/FINISH

Calla t

N

e r Bu r n

E

nie

W

Gl e

n Clu

S Loch Phadruig

Gl en

Creag Phadruig 708m Ca lla te r

C lu ni e W a t er

Quarry

Callater Lodge

To Carn an t-Sagairt & Lochnagar 1155m Well

A93

4

to Glen Clunie

Loch Callater

Jock’s Road to Glen Clova

To Tolmount 958m To Spittal of Glenshee and Perth

Ruined Bothy 0 0

Miles Kilometres

1 1

Carn an Turic 1019m

Loch Candor (Kander)

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Loch Callater was once described in an official Deeside survey as an 'idyllic' place. It was not an overstatement for this is one of the loveliest lochs in the area. From the loch, paths stretch away to Carn an t-Sagairt and Lochnagar, up by the windy wastes of the Tolmount to Jock's Road and Glen Clova, and on to a high plateau where Prince Albert put a message in a bottle and stuck it in the ground for future generations to discover.

From the car park at Auchallater, a Scottish Rights of Way Society sign points the way, and up a short, stony brae a gate with access for walkers opens up your route through Glen Callater, following the course of the Callater Burn. Here, nature has sculpted the river rock into weirdly impressive shapes, jagged splinters of stone contrasting sharply with long, flat table-tops beaten smooth by the endless motion of the burn.

The rocks are mostly of micra-slate and granite.

Micra-slate was at one time quarried at the lower end of the glen for roofing. The whiter-than-white stones you see in ditches just off the track are limestone, which is more prevalent at the north-west end of Loch Callater.

The glen is hemmed in by high hills. Halfway up, there is supposed to be a green hillock inhabited by the `little folk'. Professor William MacGillivray, a noted 19th century Aberdeen naturalist who roamed these hills and glens, reported in 1850 that a man still living had seen fairies dancing on the hillock, with a piper playing to them.

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Myth and magic breed easily in these lonely straths.

Callater should really be Patrick or Peter's Glen, for a number of landmarks in and around the glen are called after a priest of that name. About halfway along the glen, where a wooden bridge crosses a burn coming down from the hills on the east, a barely visible path runs alongside it up towards Loch Phadruig.

This tiny loch, hiding behind Craig Phadruig, can't be seen from the glen, but both loch and crag are named after Peter the Priest. Carn an t-Sagairt, reached by a path from Loch Callater, is 'the priest's hill'. All this stems from a miracle performed by Peter when the Braemar area was in the grip of a severe frost that lasted into May. When a holy well at Loch Callater froze over, leaving the people without water, they called in Peter the Priest. He prayed, the ice melted, and water trickled

from the well. Then, as he prayed on, clouds gathered over Carn an t-Sagairt, the frost loosened its grip on the land, and a thaw set in.

The track through this 'miracle' glen is uninterrupted until you come to a quarry on the left. Here the track forks, the right-hand branch going off to Glen Clunie, and the left, which you stay on, to Loch Callater.

Soon you will see birch trees rising above an old gamekeeper's lodge near the lochside. The track runs past a gate leading to the front of the lodge, while another track goes behind the house.

Callater Lodge looks out over the loch, which runs south to where deer come down from the high tops to graze on grassy haughs below the Tolmount. The loch, which lies at an altitude of 500m, is about 1.5km long and covers an area of about 30 hectares. Gulls squawk and dive over its surface and if you are lucky

Dee n’ Do : 5

you might see a skein of geese flying low over the water. Sitting on the grass outside the lodge on a sunny day, looking away to the distant hills, the Deeside survey's description of the scene as 'idyllic' seems to sum it all up.

Life is coming back to the old stables near the lodge. In 1933 volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association restored the building for use as a bothy.

Now it provides simple shelter for walkers heading over the Tolmount to Glen Clova, or coming the other way. The path to Clova goes along the east side of the loch, passing a large stone which marks the site of Peter's Well, the scene of Callater's miracle.

From the lodge, looking across a wooden bridge that spans the Callater Burn, a steep, stony track can be seen zigzagging up the steep hill that flanks the loch on the west. This track goes up towards Carn an Tuirc (hill of the boar) and on to a plateau from which you can look down on a remote mountain loch described by one writer as 'lovely, lonely dark Loch Kander'.

The track is easy to follow for most of the way, but it peters out on the plateau. The ground drops away steeply on the left and as you head towards the corrie above Loch Kander, look for what appears to be a pile of stones some way ahead. This is all that remains of an old shepherd's bothy that once looked down on Kander, a rough but-and-ben perched high over what William MacGillivray called 'a recess in the bosom of a mountain'.

It is a fairly steep climb and should only be attempted in good conditions by fit walkers, but for those who make the climb, the rewards are great. The views are breathtaking, but even more fascinating is the glimpse you get of Loch Kander, an inky pool far below you. William MacGillivray estimated that the depth of the corrie was about 245m.

He noted that there was a place in the bothy for a small fire, two stone benches, and two recesses in a wall for pipes and other articles. The bothy is now a roofless ruin, but one of the benches can still be seen — and there is still a hole in the wall for the shepherd's pipe.

It can be cold in these high places. When Queen Victoria was there, taking a look at Loch Kander and describing it as 'very wild and dark', she found ice thicker than a shilling coin. It was somewhere near Carn an Tuirc that Prince Albert wrote a message on a bit of paper, put it in a water-bottle, and stuck it in the ground.

You can also make a low-level approach to Loch Kander by walking along the west side of Loch Callater, but the track gives way to a narrow footpath at the end of the loch and finally disappears.

Moreover, as you near the opening to Loch Kander the ground becomes wet and boggy.

Whether you make Loch Callater your turning-point, or climb the zigzag track to peer down at Loch Kander, it's a fair bet that you will want to return to this lovely area, for Callater is being 'discovered' by an increasing number of discerning walkers.

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CAI RN G O RMS NATURE We are often asked for interesting facts about the Cairngorms National Park, snippets of information that would make a nice bullet point on a fact sheet. It’s not hard to come up with some impressive statistics, we have 55 peaks over 900m high, the National Park is home to 25% of the UK’s threatened species and over 80% of the remaining Capercaillie population live here.

---

NATIVE WOODLAND PLANTED

A ---- PE

over 800ha

KS

55

H -------

~ By Andy Ford, Cairngorms Nature Manager ~

HIG

8

OV E R 9 0 0 M

AREA COVERED BY CNP

1,748 sq mi (4,528 sq km)

OVER 18,000 NEW PLANT RECORDS

THE BOTTOM OF THE FAMOUS LAIRIG GHRU PASS WOULD BE NO.25 ON A LIST OF LAKE DISTRICT PEAKS

G

BIGMALLORCAER than

80% of the Scottish population of

CAPERCAILLIE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN UK AND IRELAND

home to

25% UK ’s threatened species

Dee n’ Do : 5

I particularly like the slightly quirkier facts - such as the Cairngorms National Park is bigger than the island of Mallorca or that the bottom of the famous Lairig Ghru pass would be number 25 on a list of Lake District peaks.

Those of us privileged enough to live and work in the National Park don’t need bullet points to tell us what an amazing place this is, we just need to look out of the window to be reminded. However, the uniqueness of the landscape and the abundance of species here present a huge challenge when it comes to looking after it. It’s just too vast a job for one organisation, which is why Cairngorms Nature was conceived.

The idea behind Cairngorms Nature is to bring together those organisations that are delivering conservation on the ground and provide focus and coordination to their efforts. Cairngorms Nature also engages a wide range of ordinary people, not just the ‘experts’ but any individual who has a passion for nature.

Cairngorms Nature is now a well established partnership; it has been nearly two years since it was launched and real signs of progress are starting to become apparent.

Over 800ha of native woodlands have been planted and more than 350ha of peatland restoration has taken place at 7 project sites across the Park. Some of the UK’s rarest species, such as twinflower and Scottish wildcat, have been targeted for innovative action and there are plans for re-naturalising extensive floodplains on the Dee and the Spey.

Because of its sheer size, the Cairngorms National Park is one of the best places in the UK to deliver conservation on a landscape scale. There is an exciting project in progress to expand the areas of connected woodland in the National Park. It is taking place from Abernethy, round the central Cairngorms to Mar Lodge and is a vital step to providing continuous habitat for Capercaillie and ‘wildlife corridors’ for other species. Also on a vast scale is the plan for a montane woodland project to restore one of the UK’s most impoverished habitats and increase the biodiversity of the area. Montane woodland is the gap between the woods of the lower slopes and the higher mountain tops. It’s almost disappeared from view to the extent that most people don’t even know it should be there or what it looks like. It’s made up of low growing, twisted and knarled Scots pine along with mountain willows, juniper, dwarf birch, heather and berry species – many of which are almost extinct in the UK.

CNF Mothwatch © CNPA/CMilburn

Work also started last year on the Capercaillie Framework; with around 80% of the UK’s capercaillie population in the Cairngorms, what happens here is critical to the species’ future survival and expansion.

The main purpose of the project is to make sure that all aspects of capercaillie conservation are properly co-ordinated, whether that is managing the birds’ habitat, or finding ways for people to enjoy the countryside without disturbing the birds. The first stage was to report on the current situation, the next stage will involve working directly with land managers and communities to take forward the recommendations of that report.

Communities in the National Park have long been aware that the landscapes and wildlife around them are fundamental to their quality of life and to the economy of the Park. Cairngorms Nature projects are creating opportunities for people to get involved in its management and contribute to looking after their natural heritage.

Involvement in Cairngorms Nature ranges from everyday actions such as walking the dog on a lead during the ground nesting bird breeding season, to hours of dedicated recording by individuals and local groups to provide data for large co-ordinated schemes such as the Big Garden Bird Watch and the Scottish Mink Initiative.

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It is because of the cumulative effect of people getting involved in this way that we have seen over 18,000 new plant records, along with new invertebrate, plant and lichen species found in the National Park and a return to the uplands of the water vole, which has seen all old territories filled and new ones being created in areas where no water voles have been seen for decades.

We will be celebrating nature with our park-wide Cairngorms Nature Festival on the 16th and 17th May 2015. In Deeside there will be activities from Braemar to Muir of Dinnet with events to suit all ages and abilities as well as volunteering opportunities. It will be a fantastic weekend to come and explore what makes the Cairngorms so special. A full list of events can be found at www.cairngorms.co.uk.

It has been an exciting and successful start to Cairngorms Nature, but the challenges to conservation and biodiversity that we face remain.

Cairngorms Nature will continue to find more and more ways people can get involved.

Join us on www.facebook.com/cairngormsnature and Twitter @cnpnature to keep up to date with all of our projects, news and events.

Upland Stream Flowing into Loch Avon, Glen Avon Š Mark Hamblin 2020vision

Throw open our regal doors and prepare yourself for a friendly, hearty Scottish welcome.

Blairs Restaurant

Soapies Bar & Lounge

Afternoon Tea

Spa Naturel

There is no better setting to enjoy the very best of seasonal ingredients Scotland’s larder has to offer, including Sunday lunch and High tea.

With a warm, open fire ready to greet you, enjoy relaxed surroundings with a selection of informal brasserie dining open daily.

Focus on the roaring open fire, impressive artwork and opulent furniture in our stunning Drawing Room whilst indulging in a selection of refreshments and home bakes.

Spa Naturel is all about a journey of the senses, ensuring your experience rebalances the mind and body.

Take time for yourself!

Ardoe House Hotel South Deeside Road, Blairs, Aberdeen AB12 5YP T: 01224 860 600

Ardoe House Hotel and SPa

www.mercure.com

@Ardoehouse

Dee n’ Do : 5

c

istori

H

A97

c

astle

Kildrummy (Ruin)

s

12

Glenbuchat (Ruin)

The Castle Trail

Corgarff

A97

Strathdon

Crai

For centuries, the inhabitants of Scotland have been building fortifications and strongholds, and it has been estimated that there were once about 3,000 castles in Scotland.

Tarland

We go in search of the more notable castles that can be seen in Aberdeenshire and Deeside and explore their history, condition and purpose.

A97 A939

Loch Kinord

Balmoral Braemar

Kindrochit (Ruin)

BALLATER BRAEMAR

Knock (Ruin)

A93

Drum Castle "The castles of Aberdeenshire and Grampian are surrounded by an ambience of awe, a feeling of strength and timelessness"

Drum Castle is near Drumoak and for centuries was the seat of the Chief of Clan Irvine. The castle and its grounds were granted to William de Irwyn in 1325 by Robert the Bruce, and remained in the possession of Clan Irvine until 1975.

Crathes Castle Crathes Castle is a 16th-century castle near Banchory. This harled castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for almost 400 years. The castle and grounds are presently owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.

Castle Fraser Castle Fraser is located near Kemnay and is the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland, and one of the grandest 'Castles of Mar'.

There is evidence of an older square tower dating from around 1400/1500 within the current construction.

Dinnet

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N W

Inverurie

A944

E S

Alford

River Don

A947

Fraser A944 A96

Sauchen

igievar

Dunecht Loch of Skene

ABERDEEN

Westhill

B9119

Lumphanan

A980

Torphins

Kincardine O ’ Neil

A93

Drum Drumoak

Crathes

ee

D er

Riv

Crathes

ABOYNE BANCHORY

Craigievar Castle

Balmoral Castle

Craigievar Castle is a pinkish harled castle six miles south of Alford. It was the seat of Clan Sempill and the Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963, when the property was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland.

Balmoral Castle is located near the village of Crathie and has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased for Queen Victoria

by Prince Albert. It remains the private property of the monarch, and is not part of the Crown Estate.

Corgarff Castle Corgarff Castle is a four-storey tower house built circa 1550

by John Forbes, and in 1748 was converted into a fort. In the early 20th century, after years of neglect the castle fell into ruin, but in recent years has been wonderfully restored by Historic Scotland.

Castle Ruins:

Kildrummy Castle

Braemar Castle Braemar Castle is a five storey L-plan castle situated near the village of Braemar. It is owned by the Chief of Clan Farquharson and leased to a local charitable foundation but is also open to the public.

Glenbuchat Castle

Kindrochit Castle

Knock Castle

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Castle, Shop & Tearoom: 1 April – 31 October ; contact Castle Fraser for opening times Garden & Grounds: Open all year round, daily Entry Prices: Adult £10.50, Family £24.50, 1 parent family £18, Concession £7.50 If you are a member of The National Trust for Scotland then entry is free.

Spotlight on:

Castle Fraser What is The Laird’s Lug? Do you know the significance of strawberries at Castle Fraser? How many spy holes are there? How were the greenhouses heated in The

Castle Fraser Garden & Estate Sauchen, Inverurie Aberdeenshire, AB51 7LD T: 01330 833463 E: castlefraser@nts.org.uk

Walled Garden? What musical instrument did Colonel Charles play? Intrigued? Take a trip out to the fascinating Castle Fraser where all this, and more of its rich history, will be revealed.

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Lying about 16 miles west of Aberdeen, Castle Fraser in Sauchen is one of the grandest of the Scottish baronial tower houses, a perfect fairytale castle and the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland.

Built from local granite, the castle is adorned by turrets, balustrades, decorative stonework and coats of arms set high on the walls. Meticulously crafted by local masons, the castle still looks much as it did in the sixteenth century.

Although there was a building here in the 13th century, it was in the 16th century that the magnificent structure that you see today began to be transformed from the original four storey square tower. The first recorded Scottish Fraser was 'Frasier' and he appeared in 1166, one of many continental settlers who came to Scotland as part of a peaceful, gradual Norman infiltration during the twelfth century. There were two Fraser families associated with Castle Fraser, descended from Touch and Cornton near Stirling, and in October 1454 the lands of Muchall and Stoneywood were formed into a barony and granted to Thomas Fraser in exchange for his lands at Cornton. Castle Fraser stands on what were the lands of Muchall and the castle was known as Muchall-in-Mar until the early eighteenth century.

Much of the story of Castle Fraser is of its lairds, mainly military men, raising their families at the Castle, managing the estate and the farms, employing the farmers, ghillies, gamekeepers, gardeners, estate workers and household staff to keep the castle and its lands running smoothly.

The first Lady Laird was Miss Elyza Fraser who inherited the Castle, playing an active and prominent role in managing the estate between 1792 and 1814. As a young woman, she had been sent abroad by her father who disapproved of her infatuation with her uncle, the Laird of Udny.

In 1871, Colonel Frederick Mackenzie Fraser inherited the castle and although twice married, he had no children. He ruled the castle with a strict hand; apparently any unfortunate servant who was caught dusting in his presence was instantly dismissed and servants had to use special hidden stairways so as to remain unseen.

In 1921 the estate was bought at auction by the First Viscount Cowdray, for his second son, the Honourable Clive Pearson, who began the renovation of the Castle, revealing many interesting original features. In 1946 he gave the castle to his second daughter

By

Laird 1575 6th of Fraser build begun

Michael Fraser

The castle stands in over

300 acres (1.2 km2 ) of landscaped grounds

Castle Fraser is a Z-plan castle. A strong central rectangular tower with smaller towers attached at diagonally opposite corners.

Some scenes in the 2006 film The Queen

The Queen

featured the castle as the backdrop

The castle is said to be haunted by a young princess who was killed while asleep in the 'Green Room'

by the owned

t of scotland s u r t l a na t i o n

Did you know?

The grounds & walled gardens are open all year round

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Lavinia, who, with her husband Major Michael Smiley, continued the work of preservation. In 1976 they gifted Castle Fraser, together with an endowment and 26 acres, to the National Trust for Scotland.

As grand as it is, it's not difficult to imagine the Castle as a family home and taking a tour of the castle will immerse you in several periods of history, from the medieval Great Hall to the comfortable Victorian bedrooms.

The gardens have undergone major redevelopment work to restore them to the full glory of their 18th century heyday. A stroll through the traditional walled garden will reveal trees, shrubs and magnificent herbaceous borders as well as a medicinal and culinary border and organically grown fruit and vegetables.

dates for the diary JUN

20-21

Jun

29

JUL

18-19

SEP

9-10

Bon Accord Steam and Vintage Fair

Miss Elyza’s invitation to afternoon tea

Rumbling Romans & Wicked Warriors

Medieval Mischief

MA K I NG A B E R DE E N HOU S E P R OUD S I N C E 1 8 75 C OME TO C A L A The Waverley at Hayfield Grange

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ies damse l f n lf l AT o g ie ra Castle Fraser

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d

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The Flight Pond at Castle Fraser is a very special place indeed. As home to 10 species of dragonflies and damselflies, it is unique in the north east of Scotland with a habitat that is ideal for many other invertebrates, such as the less commonly seen water scorpions and water spiders. Numerous toads and frogs can also be found here. ~ By Toni Watt, NTS Ranger Service ~

This sunny, sheltered treasure trove of aquatic jewels is easily accessed from the car park by following the marked Alton Brae trail.

It is the dragonflies and damselflies however that make the pond so special. With 10 species of breeding dragonflies and damselflies found here, including the rare, red-listed Northern damselfly, which is classed as endangered in the UK and only found in Scotland and only at certain sites, the Flight Pond is a magical haven for Odonata. The pond is also home to the most northerly recorded Azure damselfly population, a species which is locally rare north of Tayside but may well be moving to a more northerly habitat due to climate change.

So what are dragonflies and damselflies and how do you tell them apart? Altogether there are six species of damselflies at Castle Fraser, the Northern, Emerald, Common, Blue-tailed, Large Red and Azure damselflies, all of which are quite dainty in appearance, about the size of a match stick, and at rest on vegetation, they tend to sit with their wings folded up over their bodies. The Emerald damselfly is the exception to this and usually perches with its wings half open. Dragonflies however are markedly bigger. The Common Hawker is our largest and you will hear its wings clattering as it flies past you. Our other dragonflies, the 4-Spotted Chaser, Black Darter and Common Darter are slightly smaller but much chunkier than the

damselflies and all four species of dragonfly rest on vegetation with their wings held open.

Both dragonflies and damselflies are hunters, catching and eating other insects and invertebrates above the pond. Adults only live a few weeks but both dragonflies and damselflies spend most of their lives in the pond as larvae. The females lay their eggs in the pond, either on vegetation or sometimes just scattering them on to the surface of the water. The larvae then live for one to two years for damselflies and up to four years for dragonflies before the mature larvae climb up a plant stem out of the water. The larva then splits open along its back and the adult dragonfly or damselfly crawls out fully formed, although it takes a while for its wings to expand and harden before it can fly. The scientific name for dragonflies and damselflies, Odonata, is derived from the Greek "odonto-", meaning tooth, and refers to the strong teeth found on the mandibles of most adults.

Walking through a cloud of jewel coloured damselflies and dragonflies on the wing on a sunny mid-summer day is part of what makes the Alton Brae trail so special. You may even be lucky enough to find a larval skin on a plant stem, always an exciting discovery - with the shed skin completely perfect in every way, it even looks like a minimonster! Maybe this is where the name dragon came from...

Dee n’ Do : 5

© Photograph by Juliette Dinning

THE

D ragonfly Dragonflies belong to the order

They are usually large, strongly flying insects that can

Odonata meaning ‘toothed-ones’

often be found flying well away from water

Each wing can be

Some of the larger species can

Adults are able to fly at

operated separately

survive for three or four months

more than 20mph

antenna

forewing

compound eye

costa

femur

stigma (pterostigma)

nodes

tibia

tarus

hindwing

thorax

Adult dragonflies have

Hind wings are usually shorter

virtually 360˚ vision

and broader than the forewings cerus

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By Sandy Kennaway Deeside Drinks Emporium, Banchory

Brace yourself...

DEeSIDE

what alcohol CELEBRATE DrinksEmporium

there's Thunder & Lightning on the way!

Away back in the mists of time (well, 2009, but we were in the planning process for the 2nd shop in Banchory and it seems a long time ago…) we heard rumours of a new whisky being bottled. Whilst new products come and go with a certain regularity, this was different.

The mighty Dalmore distillery from Alness on the banks of the Cromarty Firth announced it would be working in partnership with the River Dee Trust.

The project was christened “The Dee Dram” and would mean a generous donation made to the River Dee Trust from every bottle sold, which would help substantially with much needed restoration and conservation work on the river.

One of the crowning glories from this project is the Culter Pass (more details here www.riverdee.org. uk/projects/theculterburn.asp) 600 cases of whisky were released and they didn’t last long. Bottles from this release can now command a hefty price at auction!

As the project was an overwhelming success, another release came - this time The Dee Dram

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was accompanied by bottlings for the Tweed, Tay and Spey to complete the set of Scotland’s most famous salmon fishing rivers, and they too sold well whilst raising more money for valuable projects.

successfully. At a chance meeting with Mark Bilsby from the River Dee Trust a few weeks later (yes, in a pub…) we chatted away about the success of The Dee Dram, and from there we bashed out a plan.

Then it stopped. We heard rumours that it was coming back (and even tasted an advance sample at the Dee River opening ceremony in 2014), but nothing happened.

Within the next few days we had agreed a name and the style of beer we wanted – The River Dee Blonde, a 3.8% golden ale to be made by Eden Brewery for us, and we asked local artist Mel Shand if she would be involved. Mel kindly agreed to paint us a picture of one of the best known fish flies common to the river “Thunder & Lightning” to be used as a brand and name for this year’s beer.

In the meantime, I’d been involved in launching and bringing to market a couple of beer projects, one of which was a charity project to raise money for the Famous Stonehaven Fireballs - which we did

A refreshing drinkable beer, full of hoppy attitude. The ingredients we’ve used are of top quality and have made this one Blonde that is full of personality. Galaxy hops deliver intriguing fruit flavours from apricot to pineapple and, with a balanced grapefruit finish on the palate, it has stacks of taste, body and aroma and is hugely enjoyable at just 3.8% ABV. Sample responsibly

And now you can play your part!

We’ve agreed to donate 60% of profits from every bottle back to the River Dee Trust It’s available direct from us at Deeside Drinks Emporium, and in many bars and restaurants along the River Dee and beyond. Or you can come and sample it in person on Sunday 7th June on the banks of the River Dee as part of Mackenzie DTX Demo Day too.

For more details visit www.adaa.org.uk Deeside Drinks Emporium 22 Dee Street, Banchory AB31 5ST +44(0)1330 822650 deesidedrinks@live.co.uk

And keep your eyes peeled for the next Dee Dram – it's currently asleep, but will be woken up soon...

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what is

NEOS?

For more information please visit our website: www.northeastopenstudios.co.uk or follow us on facebook and twitter.

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North East Open Studios (NEOS) is the largest open studio event in Scotland, with as many as 220 artists opening their doors and taking part.

The idea to create this festival of open studios came about in 2003 when a group of artists based in Aberdeen city and shire sought to create an event which could offer everyone the opportunity to engage with artists directly from their own studio. Since its formation it has grown from strength to strength with exciting new developments and more artists joining every year.

NEOS dates this year are from 12th Sept – 21st Sept 2015. It’s a fantastic opportunity to visit artists and makers of all creative disciplines in a wide variety of venues. From the artist studio at the bottom of the garden to the collectives taking over the village hall, there is a huge variety of work to see all over the

Venue: Aubeebop Jewellery

by Aubin Stewart

North East. Not only do you get to meet the artist but you will often see work being made, learn about artists' inspirations and perhaps even get involved in some hands on participation yourself!

Not sure where to start? Every year we distribute 24,000 NEOS directories which feature every single artist and maker taking part with full details of where to find them, their opening hours and on-site facilities. Included in the directory is a guide map so you can plan a day out visiting several venues with your friends and family in an area that suits you.

A handy tip for visitors is to look out for the bright yellow NEOS signs outside every venue.

Photo by Jennifer Watson

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NEOS, North East Open Studios, is a great opportunity to meet and chat with individual artists, see what inspires them, how they work and gain an insight into the huge wealth of talent living and working in the North East of Scotland. Many creative groups also show their work collectively.

NEOS aims to support all aspects of visual art, craft and applied art, which is why NEOS is open to all creatives at whatever stage of their creative journey -

Elinor Grieve - Painter We all love animals, especially those humorous, cheeky animals that instantly bring a smile to our faces.

Self-taught artist Elinor Grieve specialises in painting these amusing and whimsical animals in her unique and characteristic style of colourful acrylics and pastels.

‘I am amazed by the response I have received in such a short period of time to my work since moving to Aberdeenshire, and I firmly believe this is due to the exposure I have gained by taking part in the North East Open Studios. I believe that art should be enjoyed and available to all.’

Photo by Rae Osborne

from the hobbyist to the professional. There is a huge variety of disciplines within the directory of artists and makers – you’ll be hard pushed to choose who and where to visit!

CERAMICS, GLASS, ILLUSTRATION, JEWELLERY, MIXED MEDIA, MULTIMEDIA, PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, PRINTMAKING, SCULPTURE, TEXTILES, WOOD

Keith Mellard - sculptor

anne marquiss - JeweLler

In 2007, I was offered space in a furniture gallery to demonstrate sculptural techniques during the NEOS week. This was my first introduction to the concept of NEOS, and I was fascinated with this idea that gave artists an opportunity to open their studios to the public, who could wander in at any time, find the artist at work and try to find out more of what it is all about. This was a valuable experience for both the artist and those who truly appreciate art.

I design and make my jewellery from my bothy, next to my home, where I have space to experiment and explore forms and their complementary surface textures and decoration. I introduce colour and added dimension through limited use of semi precious stones and leather which I paint with inks.

Whilst it is gratifying if anyone likes what I do, it isn’t the reason I make my sculptures. That is a journey without a destination, which will continue.

Photo by Rae Osborne

My inspiration is derived from mid 20th century design, specifically from Scandinavia. I constantly want to develop my practice and am currently exploring the traditional methods of weaving.

The soft yarns bring yet another medium to balance with my metalwork, offering new and exciting possibilities.

Photo by Anne Marquiss

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NEOS hot picks... // Entry no: 162

// Entry no: 86

// Entry no: 200

Gabrielle Reith - Illustrator

Kerstin Gren - Ceramics

Elaine Thomson - Printmaking

Oriel Art Easter Skene, Westhill AB32 6YB

Durn Hill Farm Portsoy, Banff AB45 2YX

Junction Arts 282 Holburn Street, Aberdeen AB10 6DD

// Entry no: 186

// Entry no: 96

// Entry no: 70

Charles M. Smith - Jewellery

Susie Hunt - Painting

Nicole Ferguson - Jewellery

Gaelo Jewellery 1 Greystone Road, Alford AB33 8TY

Mill Farm Studio Kemnay, Inverurie AB51 5NY

13 Hopetoun Grange Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9RA

// Entry no: 150

// Entry no: 102

// Entry no: 172

Rae Osborne - Photography

Tracey Johnston - Painting

Belinda Rose Designs - Textiles

Sunnyside of Gight Methlick, Ellon AB41 7JD

Garden Studio The Lane, 84 Desswood Place Aberdeen AB15 4DQ

Colour Bothy East Steading, Hirn Banchory AB31 5QT

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a five-star experience REDISCOVERING ITS 1878 RO OTS

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Sitting in the baronial drawing room at Ardoe House Hotel feels like a scene from the late 19th century, where elegant ladies wearing their Sunday best would enjoy their afternoon tea. White and purple wallpaper printed with drawings of fishermen, ornate wood carvings on the doors and fireplace, elaborate chandeliers and imposing oil-painted portraits carry us to a parallel reality far away from our fast-paced everyday life. ~ By Mirela Pencheva ~

Ardoe House was first built in 1878 as a family home

by Alexander Milne Ogston in the then popular Scottish Baronial style. He inherited his wealth from his father, “Soapy Ogston”, a nickname that arose as a result of his trade as a soap and candle manufacturer. Ardoe House was a symbol, not only of the family’s fortune, but also of their Scottish ancestry, which was of great importance and a matter of pride.

The architect of the estate was James Matthews, an Aberdeen-born son of a bank teller. Together with Thomas Mackenzie, he was responsible for the creation of Drummuir and Ballindalloch Castles, St. John’s Episcopal Church and various schools, banks and churches. After the death of Mackenzie, Matthews took his son into partnership in 1877, when he started work on Ardoe House. Other notable works of his include an extension to Aberdeen Music Hall, a wing for Arnage Castle and Stonehaven Town Hall.

The Scottish Baronial style in which the property is built was inspired by the medieval gothic and Scottish castle architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The style is characterised by castellation and the use of round corner turrets covered with conical roofs, plain walls and square-headed windows. It was first introduced when the home of the famous author Sir Walter Scott was designed in 1816.

Interest in Scotland and its history spread quickly as a result of Scott’s novels and poems, and the purchase of Balmoral Estate by Queen Victoria. The existing house at Balmoral was replaced in the Scottish Baronial style a few years later, and 20 years later, it was to inspire the architecture of Ardoe House.

Ardoe House was converted into a hotel in 1947, and today the hotel combines the elaborate style of the past with the modernity of the present. Ardoe prides itself on personalising its experience to suit all its many different visitors. Guests come for business trips, spa weekends, weddings, afternoon teas, summer barbecues and dinner parties. The spa facilities include sauna, steam room, an 18 metre swimming pool, fitness suite and an outdoor tennis court for the summer months. There's also an extensive range of beauty treatments on offer in the luxurious facilities.

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AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF

ARCHITECT

JA M E S M AT T H E W S

1878 BUILT IN

Scottish Baronial Style THE ESTATE EXTENDS TO

10 0 0 ACRES BY

ALEXANDER MILNE OGSTON

(4.04686 km2)

CONVERTED INTO A HOTEL IN

120

S PA with luxurious TREATMENT ROOMS

TRADITIONALLY DECORATED

The Whisky Bar has an impressive selection of more than 80 Scottish malts to deliberate over and enjoy in front of a crackling log fire. Diners can choose from sophisticated dining in the grand surroundings of Blairs Restaurant or the relaxed informality of Soapie's Lounge Bar. Any future progression and development at Ardoe is always done with careful and sensitive consideration of the building's rich history. A new venture for the hotel is the design of a new brand of soaps and candles, paying homage to Soapy Ogston and the roots of the original Ardoe House.

Looking ahead, Ardoe House Hotel is set to become part of the MGallery group of luxury hotels in September. This is an exciting time for the hotel as they move forward in to the next stage of their story, whilst always keeping hold of their historical roots.

Ar d oe Ho u se Hotel & S pa South Deeside Road, Blairs, Aberdeen AB12 5YP T: 01224 860600

1947

& indoor heated POOL

Soapies

SURROUNDED BY

tranquil countryside

SOAPIES LOUNGE BAR

9 Meeting Rooms WITH A CAPACITY OF

THE OGSTON FAMILY BUSINESS WAS SOAP MANUFACTURING

500

THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY THE ESTATE HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS BEING IN TWO PARTS

the

SUNNY HALF

the

S H A DY H A L F

On the banks of the River Dee just 5 miles from central Aberdeen A B E R D E E N S F I N E S T N E W L O C AT I O N !

Showhome opening June Blairs Royal Deeside is the prestigious new development.

Choose from 4, 5 and 6 bedroom luxury homes, featuring magnificent specification and set within acres of ancient woodland and manicured green spaces.

Prices from £540,000

Call 01224 868 570 or 07946 412 320 Sales and Information Centre OPEN Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm South Deeside Road, AB12 5YQ The interior and exterior images are computer generated images of typical Muir Homes styles at Aberdeen.

Call 01224 868 570 or visit www.blairs.co.uk

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breakfast, lunch & dinner

BR E AKFAST

Foodstory Thistle Street, Aberdeen

LUN C H

Buchanans Bistro Woodend Barn, Banchory

DI N N E R

Castle Fraser Restaurant Sauchen, Inverurie

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BREAKFAST

lunch

dinner

at

at

at

Foodstory Cafe

Buchanans Bistro

Castle Fraser Restaurant

What better way to start your day than with a wholesome, healthy and organic bowl of superfood porridge as served up at Foodstory? Topped with chia seeds, walnuts and muscovado sugar, this porridge is super tasty as well as super healthy.

There are few finer places than Buchanans to enjoy lunch with its gorgeous view to the hills. Calum and Val make everything in their kitchen, including the bread, oatcakes, ice cream and beer.

It's quite a well kept secret that you can eat dinner in Castle Fraser's old kitchen, transformed into a restaurant for evening.

The atmosphere is wonderful, and a very friendly welcome awaits from Fred, Fiona and their attentive staff.

Although Foodstory offers an amazing selection of delicious vegetarian, vegan and gluten free food, don't be put off if you are carnivore, they also serve up a mean bacon or sausage butty for breakfast, alongside muesli, toast and a variety of other breakfast goodies. There's a delicious choice of coffees and teas, all served up with a friendly smile.

Foodstory has proved a popular destination since opening its doors in 2013, so much so that they have just expanded into the shop space next door.

Passionate believers in minimising waste, the cafe was hand built and nearly everything made with recycled materials. Despite its expansion, the cafe still retains the special charm and quirkiness that makes it so appealing - and one of the most interesting cafe spaces in the city.

An imaginative lunch menu offers salads, soups, light platefuls and bigger platefuls for a larger appetite. The marinated artichoke hearts with pine nuts, honey and feta, chickpea and potato ball just zings with fresh flavours and the Big Soup, a creamy sausage chowder is warming and delicious.

There's a wicked selection of puddings and cakes such as dark chocolate and amaretto tart or the lusty lemon slice. Kids are catered for with the Child Board: cheese muffin, smooth soup, carrot and cucumber batons, slices of banana and orange. Great coffees, teas and softs - or if you're not driving, a comprehensive wine list or Buchanans beer from their own micro brewery.

Buchanans have just been given 'Best Informal Eating Experience' Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Award 2015.

The fillet of beef, supplied by local butcher A & G Collie of Kemnay, was delicious, melt in the mouth and accompanied by fresh vegetables cooked to perfection. Also on the menu was rack of lamb, sea bass with fennel and dill beurre blanc and a pea, asparagus and lemon risotto.

Sweets were pistachio pavlova with rosewater poached rhubarb and a dark chocolate pave with espresso ice cream being just two of the tempting offers. The restaurant is bring your own wine but soft drinks are available to purchase.

Book your table in plenty of time as the restaurant at Castle Fraser is very popular with those in the know. You can also enjoy a stroll around the gardens of a summer evening before dinner.

Monday – Thursday: 8am – 5pm

7 days from 9am: lunch from

Friday: 8am – 10pm

noon, evening menu from 6pm

Bring your own wine

Saturday: 9am – 5pm

Mondays: early closing, 5pm

We supply all soft drink

Sunday: Closed

call for reservations

no spirits allowed

15 Thistle Street, Aberdeen AB10 1XY E: foodstorycafe@gmail.com

Buchanans at Woodend Barn Banchory AB31 5QA T: 01330 826530

Castle Fraser Restaurant Sauchen AB51 7LD T: 01467 643834

www.foodstorycafe.co.uk

www.buchananfood.com

www.castlefraserrestaurant.com

Thursday - Sunday: from 7pm

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Golf Club

A great retreat for a game of golf with views of the Dee valley that will make your spirit soar. Banchory Golf Club lies on the banks of the River Dee offering an exhilarating 5,689 yards of course with challenges for all levels of golfer. ~ By Glen Spindler, Club Captain ~

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A short and scenic drive out from Aberdeen, this is a beautiful mature course with views to Scolty Hill.

The par 69, 18 hole course has played host to six Open champions: Harry Vardon, George Duncan, Arthur Havers, Alf Padgham, Max Faulkner and most recently Paul Lawrie, who worked as assistant at the club from 1986 – 1990.

The 88 yard 'Doocot' is one of the shortest in Scottish golf but there are a number of testing long holes and every single one of the afore-mentioned champions found something to challenge them when they played Banchory, so there truly is something here for every player - whatever the level of golf expertise.

With various golf packages to choose from that will suit either a corporate day out or a round of golf with friends, the club has years of golf planning experience behind them and is always delighted to help plan your event – it could be a half or full day and at any time of year with the added bonus of fine food and a great selection of drinks available in the club house.

The club house is comfortable and well appointed, perfect for enjoying a well earned drink and meal whilst overlooking the course and dissecting the ins and outs of the round just played.

It's also a convivial spot for discussing the finer points of golf technique with your golfing buddies and planning future rounds over a coffee or a pint.

PGA Professional David Naylor is in charge of the Pro Shop and he is a valuable font of knowledge on all things golf. There's no-one better placed to advise you on the best piece of new golf equipment or suggest a few hot golfing tips.

Tuition is available for everyone from the complete novice to the more experienced golfer looking for a few pointers to improve their technique, from high level amateurs to golf professionals.

Banchory Golf Club is part of the club coaching scheme for juniors and can provide group or individual coaching for ladies, juniors and gents. The three PGA professionals at the club are trained to a consistently high level and offer golf lessons seven days a week.

Club Information Banchory Golf Club Kinneskie Road, Banchory AB31 5TA

Tee reservations and Club Pro T: 01330 822447 E: pro@banchorygolfclub.co.uk

Clubhouse T: 01330 822274

Club Secretary T: 01330 822365 E: secretary@banchorygolfclub.co,uk

Green Fees Monday – Friday 1 round £35 I 2 rounds £50 Saturday and Sunday 1 round £45 I 2 rounds £60

See website for Membership fees: www.banchorygolfclub.co.uk For all enquiries please contact the Professionals Shop on 01330 822447

Holes: 18 Type: Parkland Length: 5,800 yards (5,303m)

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The north east of Scotland boasts of over 1000 moth species.

Below are a few of the common varieties you may spot when you're out and about.

Garden Tiger Moth

Emperor Moth

Poplar Hawkmoth

Ghost Moth

Streamer Moth

Lackey Moth

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Moths tend to get overlooked and thought of as being dull, drab beasties that are occasionally glimpsed in the car headlights, or else as pests doing damage to that dress that has hung in the wardrobe for many years. ~ By Brian J Stewart ~

Gardeners may not be keen on moth caterpillars attacking their shrubs and fruit bushes, but yet we're all delighted to see the first butterflies of spring or see a Buddleia dripping with Red Admirals, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells or the scarcer Painted Lady butterflies.

It is sometimes difficult to comprehend that butterflies and moths are all part of the same family of insects known as Lepidoptera. We associate butterflies with warm weather and sunny days, whereas moths are known as creatures of the night and, as such, suffer a rather more negative opinion.

An incredible 2400 species of moths have been recorded in the UK and here in the north-east of Scotland we can boast of having around 1030 moth species. These vary in size from the tiny 'micros' with a wingspan as small as 3 millimetres to the much bigger 'macros' that are large enough to cover a child's hand. Asked to identify a moth, many of us would probably struggle but most moths are common, showy and bright such as the Garden Tiger moth and the Poplar Hawkmoth. Children love to handle moths and in the UK they can do so quite safely as none will bite or sting.

Deeside is a vitally important area for moths and I hope this article will convince you that they are not the drab insects we may think they are.

True wilderness is a scarce commodity anywhere in the UK and the hand of man can be seen in most environments, be it in the high Cairngorms or in the remote glens that feed their streams into the River Dee. These high hills and glens however are places with a rich fauna, including special moths and butterflies.

Having a river system that starts at 4000 feet, is fed by streams from adjacent valleys and flows to the sea at Aberdeen means that a great variety of habitats and vegetation types can be found within the Dee catchment area. It is within these different habitats that we find moths of all types.

The greatest diversity of moth species can be found amongst a rich mosaic of native trees like birch,

rowan and alder growing profusely in association with an understory of plants such ling heather, blaeberry, crowberry and other moorland plants. In particular, the Dinnet area, between Aboyne and Ballater, probably holds around 500 species of moth, while other places such as the high tops may hold only a few but exciting species. The keen Lepidopterist has to put in some long days (and nights) in order to locate these beauties.

Moths and butterflies have complex life cycles with some species over-wintering as either eggs, larvae (caterpillars), pupa or as adults. Many of the caterpillars feed on only one or two species of plants which makes them particularly vulnerable as eradication or contamination of the caterpillar foodplant will result in the probable loss of that moth species from that area. If not effectively managed, the spraying of large tracts of ground or forests can also cause great losses.

The Victorians were great collectors of mammals, birds and every organism that you can think of.

Nowadays, through the use of highly illustrated and detailed field-guides and digital cameras, the moth recorder can identify most species that are caught in his net or that land in light traps so there is little need to take specimens.

Thankfully we no longer fill glass cases with stuffed birds or ornate cabinets with thousands of butterflies and moths, but those early collections have been of great importance in giving a baseline of what was around during that time. Early moth collectors tended to collect eggs and caterpillars and breed them right through to the adult flying moth stage, giving them a great knowledge of the life cycles of many species.

We are currently seeing a resurgence of interest in moths and sophisticated moth traps with various types of light source are now available, allowing amateur moth recorders the opportunity to visit and trap in remote locations, including the Dee valley, adding new knowledge and records of moth populations. A walk at dusk with a fine net will yield species that shun light traps and this is a fun activity for children to be involved in.

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Scotch Burnet Moth Latin: Zygaena Exulans Subochracea (SB)

Whilst we still don't yet fully understand why moths visit lights or fly into headlights there is no lack of theories as to why this happens. Light trapping provides an opportunity to catch a large cross section of moths within the immediate area and Visiting a moth trap following a night's trapping is an exciting experience, just like unwrapping a birthday gift, you don't know what you will find when you open the trap in the early morning. You may be lucky enough to find several hundred moths, which can be a bit bewildering to the moth novice, but this is where the systematic recording and release starts.

Species types and numbers are entered into the Lepidopterist's notebook, along with exact location, and other relevant data. Species that are difficult to identify may be retained, still alive, for later review and confirmation but will be released as soon as possible. All records from an amateur recorder are subject to local, and occasional national, scrutiny by experts before being entered in local and national databases. This ensures that historical data is based on a solid verification process.

I hope this brief article has helped to highlight the importance of moths on Deeside and if you are interested in finding out more, keep your eyes open for special moth events on Deeside over the summer months.

These truly fascinating and beautiful creatures are worthy of our interest and further study.

There are around 800 species of Burnet and Forester moth worldwide. Only ten live in the British Isles with seven in Scotland (six species of Burnet and one Forester). Five of these are subspecies that are endemic to Scotland, ie they occur nowhere else in the world!

Scotland’s Burnet moths are some of the most magnificent and rarest insects in the UK. Burnets are readily recognisable with crimson (or very rarely yellow) streaks/dots/blotches on a glossy, inky blue/black background. Identification to species requires careful examination of the number, size and shape of the dots/ blotches/streaks.

Adult Flight Period: mid June to late July Wingspan: 22-33 mm Status: Red Data Book species ( RDB3 - Rare ) Number of Spots: Five crimson spots Other Features: Wings thinly-scaled giving translucent appearance, thickly-haired body Habitat: Shortish (5-30cm high) dry grassy heath on gentle slopes between 700-850m.

Caterpillar Foodplant: Mainly crowberry but also cowberry, blaeberry and heather Preferred Adult Nectar Plants: Common bird's-foot trefoil, cowberry and mountain everlasting Cocoon Position, Colour & Shape: Concealed low amongst vegetation. Yellowish-white. Bluntly spindle-shaped.

Habits: Flies strongly in sunshine and rests concealed low down in vegetation in poor weather.

Location of Spots:

1

5

3 2

4

Source: Butterfly Conservation Scotland, Learn About Scotland’s Burnet & Forester Moths leaflet. Image from www.mothshots.com

DEeside’s

Premier

Drinks Specialist

Deeside Drinks Emporium 22 Dee Street, Banchory, Kincardineshire, AB31 5ST t +44(0)1330 822650 e deesidedrinks@live.co.uk

www.facebook.com/DeesideDrinksEmporium twitter.com/deesidedrinks

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Come rain or shine, the first Ballater Farmers’ Market, a much welcome addition to the village, will take place in June 2015 on Glenmuick Church green.

The exact date for the opening day is still to be confirmed but this will be a regular monthly fixture featuring a great variety of stalls selling local produce such as vegetables, eggs, meats, cooked food, beer, cheese, chutneys and preserves, bread and much more.

Every month will feature a new local artist and local musicians. There will be face painting for the kids and a bric-a-brac stall to raise money for a different local charity/organisation every month. Although a Farmers Market in the village had always been a popular idea up until now, it just never quite happened.

Organiser Amy Muir hopes it will be a success.

She says: “There are so many local producers in and around Royal Deeside that it seemed a wasted opportunity not to start up the market. It is something I have always wanted to see in Ballater, so I decided to take the plunge and organise it

myself. There is such a wholesome feeling to buying food when you know where it has come from, where it has been grown or the person it has been made by.

I have never organised an event before but felt very passionately about starting this market. It has proved to be a lot of hard work but I’ve had a lot of support and I hope for the market to grow and get better every month. I’m extremely proud of Ballater’s close community, so I hope we will see a great turn out for the market and for local food producers.”

The market is a non-profit organisation and the money raised will go back into the market fund and for various other organisations within the village community. It will also help towards Amy's next project, a local allotment. Funding has been generously received from Ballater Victoria Week and Think Local to develop the market and pay for the important bits and pieces that come with starting up a market.

www.facebook.com/ballaterfarmersmarket

|

ballaterfarmersmarket@gmail.com

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Time to venture up into the attic and dust off the family heirlooms as BBC One's Antiques Roadshow comes to Balmoral Castle this summer.

Joining presenter Fiona Bruce on Thursday 30th July at Balmoral will be some of Britain's leading antiques and fine art specialists. From doors opening at 9.30am until close at 4.30pm, the Antiques Roadshow Team will be on hand to discuss and value your potentially priceless antiques. Entry to the show is free.

This will be the 38th series of the perennially popular Sunday evening show and Simon Shaw, Series Editor, says that even after all these years the magic formula of surprising some lucky guests with exciting news about their treasure still comes true.

Of course, this is what makes the show such compulsive viewing - after all, don't we all dream that the dusty piece of china left to us by Great Aunt Maggie might be worth a small fortune?

People with large pieces of furniture or other big items can send details and photographs of their objects to: Antiques Roadshow BBC, Whiteladies Road Bristol BS8 2LR or email them: antiques.roadshow@bbc.co.uk.

It may be possible to arrange to look at the item in advance and organise transportation to the venue.

So if you have some household treasures lurking in the cupboard or perhaps a car boot sale discovery you'd like free expert advice on, head up to Balmoral Castle on July 30th. You never know, it might just be your lucky day.

More information can be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow

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P eter Fraser' s ~ PONIES ~

When I started work as a trainee gamekeeper/stalker on Invercauld estate, one of the responsibilities given to me by headkeeper Donald MacDonald was looking after the estate's four hill ponies. ~ By Peter Fraser ~

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The ponies were based at the stables behind Invercauld house and were used for carrying deer home from the hill during the stag and hind season. The estate also hired another three ponies, provided by Jimmy Archibald who owned the trekking centre in Ballater, and these were for the Glen Callater and Baddoch beats.

Jimmy was well known in the horse world. He was also well known as a judge and had judged at over 90 shows during his lifetime and, on several occasions, at the Royal Highland Show. On hearing I had started work on Invercauld, he kindly phoned up and wished me well, and offered his help and advice should any problems arise with the horses.

For this I was grateful, as I had no experience of working with ponies.

I found the view commonly held by some people that a horse can be dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle to be quite the reverse as the Invercauld ponies were quiet, easy to handle and had a great temperament. Unfortunately, years passed by and we had to eventually think about future replacements. Also at this time Jimmy announced, that due to ever increasing health and safety issues and red tape, he was giving up his trekking business. As less ponies were now being used for deer extraction, finding replacements would be difficult, so I put forward the idea of buying a brood mare from Jimmy so that we could breed our own replacements and suggested that I was willing to handle and break them in. Captain Farquharson thought the idea was good and gave Mr Petrie, the estate factor, the go-ahead to buy one of Jimmie's mares.

A brood mare in foal was bought, and like the rest of Jimmy's ponies, Amber was quiet and easy to handle.

Her first foal was a filly, and unlike some mares who can be protective of their foal, Amber was the opposite and would let me do anything with the new arrival, which the Laird later called Misty.

Breaking in a three or four year old horse to carry deer can have its dangers, not only to the handler, but also for the horse. Should a horse panic, or refuse to accept a stag once the stag is on its back, even with two men, it's difficult to handle and control. And should the saddle slip, there is always the danger of an injury to the horse from the antlers of the stag.

With this in mind, I decided to spend as much time with the foal as possible and try some of my own ideas, which hopefully would make life simpler for myself and less stressful for the foal in later years.

The smell of deer, or the smell of blood, can make some ponies refuse to carry or go any where near deer. So, to overcome this problem, Amber and Misty were fed alongside the deer which were fed on the rough ground in front our house.

There is nothing worse when you go to catch a horse and the horse takes off to the other end of the field. When you call a pony and it comes to you, you should always give it a reward. The same applies to the foal. A foal is inquisitive, and once it loses its nervousness and accepts you, I would rub some granulated sugar round its mouth. Once it gets a taste for sugar, you've a friend for life.

Getting a foal used to movements around its head is important, especially when trying to put a head collar on for the first time. Again, I used bribery. Giving Misty sugar in one hand, I would gently rub her face and ears, or put my arm over her neck and before long, she would eventually stand and let me put the head collar on. Preparing Misty for her first visit from the blacksmith, I would lift each leg, then gently tap on each hoof, or give the hoof a rub with a rasp.

The next step was getting Misty accustomed to different types of noise and being led with her mother. Little Auchallater, where I lived, was about 300 yards below the A93 Perth - Braemar main road.

Two roads, about 400 yards apart, came down to the house from the main road. I would get one of the young keepers to take Amber, I took Misty and we would walk up one road, along the A93 and down

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All photographs courtesy of Peter Fraser

the other track back to the house. Even at at six weeks a foal can have a mind of its own, so in case of any problems, I had a free running rope around the foals neck. It was amazing how quickly the foal lost her fear of vehicles and showed little or no concern at all at the noise of air brakes from passing buses and lorries.

The noise and clatter from a pony's hooves when being loaded into a horse box can also cause problems and there is nothing worse than fighting against a horse that refuses to enter a horse box.

Overcoming this problem was simple. At an early age, Amber was led into the horse box and the foal followed close by her side. This exercise was carried out whenever possible and seldom in later years did we have a problem loading ponies into a horse box.

Ponies not used to hill work can often be difficult when it comes to crossing a hill burn. To overcome this problem, when the water was low, I would take Amber and Misty down to the River Clunie which flowed behind our house. Again, at this early age accompanied by Amber, Misty showed no fear of water when crossing the Clunie and was never a problem in later years.

I made it a point that during the stag season the foal always accompanied the mare to the hill. This gave the foal a chance to put into practice what it had been taught during the first four months of its life.

But perhaps most important of all, it got used to the smell of blood.

At the end of the October, Misty was weaned and kept at Little Auchallater. Whenever possible the training sessions continued and the following year Misty, along with Amber and her new foal, returned

to the hill for another stag season. At two years Misty was saddled for the first time and then carried her first deer (a hind). In July the following year, she carried her first stag, then, accompanied by Amber and the new foal, carried stags on alternate days with Amber on Glen Callater.

The intensive training and the early introduction to the different situations the foal would encounter later on in life is, I believe, less stressful to the foal and far easier on the handler. Over the years, I've often been asked what gave me the most satisfaction in my work. Was it a good day at the grouse or a successful conclusion to a long and difficult stalk? My answer certainly raised a few eyebrows. For me, nothing gave me more satisfaction than seeing one of the ponies we bred and handled coming home from the hill at night carrying their first stag.

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Braemar

Community Hydro A Deeside village makes an enterprising move towards generating clean, community owned power.

In a forward looking venture that will generate clean, low carbon electricity for the village, Braemar Community Hydro Ltd (BCH) has been successfully set up to fundraise, construct and operate a 100kW hydro scheme on the Corriemulzie Burn near Braemar.

This isn't the first time that a hydro scheme has existed on the Corriemulzie - there are remnants of a redundant hydro scheme which powered Mar Lodge in Victorian times, and an option to export power from this new scheme to the present day Mar Lodge, now a National Trust for Scotland property, is currently being investigated.

Operating as a social enterprise, BCH will give Braemar residents and the wider community an opportunity to be part of a scheme which will not only generate clean, low carbon energy but will provide revenue for a community fund, as well as give a good investment return to its members. The minimum value of shares that can be applied for is ÂŁ100 and the maximum is ÂŁ45,000. Anyone over 18 years can apply. BCH is run by its members and each member will have one vote, regardless of how many shares they hold.

The Corriemulzie Burn lies 4km west of Braemar on the Linn o' Dee road. This will be a run of river scheme, which means water will be drawn from the burn then transported via a buried pipeline to a power house 2km away beneath the impressive Corriemulzie waterfalls. The powerhouse will contain a turbine which will produce electricity before returning the water to the burn by a short buried outfall pipe or tailrace. Run of river schemes mean there is no need for a reservoir to store water.

With planning consent already in place, a grid connection offer and a lease agreement, construction of the scheme is on course to start in late summer of 2015 with the first electricity generation due in September 2016. Electricity generated will power 75 homes and offset the equivalent of 150 tonnes of CO2 per year with a lifespan of over 40 years.

This is an exciting step forward for Braemar as well as an important step towards the Scottish government's aim to reach a target of 500 megawatts of community and locally owned renewable energy by 2020.

To learn more about this enterprising initiative, visit www.braemarhydro.org.uk or e mail braemarhydro@gmail.com.

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Grab your pens kids, it's time to start doodling!

It's summer so how about getting some summery flowers and fruit on the page? Or a sunny beach scene? This is your page so get doodling!

WORD SEARCH Can you find all the fruity names in the word search?

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JOKES Q. How did the farmer fi A. With x his jea a cabba ns? ge patc h!

Q. Wha t is it ca lled wh en a cat a dog sh wins ow?

A. A cathas-trop hy!

Q. How do you m ake a tis A. Put a sue dan little bo ce? ogey in it !

Q. Why did the compute doctor? r go to th e A. Beca use it ha d a virus !

Knock! K nock!

Who's th ere?

Atch Atch wh o?

Bless yo u!

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Far’s the castle?

Somewhere hidden in this magazine is oor Amelie’s castle. Can you find it?

There is a tree called fruit salad tree that sprouts 3 to 7 different fruits in the same tree Bananas are slightly radioactive The world's most popular fruit is the tomato

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YOUR DOODLES >>>>

Calling all kids!

Got a favourite picture you want published in our next issue? Have the most fantastic idea for a puzzle we can share? Got the funniest joke to split our sides?

If you think so, please send us your pictures or ideas and you might just see your contribution in the next Dee n’ Doodles! Email: hello@deendo.com

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Match the

Tracks

Match the print to the animal!

See how many you can find... ...Good Luck!

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Women in football what's happening in the north east?

Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.

BILL SHANKLY

Football has traditionally been seen as a man's game and it's been difficult for women to gain the respect they deserve playing, but now things are changing. There has been a tremendous growth in the game, not only for those wanting to play the game but also for those interested in a career in coaching, or refereeing.

We've been speaking to some women about their experiences – read on and prepare to be surprised and inspired at what has been achieved by these remarkable women, leading the way as positive role models for both girls and boys in football.

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Blowing the whistle for female referees Morag Pirie is one of a growing band of women leading the way in the world of female football referees, challenging all the stereotypes and showing just what can be achieved.

Growing up in Aberdeen, Morag Pirie has played football for as long as she can remember, kicking a ball about with her twin sister Heather in the back garden or with the boys in the school playground. Even so, it wasn't until she went to Aberdeen University that she started playing competitive football, joining Aberdeen University's women's football team and then moving on to Aberdeen Accies LFC in the Women's First Division.

Morag continued at juvenile level for 4 years, gaining valuable experience and learning from the support and help she was receiving through supervision at matches. She engaged in referee fitness training, gradually moving up through the ranks and achieving promotion into different levels of football. She has enjoyed some amazing opportunities, being nominated as a female FIFA referee and travelling the world to referee female football matches.

Morag didn't set out to be a referee and was enjoying playing mainly in goals or midfield with the occasional stint in defence. However, that all changed when, along with several other team members, Morag was asked by Aberdeen City Council's football development officer and team mate Wendy Carrick if she could help out with refereeing at a kids football tournament. She was handed a whistle and told to go referee! Morag was surprised at how much she enjoyed it – so much so that when she saw an ad in the newspaper some time later for a referee course, she didn't hesitate in grabbing the opportunity to learn more about the laws of the game. The timing wasn't ideal as the entrance exam coincided with her university exams but still she managed to pass and went on to study and train to be a professional, qualified referee. Morag undertook a 10 week training course in Aberdeen, culminating in an exam which she successfully passed, allowing her to referee U14 boys juvenile matches on Saturday afternoons, as well as the local girls league on Saturday mornings, whilst also playing in the ladies league on Sundays.

Morag was the first woman ever to referee a senior match in Scotland and she is now an Elite FIFA Referee, a tremendous accolade and one which allows her to travel the world doing a job she loves. Some of her highlights include the U17 World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012, refereeing a semi-final, and being 4th official in the 3v4th place playoff between Ghana and Germany. She was also at the Youth Olympics in China last summer and refereed a semi-final between Mexico and Venezuela, as well as being 4th official at the 5v6 playoff between Papua New Guinea and Namibia.

In 2014 she refereed Women’s Champions League match 1/f final - Wolfsburg v Barcelona with over 9,000 spectators! - quite a far cry from her first volunteer referee role at a kids football tournament in Aberdeen. With so many fantastic experiences to pick from, there is still one that stands out as the highlight for Morag – her first ever Champions League Match in Cyprus when she was Assistant Referee at Men’s Champions League – Arnthosis Femagusta v Dinimo Minsk where she says the atmosphere was just electric!

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When Morag isn't travelling the globe in her role as Elite FIFA Referee, she will still referee every Saturday, often in the Women's Premier League or Football League with added midweek games keeping her busy during the summer months.

It's been an amazing journey for Morag but it hasn't been without some difficult times and she has had to endure all manner of sexist diatribe in what has at times been a tough uphill battle. Nowadays, as a seasoned professional who is confident in her own ability, Morag is not easily shaken but in the early days, it wasn't always so easy to throw off the remarks and comments made by parents at juvenile matches. People were quick to criticise her ability, often before she had even stepped on the pitch, unfounded criticisms that came about based purely

on her gender. Eleven years ago Albion Rovers manager Peter Hetherson hit the headlines after blaming Morag for his team's defeat by Montrose, saying, in what he later insisted was a light hearted remark, that Pirie 'should be at home making the tea or the dinner for her man.'

Morag has proved all the doubters wrong and her successful progression to an elite referee is surely a tremendous inspiration to all young girls considering a career in football.

Reaching such a high level in the world of football is difficult regardless of gender, and even more so for women but Morag has shown that it is possible to be respected and rewarded for your skill and professionalism and with hard work and determination, the barriers can be broken down.

Morag Pirie, second left

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Question/Answer with

Rachael Small How old were you when you started playing? When I was 3, and played my first official game when I was 6.

Why did you start playing football? I started playing because I have an older brother who played and my dad coached his football team. My mum worked at the weekends, so my dad would take me along to my brothers training and games, then one Sunday morning when his team was winning he put me on at the age of 6, playing for a boys under 9 team. I'd not been long on when my brother was just about to score, but he stopped the ball on the line and let me tap in my first goal. I think I just fell in love with the game from that moment.

What teams have you playing for? I started at Stoneywood Boys club up until I was 12. I then became the first girl to play in the school team at Northfield Academy, and simultaneously joined Northfield Boys club. I played in boys teams until U16 level and then signed for Aberdeen girls U16. From there I quickly progressed and signed for the Aberdeen Ladies Premier team, before signing for Forfar Farmington.

After 2.5 seasons I then returned to Aberdeen Ladies, and I've been here since. Throughout I've played for Scotland and progressed through the youth levels until I was handed my first full international cap in 2010.

How long have you played for AFC? About 6 years.

What position do you play? I grew up as a defender, right back or centre back, however in the last couple of seasons I've been playing in a central midfield role.

Why I like football... by edie whyte, age 9

How often do you train? Nearly every day, I rest on a Friday night and Saturday.

What's involved in a typical training session? Monday & Wednesday training sessions are in the gym doing strength and conditioning. Tuesdays are more fitness based, so usually endurance drills, some sprints and fast feet, then on to ball work drills such as passing and small sided games. Thursdays consist more of how we are looking to play for the game on the Sunday, so that tends to be a lot more tactical in terms of team shape, both defensively and offensively.

Do you do any additional training/fitness? I do my own strength and conditioning sessions on a Wednesday night. However, when it's off-season I usually have to make the gym my second home to try and keep in shape for the new season.

What's been you biggest achievement? I'm extremely proud and grateful of playing for my country, and having the opportunity to travel to some incredible countries to play against the world's best.

Who's your favourite player? Male and female. My favourite male player at the moment is Lionel Messi, the man is unplayable. My favourite female player has to be my old room mate in the Scotland team, Kim Little. She's one of the world's best, her talent for the game is unbelievable and paired with her down to earth personality, she should be an inspiration for anyone who loves the game.

What advice would you give to young girls starting out in the game? Play because you enjoy it and don't let others influence you. If you enjoy playing you will want to spend more time committing to it, which in turn will improve you as a player, and hopefully give you the opportunity to play at the very highest level.

I like football so much because it’s physical and I can be with girls that I’m more like. I play for two teams Aberdeen Ladies FC and my school football team the Ferryhill Wasps. I play four times a week. Tuesdays is ALFC training, Thursdays school football training, Saturdays, school football team 7 a-side matches and Sundays, ALFC matches. My favourite men football players at the moment are Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and my favourite girl football players are Rachael Small and Kim Little. My favourite football coaches are Laura and Craig – they make the sessions fun. More girls should play football because it’s great exercise and we always have a laugh.

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Based at RGU Sport in Aberdeen, Streetsport is a local nonprofit intervention and diversionary tactics initiative with the aim of reducing youth crime and anti-social behaviour through giving young people free access to sport and other creative activities during the evenings.

Since 2006, Streetsport has been sending out its mobile activity arenas into some of Aberdeen's most disadvantaged and underprivileged areas with some remarkable results.

The overall aim of the project is to ‘reduce instances of youth crime and anti-social behaviour; promote health and wellbeing and encourage inclusivity through sport, physical activity and creative endeavour’. With portable activity arenas that take activities out to young people in their own communities, the project has engaged with young people in over 30 locations around Aberdeen city and notched up something in the region of 25,000

We spoke with Josefine Bjorkqvist, one of the Streetsport Coaches, who was born in Finland and came to Aberdeen to study and experience life and culture in another part of the world. played football since “I wasHaving nine years old, Streetsport seemed like an excellent

individual attendances. This has resulted in reduced reports of anti-social behaviour and crime – by over 50% in some areas, a notable achievement.

Activities on offer include football, street and freestyle soccer, basketball, handball, badminton, tennis, touch rugby, athletics, golf, hockey, street dance, street art and street magic – and the team are open to suggestions for new activities.

Streetsport is funded by and operates under the auspices of the Denis Law Legacy Trust. Denis Law's story is one of triumph over adversity, a tale that saw a young boy born into poverty in Aberdeen go on to become one of the greatest footballers of all time.

opportunity to volunteer in my local community doing something I love. I have been involved with Streetsport for a year now and together with a team of volunteers, I run a football session every Tuesday for youth in my local area.

One of the first things I noticed when I started out with the project was that more girls began coming along to our sessions. Visibility is important when it comes to young girls and women in sport and it is important that they can have someone to identify with. I hope to encourage more girls to join in the game and fall in love with football like I did. Young people taking part in Streetsport have the chance to

become volunteers themselves.

Volunteering with the project is a great chance to develop team working and leadership skills, enhance your CV and even gain coaching qualifications, whilst being active and having fun.

The most rewarding aspect of volunteering is meeting so many young people and helping them develop their confidence and sportsmanship. As a volunteer you get to organise Streetsport sessions across Aberdeen but you also get the chance to participate in larger sporting events and competitions and ultimately you are part of the Denis Law Legacy.

”

Find out more by visiting: www.streetsport.org or follow us on Twitter @StreetsportRGU and Facebook www.facebook.com/streetsportrgu

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the North Region Girls Football League (NRGFL) The NRGFL is a voluntary organisation which organises and develops football events for primary school aged girls in the North East of Scotland. ~ By Kim McRobbie ~

opportunity for young girls to try football and when they gain confidence, they are encouraged to join local teams. By focusing on the fun element of football, the girls are starting to develop a long term desire to play, which in turn has helped develop and sustain teams in the area.

The organisation has changed its name over the years but the objectives have stayed the same – to develop grassroots girls football and increase participation levels for girls up to 12 years of age.

Sunday mornings are fully packed with over 200 P1-7 girls attending 4v4, 5v5 and 7v7 activities with their local club or school team. These matches are non-competitive and are run as festivals to maximise playing time and enjoyment. Events are held at Aberdeen Sports Village and Hazlehead pitches. Past participants at these events include Scottish Women’s National Team player Rachel Corsie and musician Emile Sande.

The Fun Centre has been fundamental in increasing volunteers in the area and, by linking with the Scottish Government supported Saltire Award scheme, the number of young people volunteering at the sessions is increasing. This is a great session for youth team players to get involved in coaching, in addition to providing older girls that no longer play an opportunity to stay involved in the sport.

In addition to team events, the NRGFL organise a weekly Fun Centre from 10-11am at Aberdeen Sports Village which costs £1.50. This unique session encourages girls from throughout the North East to come together, have fun and make new friends. The Fun Centre gets the girls playing fun, imaginative games such as sharks, dinosaurs and giants, which helps develop their football skills and confidence on the ball without them even realising. It's a great

Girls football is rapidly developing and with the help of Joanne Murphy, the Scottish FA Girls & Women’s Club Development Officer, opportunities for girls to play in the area is going from strength to strength.

This increase in popularity means more help is required to provide more girls the opportunity to become physically active through regular participation in football.

There has been some fantastic growth and development in the female game over the past few years thanks to the hard work of the coaches and volunteers at our grassroots clubs. There has been a signifcant increase in the amount of girls participating in football activities within the region and we hope this number continues to rise. ~ Jo Murphy ~

NRGFL Organiser David Silcocks - nrgfl@outlook.com

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NRGFL Fun Centre Kim McRobbie - nrgfl@outlook.com

Scottish FA Girls & Women’s Club Development Officer Jo Murphy - joanne.murphy@scottishfa.co.uk

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GOLD

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~ By Chris Engel ~

Mention gold and most people think of a precious metal used to make jewellery which is mined in Africa, Australia and Canada. Few know that gold can be found in Scotland - and even fewer that it can be found in Aberdeenshire!

Chris Engel is a former North Sea exploration geologist and has been a recreational gold panner for over 45 years. He has prospected all over Scotland, Wales, Alaska, the Yukon and Western Australia.

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Over the years, a number of ancient gold artefacts have been discovered locally where the metal was obviously not from the ‘New World’ but from closer to home. The earliest surviving record of Scottish gold mining shows that in 1245 the Abbey of Arbroath assigned the right to search for gold in the Durness area to Gilbert de Moravia. In the 1540s, gold was discovered in the Leadhills/Wanlockhead area with enough produced to mint coins and make the Scottish regalia.

Across the country, smaller deposits were discovered and recorded, however with the exploitation of gold in South America, interest was deflected away from Scotland’s wellhidden and hard-won resources.

In 1867, Scottish prospectors returning home from the Australian gold rush of 1853 discovered gold in Sutherland and sparked a small gold-rush with up to 300 prospectors descending on the area and panning the gravels of a highland burn. This, the Kildonan gold rush, proved to be short lived and the miners were evicted at the end of 1869.

However, recreational panning is still carried out on this site, some 15kms west of Helmsdale.

But what of gold in Aberdeenshire? Its occurrence is mentioned in historical records, it has been searched for in the more recent past and, with a bit of effort and a lot of luck, it can be found. Some locations where gold has been found include Leslie and Dunnideer near Insch, the Dee at Invercauld, Cairn o’ Mount, Belhelvie, Foveran, Rhynie, Glen Esk, Glen Callater, Midmar, the Cowie Water and the Ugie.

Having said this, actually finding gold is no easy matter.

The tools of a prospector are simple - a shovel, a plastic gold-pan and a pair of Wellington boots. A very small sample jar and enormous optimism are also essential. Having found a burn or river in a suitable location, excavate a couple of shovels of gravel from the streambed and swirl around in the pan with plenty of water. This action requires some skill, practice and patience to wash off the lighter gravel and leave the heavier minerals at the bottom of the pan. Keep repeating until your sample jar is full of gold. A lucky prospector can expect to see a few glittering grains of gold but it takes around 5 grams to make a ring. Aberdeenshire gold is so scarce that only a handful of people have found enough gold to make a ring. However, things may be changing. An exploration company has recently identified a gold deposit on Donside, both in burns and in bedrock. Assessment work is being planned and it could be that some day in the future Aberdeenshire will have its own goldmine.

If you fancy becoming a prospector and looking for gold yourself do seek landowner permission first and follow the countryside code. It’s an enjoyable hobby but don’t give up the day job!

The coin is a Scottish gold ‘Bunnet Piece’ of 1540 depicting James V and was minted in Edinburgh. Photos of the author Chris Engel

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16th May - King of the Mountains 6th June - Archie’s Mountain Challenge 25th July - Archie’s Abseil 23rd August - Fare Challenge 1st - 30th Sept - Virtual Challenge 25th Dec - 25th Jan - Beards for Bairns

for further details visit www.archiefoundation.org.uk

Dee n’ Do has pledged to donate a page to highlight and promote a local charity. Contact us if you would like to be featured in our next issue.

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the

Ranger

Glen Tanar

qu ite possibly the best job in the wor ld ?

Glen Tanar is one of my favourite Deeside destinations and I've always harboured dreams of pursuing the life of a Countryside Ranger. ~ By Susan Whyte ~

In my fantasy Countryside Ranger role the sun would always be shining and I wouldn't have to do anything as hideous as unblocking the toilets, but of course in real life the ranger has to deal with all kinds of weather and all kinds of nasty things like toilet unblocking, which is exactly why I am an armchair ranger rather than ever being adventurous enough to do the real thing.

I had the pleasure of spending time with Eric Baird, the Head Ranger on Glen Tanar, on a glorious, sunshiney early spring day. Eric and his colleague Mike Martin make up the full time ranger service at Glen Tanar, funded by the Glen Tanar Charitable Trust, which also looks after the Braeloine Visitor Centre and the Chapel of St Lesmo in the Glen. Glen Tanar is part of the Cairngorms National Park and contains a National Nature Reserve.

Stretching from the River Dee on its northern boundary to Mount Keen in the south, with Pannanich

marking the western boundary and the Fungle denoting the eastern limit, this is a vast tract of land and a diverse range of habitats. Mount Keen is the most easterly Munro and at its summit, the environment can be quite harsh and inhospitable.

At the heart of Glen Tanar lies the magnificent Caledonian Pine Forest, which is itself a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in addition to being a NATURA site (a European designation marking Glen Tanar as having international significance for conservation value). So, all in all Glen Tanar's importance in terms of its range of habitat and the sheer variety of species of flora and fauna it is home to, some of which are highly vulnerable, cannot be overestimated.

The role of the Ranger in all of this is almost as diverse as the habitat in which he operates. On the day I visited, I joined Eric at the Braeloine Visitor Centre where he was catching up on some last

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Glen Tanar Estate © Photograph by©Andy AndyHayes HayesPhotographer Photography

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minute preparation ahead of an afternoon visit from local charitable organisation Horseback UK. The rangers work with up to 150 organised groups every year and there are somewhere in the region of 40,000 visitors annually so sensitively managing the delicate relationship between people and place to ensure a positive experience for both is key to the function of the ranger.

Eric invited me to join him on a quick tour of a few sites that needed checking, so we hopped into the 4x4 and took off, first of all to follow up on a possible mink sighting. We reached the spot of the sighting and Eric explained that whilst he thought it unlikely it had been a mink, he would set a mink raft which would enable him to detect footprints left in clay on the raft. His thoughts were that it could have been a pine marten, a species which is currently thriving at Glen Tanar and across Deeside. This healthy pine marten population is particularly beneficial to red squirrels as pine marten find grey squirrels easy prey due to the amount of time they spend on the ground, being heavier and less agile than their red cousins.

So whilst the pine marten are picking off the chunky greys, the lighter reds are left with less competition for food and as such, their numbers are on the up in areas where pine marten flourish.

Next up, a stop off to check the campsite used by school groups and Duke of Edinburgh Award groups, amongst others. It's a dedicated site with a wonderful, large fire place, perfect for group gatherings and sing-songs. It must be booked in advance by groups and, if you should be camping there without permission, you will be gently evicted and pointed in the direction of alternative camping by the rangers.

Everything was fine and shipshape at the site ahead of the imminent arrival of the first DofE group of 2015 so off we went to look over another campsite, this time the potential base camp for Horseback UK's planned expedition at Glen Tanar later in the year.

Here however was a bit of a mud bath and it looked

© Photograph courtesy of Glen Tanar Ranger Service

like the local farmer had possibly been practising handbrake turns in his tractor (although in fact he had just been using the site to store haybales). Eric explained he would chat with the farmer to ensure that ground was suitable to be used for camping.

Next stop, a serene lochan where a pair of mallards canoodled in the spring sunshine and there was some amphibian action taking place in the reeds at the water's edge. Here, a balance needs to be struck between reeds and water – the reeds can quickly get out of hand and encroach on the water space to the point where no open water is left. The reeds provide an important breeding habitat for many creatures, including dragonflies and damselflies. These same dragons and damsels need open water to hunt over.

In association with the John Muir Trust, volunteers assist the rangers in clearing the reeds from the lochan - volunteers provide valuable support to the rangers for a full Saturday once a month, getting involved with various ‘hands on’ conservation tasks.

We then headed up a steeper stony track at the beginning of the Baudy Meg walk to check on a geocache site. Eric needed to make sure that it was well hidden. I'm not going to reveal its whereabouts but there is a stunning view in its general location taking in several peaks on the estate, including Clachan Yell.

A rogue capercaillie has been making itself known on one of the estate tracks, choosing an area used by walkers and cyclists as its territory and defending this space with detrimental effect to people venturing onto his turf. A capercaillie attack is not trivial and to protect both the bird and people, the rangers have marked off the track and asked that visitors keep well away. This male capercaillie could be one of the last mature males on the estate so it is vitally important that he is protected, and equally important that people respect his space and keep well out of his way. We drove up to the edge of his territory and checked that the warning signs and markers were still in place and that the automatic camera was also

© Photograph courtesy of Glen Tanar Ranger Service

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© Photograph courtesy of Michael Callan Photographer

© Photograph courtesy of Glen Tanar Ranger Service

© Photograph courtesy of Glen Tanar Ranger Service

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in place and functioning. Eric spotted motorbike tracks in the mud – motorbikes are not permitted on the estate tracks – but fortunately we could see that at least they had heeded the warning signs and turned back at the capercaillie protection barrier.

beautiful area. In the lower reaches, it feels almost benign but venture higher up and you experience a spectacular wildness and an environment that can be extremely hostile with sudden and dramatic weather changes.

We headed back to the visitor centre – en route Eric stopped to show me a clump of blaeberry and cowberry growing together. Blaeberry is sometimes called ‘bilberry’; but that can refer to any one of half a dozen species. And blaeberry can hybridise with its neighbour - the cowberry.

Magnificent Caledonian pines create stunning structures, those that are lifeless punctuate the landscape with their stark forms outlined against the shifting skyscapes. Wherever you go, the tree forms are fascinating, especially so in early spring before they have been cloaked in their summer greenery.

Bird song fills the air and everywhere is the scent, not just of pine, but of all the trees, plants, earth and water. But even so, amongst all this activity, there

Glen Tanar is home to such a diversity of flora, fauna and habitats that on all the visits I have made I have hardly even scratched the surface of this vast and

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is a stillness unique to wild places. If you are lucky, you could see golden eagles, osprey, pine marten, otters, black grouse, red deer, roe deer, crossbills – the list goes on.

Drop in to the Visitor Centre and find out more about the Glen, its inhabitants and history for yourself.

I still think that Eric and Mike have one of the best jobs on the planet. To work in such a glorious landscape, introducing people to all its beauty and its wildness, helping to foster an understanding of the importance of all its habitats, flora and fauna and to have such an intimate knowledge of Glen Tanar is indeed a real privilege.

contact the

Ranger

Glen Tanar

For more information, or if you would like to find out more about conservation volunteering on the estate, visit www.glentanarcharitabletrust.org or email ranger@glentanar.co.uk

Photograph by Stewart Mitchell

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let the games

begin!

Summer in Scotland means it's the season for Highland Games and Agricultural Shows. Across the country there are kilts swinging, bagpipes skirling, cabers being tossed, cattle, sheep, horses and dogs being buffed up and put on show.

It seems like every town and village has some form of show and they are all great fun.

Whilst Highland Games and Gatherings focus more on the traditional heavy and track and field events, welcoming participants from across the globe in good natured, friendly competition, the agricultural shows are the highlight of the year for the farming community and will often feature entertainment from stunt teams as well as the livestock judging, horse jumping and possibly even terrier or ferret racing. Many games and shows will also have a great selection of stalls offering everything from local artisan food and crafts to fish 'n' chips and ice cream.

Visiting a gathering or show is a fantastic way to absorb and enjoy many aspects of Scottish culture so take a look at our calendar and plan yourself a day or two out at some games and shows this summer.

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Dee n' DO

's

guide to

Games + SHows

MAY 17th - Gordon Castle Highland Games & Country Fair, Fochabers

June 6th - Cornhill Highland Games, BanFF

June 18th-21st Royal Highland Show

June 20th - Oldmeldrum Sports & Highland Games

June 21st Aberdeen City highland Games

JUNE 27th Drumtochty Highland Games

July 11th - the eCHT SHOw

July 18th - 19th

New Deer SHOW

Two on July 25th Dufftown Highland Games & the banchory Show

1st - Aboyne Highland Games

2nd - 3rd

Turriff Show

9th - Tarland Show 13th - Ballater Highland Games

22nd - Lonach Gathering 23rd - Grantown-on-Spey Games

SEPTEMB ER 5th 200th Braemar gathering

and Don't forget to take your umbrella!

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10 -14 JUNE 2015

Who can forget the astoundingly beautiful display of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London last year? And we were all enthralled by Aberdeen's Wild Dolphins project which saw 50 life size dolphin sculptures, decorated by artists and placed on a trail throughout the city, then going on to raise a tremendous sum of money for charity at auction.

Together with ceramicist Hilary Duncan, local artists Mel Shand and Helen Jackson, who were part of the Wild Dolphins project, have devised an exciting new concept which is a clever blend of both the poppy and dolphin projects.

'River of Fish' focuses on the life cycle of the salmon and the place this iconic fish has in the life and history of the River Dee. Local schools and community groups will get involved in creating two of the life stages of the salmon – Parr and Smolt – and over the coming months, keep a look out for the Whoppers, large willow fish which will be popping up at venues like Banchory Farmers Market. If you fancy taking part, everyone will be welcome to decorate a ceramic fish scale in return for a charitable donation.

A limited edition of unique showpiece adult ceramic fish, the 'Bars of Silver', individually decorated by local artists, will be available for a sponsorship fee of £500. Owners of the 'Bars of Silver' may keep

the fish or 'catch and release', and so donate the artwork back for auction at the end of the project.

Catch up with the final River of Fish installation, which will contain more than 150 fish of various sizes, at Banchory Lodge Hotel from Wednesday 10 June to coincide with Banchory's River Festival, running this year from Friday June 12 to Sunday June 14.

After moving to Woodend Barn with an accompanying exhibition, it will then swim onwards to various Deeside destinations throughout the fishing season until Thursday 8 October when the Whoppers, as well as any fish which have been donated back, will be auctioned at the concluding event. Funds raised will go to the River Dee Trust and Banchory Sports Village.

Follow the River of Fish on Facebook at Heckleburn Quines or www.heckleburnquines.co.uk.

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From left; Mel Shand, Helen Jackson, Hilary Duncan and Sarah Pooley

Interested in sponsoring a Bar of Silver?

Email info@janleatham.co.uk for sponsorship information.

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Let's eat and drink… by the river 01330 822 625

www.banchorylodge.com Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Been to Banchory Lodge recently? Everyone is talking about it and the reason? The transformation is truly incredible and when we visited on a sunny afternoon it was clear to see why people have fallen back in love with the hotel.

On the back of winning two prestigious awards for their food this year already – Best Restaurant Experience at the Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards and most recently Best Informal Dining Hotel for the region from the Scottish Hotel Awards, it is not difficult to see why.

restaurant, along with the creation of a new bar and foyer. It has simply elevated Banchory Lodge into a different league altogether.

Head Chef Scott Stephen has produced an award winning menu, with local produce at the heart.

Sharing platters and chargrills take centre stage alongside a great line up of starters and puddings.

The best bit? It has to be the stunning setting on the banks of the River Dee. Where else in Royal Deeside can you enjoy great food but in such a fantastic location. With the recent addition of a new outdoor terrace the owners have literally thought of everything to ensure you get to enjoy what has to be one of the best views Scotland has to offer.

It’s almost like having a new kid on the block. Thanks to new ownership, it really is unrecognisable from how it was before. This is in part due to a recent refurbishment to the

So, don’t just take our word for it. It’s busy, so we’d recommend making a booking, and see for yourself why everyone is talking about Banchory Lodge. www.banchorylodge.com

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Ballater Rd, Aboyne T: 013398 86062 Find out more at www.visitroyaldeeside.com

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C A O N I L R LE O T COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL + RESTAURANT ~ Manager: Phillip Fleming ~

Our Spotlight on Business questions this season have been posed to Phillip Fleming, manager of the elegant Victorian Tor-na-Coille House Hotel in Banchory.

Scottish country house hotel business for over 20 years, it was a natural progression for me to search for a new challenge and opportunity. I have always been very proud of working in small privately owned, independent hotels where you can provide the utmost of welcomes and service to all of our guests.

I must admit the architectural beauty of the house also grabbed my attention and I could see there was potential to further develop this hotel which catches everyone's eye as they drive through Banchory.

You've been at Tor-na-Coille for over 4 years now what attracted you to the hotel?

Yes, in November of this year I will have been at Tor-na-Coille as General Manager for 5 years. Having a breadth of management experience within the

Where would you suggest your guests go for a day trip in Deeside?

I feel it is important to make personal recommendations based on personal experiences and there are such a variety of places to visit and enjoy on Deeside! My top recommendations would be Crathes Castle, Gardens & Estate, then a hop on the Crathes to Banchory railway, followed by a look at the fabulous Falls of Feugh, then a leisurely drive on the South-Deeside Road, with a pit-stop at the wonderful Butterworth Gallery. I would finish the day with a visit and tasting at Royal Lochnagar Distillery a perfect end to a perfect day!

What does the name Tor-na-Coille mean?

Tor-na-Coille means ‘little tree on the hill'. When

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the house was built in 1873, at a cost of £1000.00

by George Thompson, a brewer from Aberdeen, he started a planting scheme of trees within the grounds of Tor-Na-Coille to give his home some privacy. Today these trees have grown to be giant Scots Pines and Redwoods and enjoy protected species status within our grounds. They also provide a home to red squirrels.

Tell us about a special memory from the hotel that really stands out for you.

A memory that stands out is when the hotel and team gained national recognition in 2012 at the Scottish Hotel Awards and was given the title of Boutique Hotel of the Year. Can I have a second special memory? - because in 2013 we were given our ‘4 Star Status’ from Visit Scotland. Both of these awards were recognition for the tremendous achievement made by the team in establishing Tor-na-Coille as one of the leading hotels in Aberdeenshire and the wider area of North-east Scotland.

Do you have a favourite dish from the restaurant menu?

Well, that would have to be our ‘Surf n Turf’ - prime Scottish beef fillet pan-fried (we are members of the Scotch Beef Club and all of our beef is matured

and hung for 21 days) accompanied by grilled prawn skewers - you can also add a tasty Drambuie cream sauce too…. just divine!

What makes a stay at Tor-na-Coille stand out from the rest?

The architecture of the hotel itself, the comfort of the house, the beautifully furnished bedrooms, the excellent food cooked by our ‘Kitchen Brigade’ and, of course, the top-notch service provided by our staff.

However, more than all of this is the genuine warmth of welcome and care that we provide in making each and every guest feel at home. As a small independent business we have the ability to make all of our guests feel special. That is why we have so many customers who return time and time again to our hidden gem on Deeside.

Tor-na-Coille Inchmarlo Road, Banchory AB31 4AB T 44 (0) 1330 822 242 E info@tornacoille.com www.tornacoille.com

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Wark Farm Organic farming with a conscience chickens

p e e h s

pigs

cows Virginia Woolf in her book, A Room of One’s Own, states that “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, unless one has dined well”. ~ By Laurel Foreman ~

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A quick excursion into modernist 20th century writing is perhaps an odd place to start an article on an upland Aberdeenshire farm; a place of hardy native cattle and sheep, where the end of long, tough winters is signed by the song of the skylark and the call of the returning curlew. While not immediately recognisable as having great affinities with a Bloomsbury feminist essay, Woolf is starting out, as do I, with food centre stage.

Surely the great majority of Scottish farmland is centred on producing food? It is, much of it very good, but the great majority of it leaves the farm not as an item of food about to be consumed, but as a commodity to be traded.

One unfortunate side effect of this is that the eater of the food and the producer are separated, leaving the farmer growing things that suit the processors and retailers, with the consumer having little opportunity to tell the farmer whether that last steak was a good’un or not. In the world of livestock rearing that means farming to produce carcasses of a certain weight, shape and fatness. Taste isn’t mentioned. Nor is the story of the farm told.

I prefer it a different way. I like to produce food (I’m also partial to cooking and eating it) and I like to share what we do. Breeding and rearing Belted Galloway cattle and Hebridean sheep at 1,000ft, mid way between Deeside and Donside, the farm is certified organic by the Soil Association. Fitting comfortably into a farming system on the edge of the hills, these traditional hill breeds are well suited to surviving the weather that arrives here, nearly always in a

hurry, from the Cairngorm mountains. They graze mixed pastures of grass and white clover through the summer and feed during the winter on silage made from red clover.

We rear them for longer than average to produce a more mature meat, with better fat distribution.

Grazing is rotated, sheep one year, cattle the next, to control levels of parasites, reducing the need for medications. Mixing in with the stock, wildlife is encouraged with wild flower meadows, grazing grass is left long through the bird nesting season, hedging is establishing and maturing and wetlands and watermargins provide food and homes for wading birds and amphibians. The slow growing, low input Galloway’s and Hebridean’s make good jobs of managing these marginal areas, in keeping with their rough grazing heritage. But above all, the meat they produce tastes great.

Putting the time, effort and thought into producing great food, waving goodbye to it as commodities is no fun. We have been selling our produce direct to shoppers for the last decade or so. Prepared for sale in the farm’s butchery our meats are available for delivery to homes through Deeside and Donside and from Banchory Farmers market.

Alongside our own beef and lamb, we also cure and smoke bacon from traditional breed pigs from another local organic farm, as well as selling organic chickens and game in season. Many customer have been buying and talking with us for years, so we hear whether our customers have dined well on our meats.

After that, it’s over to them to think, love and sleep well.

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HAPP Y

BIRTHDAY BRAEMAR HIGHLAND SOCIETY

~ By David Geddes ~

The Braemar Wrights Society, as the Braemar Highland Society was originally known, held their inaugural meeting during the third week of July 1815. It still operates as a friendly society and is the oldest one in the country.

Members paid ten shillings on entry plus one shilling per quarter. Pensioners, widows and orphans still receive an annuity, currently £40 per annum. Two centuries later and a number of the present committee members are direct descendants of the original committee.

In 1819, a decision was taken to buy oatmeal from Alford and sell it at a small profit during the winter months. In 1826, at the suggestion of Earl Fife's factor on Mar estate, Charles Cumming, who was then Deputy Master (Vice President) of the society, the name was changed to the Braemar Highland Society.

The wrights in the village (wheel wrights and square wrights or joiners) had given their name to the annual Wrights Walk, which no doubt included some sports and merriment, and culminated in a gathering. When in 1832 the Society gave £5 prizes at the gathering, the Braemar Gathering as we know it was born.

Queen Victoria attended the Gathering at Invercauld House for the first time in 1848. She took a close interest in the Society and the Gathering and in 1866

she decided Royal should be added to the name of the society. The first gathering in its present location was held in 1906 after a marshy area of ground was gifted to the society by Mar Estate. Until this time, the event moved around Balmoral, Clunie Park, Corriemulzie, Invercauld House and Braemar Castle.

In 1864, open events were introduced to the Games, up until this time only members of the Society could compete in events.

Today, the Braemar Royal Highland Society acts only as a friendly society whilst its sister organisation, Braemar Royal Highland Charity, organises the gathering, owns and runs the games park as a public amenity, supports a highland dancing class, organises pipe bands to play in the summer with help from local business, makes payments to eligible charities and financially supports the independent Braemar charitable trust.

This year, preparations are underway to celebrate 200 years of the society. During Junior Games Weekend (10th to 12th July 2015), a walk will take

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place around 3pm on Sunday 12th to the Games Park where a memorial tree will be planted and a barbeque and drinks reception will be held.

On Friday 4th September, the world famous Lonach Highlanders will march to Braemar Castle, where they will set up camp for the night. The following day will see the Lonach Highlanders meet the Atholl men, who will arrive from Glen Tilt, and together they will march along with the massed pipe bands and representatives from the Grampian and Scottish Highland Games Associations to the Gathering. A plaque with the names of the past presidents will be unveiled.

And so to the future! Throughout the summer months, a temporary exhibition will be set up in the royal pavilion. A visitor centre telling the story and heritage of highland games in Scotland and worldwide has now received planning permission and fundraising events are underway to help meet

the cost of the building work. When completed, the centre will promote the highland games and store and display records and artefacts, ensuring the past is remembered and the future secured for the next 200 years, as well as provide employment for local people.

The Junior Games, held in July, provide a taster for youngsters in all aspects of Highland Games. A number of light events will also be added for early teenagers on the same day and the Gathering in September will see the introduction of youth events, allowing running and jumping events to be available for all age groups.

The Games Park is used for putting in the summer months and a number of events take place. The Society is keen for it to be used more often and it is available for further uses, so if you have an idea for an event to be held in the Games Park, contact info@braemargathering.org

Come and enjoy the Braemar Games in this their 200th year. More information and tickets available from: www.braemargathering.org.

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blairs MUSEUM A HIDDEN TREASURE IN DEESIDE

AND A MUST SEE ATTRACTION

Aside from five years spent at university and teacher training college in Edinburgh, Ian Forbes has been around Blairs since 1968. A student at Blairs College between 1968 and 1972, a member of staff between 1977 and its closure in 1986, a parishioner and for the last six years, the manager at Blairs Museum. ~ By Ian Forbes ~

The present Blairs Museum opened in 2000 and brings together many items which had belonged to Blairs College in the room that was previously the sacristy. Blairs College was Scotland’s junior seminary – a boarding school for boys of secondary school age who were considering the Catholic priesthood as a career.

when that was illegal in Scotland. Their treasured possessions naturally found their way back to Scotland, many to Blairs, the most famous being the Memorial Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, which came from Douai College (in Northern France) where coincidentally John Menzies had gone for his education as a 10 year old.

The Blairs estate was given to the Catholic Church in 1827 by John Menzies of Pitfodels ‘for the education of young men for the priesthood.’

After the alteration and extension of the mansion, overseen by ‘Priest Gordon’ of Aberdeen, it received its first students from Lismore and Aquhorties (Kemnay) seminaries in 1829, becoming the national seminary for Scotland. In the same year, the Catholic Emancipation Act resulted in the ‘Scotch’ colleges on the continent starting to close. They had been set up as seminaries subsidised by giving other boys, whose parents could afford it, a Catholic education

The Blairs Memorial Portrait featured as the centre-piece of the Mary, Queen of Scots exhibition at the National Museum in Edinburgh two years ago. The life-size portrait shows Mary as she was when she entered the hall at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire for her execution in February 1587. An inset shows the execution taking place. The painting was commissioned in Antwerp by Elizabeth Curle, one Mary’s ladies-in-waiting, who attended her on the day.

When Elizabeth died in 1620 she left it to the Scots’ College at Douai, which Mary had helped found in

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1576 and had funded. There the portrait remained until the French Revolution, when in 1793, it was saved from the destruction of the college by the mobs by being bricked up in a chimney. There it stayed for over twenty years, eventually coming to Blairs College in the early 1830s - thanks to Elizabeth Curle having specified in her will that it should come to Scotland if ever Douai closed. It has now been at Blairs for over 180 years and hopefully the golf course, designed by Paul Lawrie, which is to be part of the redevelopment of Blairs will be named after Mary, Queen of Scots.

Blairs Museum is a local museum. If you have visitors or are part of a group, why not have an outing to Blairs? We are open Saturdays, Sundays and local holiday Mondays from 2 - 5pm from April to October and by arrangement outwith these hours at any time throughout the year. We also have a small tea room. I look forward to welcoming you!

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MEE T YOUR HOST hand picked by us

Bennachie Lodge Hotel Managed by Ro ddy car li n ~ Kemnay ~

What is your establishment?

The Bennachie Lodge Hotel is a privately owned hotel, with 8 individually styled bedrooms. We are in the quiet village of Kemnay, a thriving community with several local businesses including a selection of shops, with a baker, a butcher and 3 convenience stores and of course Kemnay Golf Course and Bowling Club.

What can your guests expect?

Everyone will enjoy the Bennachie’s large beer garden, where guests can relax with a spot of lunch in fine weather or our restaurant if the weather is not so kind. Our menu changes regularly to reflect the best seasonal produce and we always have traditional favourites on offer too. There's plenty parking at the hotel and we are close to Kintore and Inverurie and just a few miles from Aberdeen Airport. We are not too far from Aberdeen city centre so we are ideally placed for exploring the surrounding area with all its castles, golf courses and outstanding natural beauty as well as shopping and cultural trips into the city itself.

Have you always been in the hospitality industry?

This is our first venture into hospitality. We have had many years building successful business and along with our partners, we decided to take on the Bennachie Lodge Hotel and bring back a traditional family orientated hotel to Kemnay which will cater for both business people and holidaymakers visiting the area, as well as for local families.

What is it you like so much about Donside?

We love the atmosphere and the people. Our children have grown up in this area and we enjoy being part of the local community. We are looking forward to the opportunity to offer other new families to the area somewhere to go with their children and relax.

Which 5 words describe you as owners?

Hard working, full of fun, professional and open to new ideas.

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Glen Lui Hotel OWNE D by Sus an, Gord on & M u rr ay be ll ~ Ballater ~

What is your establishment?

The Glen Lui Hotel in Ballater, is owned and run by me, my husband Gordon and our son Murray. It's a Victorian property, set in a quiet corner of the village in two acres of woodlands with fantastic views over the golf course. There are 10 bedrooms in the main building and another 9 in an annexe in the grounds.

This winter we have been busy re-furbishing 13 bathrooms and rooms in the hotel so we're looking forward to hearing feedback from our customers, many of whom have been coming here for years.

Have you always been in the hospitality industry?

Our first hotel was in the Borders and we purchased it in 1999, only selling to buy the Glen Lui in 2006.

Up until that time my husband Gordon had worked in the oil industry and I had been involved in the administration of some small companies. Murray worked in a five star hotel in Edinburgh while at University there but neither Gordon or I had ever worked in the hospitality sector. Luckily Helen, who was employed in our first hotel in the Borders, had

lots to teach us and is still doing so, 15 years later after moving north with us to Ballater.

What can your guests expect?

We pride ourselves on our excellent food, wines and service in comfortable, relaxing surroundings. We have a fantastic team of people in the kitchen and front of house. Our Head Chef, Tomi Burns, produces wonderful food for our restaurant. Everything is fresh and cooked to order using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.

What is it you like so much about Deeside?

We have always loved Deeside since living in Aberdeenshire in the 1980’s. Ballater is one of the loveliest places to live in Scotland and the easily accessible countryside, combined with the tranquility and weather are second to none.

Which 5 words describe you as owners?

Our five words are Family, Scottish, Friendly, Reliable and Accommodating.

Victoria Terrace, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, AB51 5RL

glen lui ho tel Invercauld Road, Ballater Aberdeenshire, AB35 5RP

T 01467 642789 E info@bennachielodge.co.uk W www.bennachielodge.co.uk

T 013397 55402 E info@glen-lui-hotel.co.uk W www.glen-lui-hotel.co.uk

B e n nach i e L od g e h o te l

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Grampian Travel Clinic AT

KEMNAY PHARMACY Planning some overseas travel and wondering which vaccinations are needed before you set off? Kemnay Pharamacy have launched a new service, the Grampian Travel Health Clinic, aimed at providing travellers with all they need before embarking on overseas journeys.

All your travel health requirements will be assessed by a pharmacist using TravaxÂŽ, the most up to date travel resource available. Based on the results, an individual package of care is created, taking into consideration any ongoing health issues and the risk profile of the planned travel itinerary.

Grampian Travel Health Clinic offer a full care package, including vaccination supply

and administration, Yellow Fever Vaccination administration and certification, Anti-Malaria prescribing and supply as well as an extensive selection of travel accessories.

The clinic can easily cater for groups of travellers and always make sure that the needs and convenience of the patient are at the heart of their service provision.

Make your journey that bit easier, whatever your travel healthcare requirements, business or pleasure, contact The Grampian Travel Health Clinic within Kemnay Pharmacy to arrange your appointment and let them help your travel plans go smoothly.

Travelling Abroad?

We provide the full service of: Vaccinations Malaria Prevention Yellow Fever Advice

15 High Street, Kemnay AB51 5NB T: 01467 642205 www.kemnaypharmacy.co.uk

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Abandoned Places, ForgoTten Spaces We've all seen them, crumbling and neglected, in various states of disrepair, these abandoned houses scattered across Aberdeenshire. How often have we stopped a journey or taken a diversion to explore further, sneaked a look through a cracked and clouded window pane or apprehensively pushed open a door, hanging precariously on its hinges and, with some trepidation, gone inside? ~ By Susan Whyte ~

So many questions – who lived here? Why did they leave? The ghosts of the past are suspended in these rooms, lives lived and lost – were they happy in this house or is this sense of sadness and melancholy pervading the air about what has gone before, not just because this space is now without human inhabitants?

A silence hangs thick and heavy in the rooms.

Scarred walls, peeling paint, the outline left on the wall above the fireplace where once a painting or a mirror hung. Light filters in through grimy windows, a scrap of torn curtain hangs forlornly. Ashes lie cold in the grate. Evidence of other inhabitants appears, a pile of feathers and bleached bones on the floor, a mouse scratches behind a wall. Dead flies line up on a windowsill.

Venturing up stairs, wondering whose hands slid along these bannisters. Perhaps once children thundered up and down these wooden stairs, perhaps they are still alive these children from a different time; do they still think of this place that was once their home?

In the bedroom, wallpaper hangs in loose shreds, revealing old newspapers used as wall coverings in an earlier time. A rusted and surprisingly ornate cistern is fixed to the bathroom wall.

A cup lies on the kitchen draining board. The person who washed dishes at this sink looked out of this window, gazed at the this same view, mountains unchanged for centuries.

Outside in the tough, tussocky grass, vague outlines and a few old redcurrant bushes, twisted and buffeted by the wind leave indications of where once a kitchen garden lay.

Buzzards mewl in the sky, a curlew calls in the distance. Once hens may have scratched and clucked their way around this garden, watched by a cat lazing in the sun.

These deserted houses were once homes, not just bricks and mortar. Stories and laughter were shared, tears were shed, lives were lived, there were births and deaths, now leaving behind a sense of timelessness juxtaposed with the finite.

Do you or your family have historical connections with any of the places featuring in the photographs?

Do you have any stories you can share with us? We'd love to hear from you, please get in touch at: hello@deendo.com

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© All photographs courtesy of James Dyas Davidson www.jamesdyasdavidson.com

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Morven Veterinary Practice ltd.

Alford & Ballater

“PERSONAL CARE FOR ALL YOUR ANIMALS” Providing our own 24 Hour Emergency Cover We treat Domestic Pets, Livestock and Horses

The widest selection of homes of distinction on Royal Deeside and across the North East

40 Chapel Street, Aberdeen aspc.co.uk Alford Main Surgery Mart Road, AB33 8BZ T 019755 62339 E morvenvets@btconnect.com

aspc at home aspc online aspc in print 40 Chapel Street Aberdeen

aspc.co.uk

Registers widely available

Ballater Branch Surgery 24 Golf Road, AB35 5RE T 013397 55134

Balmoral S c ot t i S h h o m e

to t h e

R oya l F a m i ly

Craigieford Park, New Deer Admission: Adults £10, 12-16yrs and OAPs £5, Under 12yrs Free

Open daily from 1st April until 2nd August 2015 Exhibitions, Gardens, Castle Ballroom, Audio Guide, Café and Shop.

For further information telephone: 01339 742 534

SATURDAY ~ Horse, Cattle, Sheep, Fur & Feather, Young Handlers Classes, YFC Tug O’ War, Tractor Fest, Children’s Fancy Dress, Pets Parade & Races, Baby Show, Buckie Pipe Band and lots more...

SUNDAY ~ Clay Pigeon Shooting, Displays, Vintage and Classic Vehicles, Demonstrations, Truck Fest and Cookery Demonstration by Craig Wilson from Eat on the Green, Companion Dog Show, Pony Club Games, Horse Jumping and lots more...

Stunt Mania Motorcycle Stunt Show, Trade Stands, Various Marquees including, Food and Drink, Craft, Educational and Industrial

ts ird ticke Early B le online availab W! NO

Music from 4pm with DJ Jasper and live music from Shell Walker: a tribute to Jessie J and Steady Mercury: a tribute to Freddie Mercury.

For further information see

www.newdeershow.co.uk

Saturday 18th July – Marquee Dance

or our facebook page Email: secretary@newdeershow.co.uk

www.balmoralcastle.com

or Telephone

Admission £10 payable at the door.

Strictly 18 years and over, ID will be required

07981 283121

New Deer Show is organised by New Deer Agricultural Association, a Scottish registered Charity SC024684

1815 - 2015

Bi-Centenary Celebrations 12 Noon March of Lonach & Atholl Highlanders with Massed Bands

Wanting to explore Royal Deeside?

Come over the hills to the world famous

BRAEMAR GATHERING

Gates open 9am Events from 9.30am Booking hotline 013397 41098

Saturday, 5th September 2015 • Massed Pipes and Bands • Top Athletes • Highland Dancers • Braemar Caber • Tug-o’-war

www.braemargathering.org STAGED AT THE PRINCESS ROYAL AND DUKE OF FIFE MEMORIAL PARK, BRAEMAR UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

Come to Glen Tanar Estate and enjoy the great outdoors with some of our bookable activities!

Guided Land Rover Safaris. Hill walking and mountain biking on way marked routes. Trout fishing on our privately stocked loch or Salmon fishing on the famous River Dee. Wildlife photography hides including Golden Eagles, Black Grouse & Ospreys.

For more information please contact Robyn on (013398) 86451 or robyn.mcpherson@glentanar.co.uk www.glentanar.co.uk

Join us for breakfasts, coffees, cakes, scones, lunches and dinners

Stunning New Rooms overlooking the River Dee +44 (0)1339 886137 enquiries@theboatinnaboyne.co.uk Charleston Road, Aboyne AB34 5EL

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Dee n’ Do : 5

Balmoral Castle is always an interesting destination on Deeside and this year even more so with the opening of a fascinating new exhibition in the castle's ballroom. Offering an intriguing insight into what it was like to grow up as a child at Balmoral Castle, the exhibition includes original works of art, photographs and various family objects of interest. ~ By Garry Marsden ~

Built originally as a hunting lodge designed to accommodate the needs of the royal family and their guests, Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the royals since Prince Albert purchased it for Queen Victoria in 1852.

The castle holds a particular place in royal family history as a highland retreat for generations, from Queen Victoria's nine children to Queen Elizabeth II's four children and all the subsequent grandchildren.

Amongst the exhibits on display is a cot from Queen Victoria's reign, discovered in the tower of the castle and recently restored. The elaborate design of the

cot suggests that it could well have been used by some of Queen Victoria's nine children.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married in 1840 and went on to have nine children over the next eighteen years. In a time of high infant mortality, even amongst the upper classes, the Queen was extremely fortunate to suffer no miscarriages or stillbirths and all her children survived into adulthood.

The freedom and wild beauty of this very magical setting has always occupied a special place in the heart of the royals, with endless opportunities for children to explore the great outdoors. Pony trekking,

Dee n’ Do : 5

The exhibition is open from April 1st to August 2nd 2015, 10am till 5pm every day and normal admission for Balmoral applies.

walking, cycling, wildlife watching, fishing and hunting have all been and still are popular pastimes of family members.

top. The highlight of the exhibition is an electric car, built in the late 1920s and used by The Queen and Princess Margaret as children.

In another of the royal family's holiday retreats, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, Prince Albert gave his children sets of gardening tools marked with their initials and laid out rectangular beds for them in the grounds in which they grew their own fruit, vegetables and flowers.

A reproduction of the Citroën C4 made by Andre Citroën for his son Miki in 1928, a limited number of which were put on the market, power is supplied by two 12-volt batteries and the car reaches a magnificent maximum speed of 8 mph.

One of the most charming objects from the exhibition at Balmoral is a small child’s watering can, hand decorated with the name “Elizabeth” painted on the

Renovated in 1953, at which point the Citroën radiator was changed for that of a Daimler, the car was then given to Prince Charles with a new registration number of PC 1953.

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ade f belw arm

a breath- taking setting ~ for your special day ~

It can often be difficult to find a unique place to hold a special anniversary, wedding, party, social gathering or even a memorable work event. World Horse Welfare Belwade Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre has everything you could possibly need, including the most picturesque setting in the heart of Royal Deeside.

THE

DE ESI DE I NN

B A L L AT E R

Centre Manager Eileen Gillen says that visitors of all ages fall in love with the gentle rolling hills edged with stone walls which are home to around 65 horses of all shapes and sizes: “We’ve had some of the most elegant weddings in our Megalithic stone circle and in contrast fabulous kids parties where they enjoy a picnic, meet our ponies and run-off the sugar-rush on a nature walk! We also find our conferencing facilities are perfectly appointed for business clients as the setting is a welcome contrast to their busy lives.”

The team is welcoming and flexible and all of the food is prepared and cooked on-site so menu options are wide ranging – just some of the reasons they won ‘Best Visitor Attraction’ at the 2015 Aberdeen City & Shire Tourism Awards. As well as hosting private occasions Belwade has a vibrant year-round calendar of events and this year being its 25th anniversary the diary is busier than ever!

An authentic Highland inn with roaring log fires and heartfelt hospitality High quality accommodation Open all year Wednesday Steak Nights Traditional Sunday Lunches Open Scottish music sessions every other Wednesday with Alistair Johnston and friends Fantastic live music in the bar

For more information visit our website at: www.worldhorsewelfare.org/belwade-farm or search for Belwade on Facebook.

Victoria Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire AB35 5RA T:

+44 (0)1339 755413 E: deeside@crerarhotels.com

www.crerarhotels.com

Cornerstone proudly presents

HARRY BANNERMAN’S GOLF SPECTACULAR

&

SPORTS DINNER

THURSDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2015

Join us and Ryder Cup legend Harry Bannerman for an exclusive game of Texas Scramble at the stunning Ballater course, followed by a relaxed evening of dining and entertainment at the Palm Court Hotel, Aberdeen. All proceeds raised from this sensational sporting event will go towards supporting people with disabilities to enjoy a valued life.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now – please contact Katie on 01224 256 023 or katie.watters@cornerstone.org.uk Pictures courtesy of the Press and Journal and Ballater Golf Club.

www.cornerstone.org.uk

Scottish Charity No SC004780

For a great day out in Aberdeenshire, visit Belwade Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre

l Meet our friendly horses and ponies, including

Digger the famous Clydesdale! l Explore the farm, our beautiful nature walks

and stone circle. l Treat yourself to refreshments or a delicious

meal in our restaurant with stunning views. l Fun for all ages. l

Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-4pm (except Christmas Day-3rd Jan).

Signposted off the A93 between Kincardine O’Neil and Aboyne e: info@worldhorsewelfare.org t: 013398 85398 w: worldhorsewelfare.org/BelwadeFarm Registered charity no: 206658 and SC038384

FREE ENTRY!

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World-class hospitality for exclusive use, catering for groups of 6 or more guests on stunning 3,000 acre private estate

Standing in magnificent splendour amongst 3,000 acres overlooking the wonderful landscape of Royal Deeside, the views from Kincardine Castle stretch into the Cairngorms as far as the eye can see.

With 16 guest bedrooms, fine dining, spectacular views and fabulous gardens you can look forward to a warm welcome

Offering world class hospitality and exclusive use for groups of six or more, the castle is ideal for accommodation, meetings, field sports, private parties and weddings and being only 25 miles from Aberdeen, it is easily accessible.

Drop by and say hello at our pop-up cafĂŠ on the first Friday of every month when we are open from 10am - 3pm for coffees and lunches from our award-winning kitchen, and perhaps take a stroll around the gardens to work up an appetite beforehand.

Superb venue for meetings, business accommodation, conferences and weddings

We have plant sales, Kincardine Kitchen produce, and a fresh menu every month so there's bound to be something to tempt you. We look forward to seeing you.

Kincardine Castle, Kincardine o' Neil, Aberdeenshire AB34 5OE +44 (0) 13398 84225

|

enquiries@kincardinecastle.com

|

www.kincardinecastlecom

Dee n’ Do : 5

s ASK THE VET

Morven Veterinary Practice

Alford & Ballater

Alford

Ballater

Mart Road Aberdeenshire AB33 8BZ

Golf Road Aberdeenshire AB35 5RS

Tel: 01975 562339

Tel: 013397 55134

~ By Neil Crossling ~

'I'm taking the dog(s) for a walk’. This is something we dog owners say and do most days and it can mean anything from a gentle stroll to a grand hill walking expedition. Now with the weather warming up and the days lengthening, we are becoming more ambitious with our choice of walks and looking forward to spending more time with our dogs in the great outdoors.

Whatever the type of walk, we are fortunate in Scotland to have the right to roam. This does come with responsibilities however, especially the need to keep your dog under proper control.

When you are planning to head off to the hills or other remote places, always remember what you consider to be proper control may differ to someone else who is perhaps not fond of dogs or even scared of them; or someone who has escaped to the hills to be alone and sees your dog as a nuisance. You know that your dog is friendly but to some people he may be absolutely terrifying, so best practice is if other people are about, think of them and keep your dog on a lead.

Other situations requiring the lead are proximity to livestock, cultivated fields, wildlife and during the season for ground nesting birds from April to July.

We often forget that dogs need to build up fitness and stamina for long days of walking – they will cover three times the ground you do. So although

your dog may seem to have lots of energy, start with shorter outings and build up over time. Young dogs or puppies shouldn't be going on long hill walks until they are 12 months old.

When heading off with your dog, you don't need much extra equipment but do always remember a lead and perhaps a whistle. Water and a collapsible bowl are essential if it is hot and streams are dried up. And of course don't forget a good supply of plastic bags for poop scooping.

On long hikes, your rucksack should already contain a human first aid kit which can just as well be used on a canine patient, with the addition of a tick remover, self adhesive bandages and a dog boot to protect damaged pads.

If you venture out in the snow, beware of extra hazards for your dog from your equipment.

Crampons, ice-axes, ski points and edges and ski poles all move about at dog-level. Ideally in these situations you want to have your dog trained to stay near but not to walk to heel where there is more risk of injury from your equipment.

As all us dog lovers know, there is nothing finer than having a great day out in the the hills enjoying the company of your four legged friend. At the end of the day, you and your dog will be by the fireside, sharing the mutual satisfaction and tiredness of a great day out together.

Wishing you happy and safe walkies.

Morven

Veterinary Practice Ltd

Alford & Ballater

Opening hours: Alford Ballater

Mon - Fri: 8.30am - 6.30pm. Sat: 9.30am - 2pm. Sunday: Closed Mon: 2pm - 6pm. Tue: Closed. Wed: 10am - 5pm. Thur: Closed. Fri: 10pm - 5pm

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JUNE

Ca�eNda� �f E�e�t� September May --Sept December

JUN

14

MaY May

1-31

JUN

20-21

King's Museum Exhibition Rise of the Northern Picts Aberdeen

JUN

27 May

Royal Deeside Golf Week

9-15

Ballater

JUN

27 May

15-16

May

May

16

Braemar Castle

16-17

May

15- 17

JUN

21

23

Drumtochty Highland Games Drumtochty Castle

Mr Stink!

Crathes Castle

You rang, Madam?

Braemar Castle

JULY

King of the Mountain Sportive Grampian Transport Museum

Cairngorms Nature Festival For full details visit www.cairngorms.co.uk/ cairngorms-nature

JUL

4

JUL

9-12

JUL

11

Ballater Walking Festival Ballater

JUL

Garden Workshop : Ponds & Bog Gardens Drum Castle

The Artists & Crafters Monymusk Arts Centre

Grand Opening with Art & Craft demonstrators, wool spinning and much more.

Braemar Jacobite Dinner Braemar Castle

Stonehaven Folk Festival Stonehaven

Echt Show Echt

Artaboyne Scottish Art Exhibition Aboyne

Running striaight though to 17th August for full details go to their facebook page JUL

may

Castle Fraser

Aboyne

18 May

Castle Fraser Steam Fair

Victory Rally 2015

Three routes with a variety of riding challenges takes you over Scotland's best mountain passes and snow roads. Ride solo or join with friends.

May

Deeside Activity Park

Murder Mystery Dinners 28

15- 17

Kildrummy Vintage Rally & Run

18-19

New Deer Show Cragieford Park, New Deer

One of the largest horse shows in the area, top quality livestock competing for many prizes in their classes and industrial classes.

Dee n’ Do : 5

JUL

18-19

JUL

19

JUL

19

Castle Fraser

Sheepdog Trials Aboyne

Made in Scotland Grampian Transport Museum

Showcasing of the Scottish Motor Industry.

Along with some special Hillman Imps, examples of vehicles produced by the famous 3A's - Albion, Argyll and Arrol-Johnston.

JUL

18-19

JUL/AUG

24-8

JUL

24-26

AUGU�T

Jousting Tournament

AUG

Turriff Show

2-3

Turriff

One of the highlight attractions at the show will be the UK’s leading Medieval Jousting act, the displays boast high speed action, skilful mounted knights and a fantastic colourful spectacle - not to miss!

AUG

2

WWI Memorial Concert Braemar Castle

Stonehaven Highland Games

AUG

Weave, Warp & Weft

Stonehaven

3-9

Crathes Castle

Aboyne and Deeside Festival

AUG

Ballater Victoria Week

Stonehaven

8- 16

Ballater

Braemar Jacobite Festival Braemar Castle

A festival that remembers Braemar's Jacobite heritage and Bobbin Jock, sixth Earl of Mar's 1715 uprising.

JUL

Banchory Show

25

Banchory

JUL

Royal Deeside Golf Classic

28

Royal Deeside Courses

A 72-hole Stableford event for both Ladies and Gentlemen played over four majestic courses, Aboyne, Ballater, Banchory and Braemar with prizes for each round and for the full event.

JUL

Party in The Park

29

Mineralwell Park, Stonehaven

A great day of music, plenty for the little and big kids alike with bouncy castles, family races and games. There wll also be craft and charity stalls to browse. Tickets from Ma Simpson's or online at www.stonehaventownhall.org events.

AUG

13

AUG

15- 16

AUG

22

Ballater Highland Games Ballater

Deeside Steam Rally Milton of Crathes

F.O.C.U.S. Design Craft Fair Aboyne

�EPTEMBER SEPT

5

200th Braemar Gathering Braemar

They will celebrate their bicentenary with the March of the Atholl and Lonach Highlanders at 12 noon. Gates open at 9.30am.

SEPT

26

Prime Four Beast Race Knockburn Loch

Epic 10k obstacle race over rough terrain, dirt tracks and forest with 20 mega obstacles.

93

Music & Melody

94

Dee n’ Do : 5

Adam Holmes and the Embers

Adam was finalist in the 2009 Celtic Connections Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition, he was also nominated as Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2011 and was further nominated for Best Up and Coming Artist at the 2013 Scots Trad Music Awards.

Edinburgh born singer songwriter Adam Holmes is seen as one of the brightest rising stars on the Scottish folk scene and a listen to his album 'Heirs and Graces' confirms exactly why. He's only 24 but his songs sound like those of an older soul, mixing up traditional and contemporary folk with a rootsy blend of Americana.

The influence of John Martyn is evident in his music, perhaps no surprise as Heirs and Graces was produced by the legendary John Wood, producer of albums by Nick Drake, Richard

At Your Fingertips

Thompson and Sandy Denny as well as John Martyn.

Mastered by Simon Heyworth, co-producer with Mike Oldfield of Tubular Bells, the album was launched to great critical acclaim in January 2014.

In April 2014, Heirs and Graces was nominated for Scottish Album of the Year and in December was also nominated for Best Album at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards. It reached a high of number 5 in the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.

Growing up in Edinburgh, his mum would sneak the young Adam into afternoon folk sessions at the legendary Royal Oak and Sandy Bell's pubs, whist his dad introduced him to the music of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Townes Van Zandt and Ry Cooder. Holmes flirted with grunge and hip hop in his adolescence, and all these influences have been distilled into this debut album, resulting in a work of sublime songs and masterful musicianship. www.adamholmesandtheembers.com

Blog Reviews

A Wee Bit of Cooking

Cairngorm Wanderer

aweebitofcooking.co.uk

cairngormwanderer.wordpress.com The Cairngorm Wanderer is Neil Reid who has been walking, climbing and exploring in the Cairngorms for over 40 years. A member of the Mountain Bothy Association, he is joint maintenance organiser for Corrour Bothy and has played an active part in the recent renovations of a number of other Cairngorm bothies, including the Hutchie and Fords of Avon. His blog is full of news, facts, stories and photos - a great read for anyone with more than a passing interest in the Cairngorms.

This charming food blog is written by Wendy, a teacher living in the highlands. There are loads of great recipes interspersed with beautiful photographs, ideas of places to visit and fabulous artwork by Scottish artist Faye Anderson. And there are lots of photos of her very cute dog - what's not to like? Highly recommended!

Loch Garten Osprey Blog www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/ seenature/reserves/guide/l/lochgarten/ blog.aspx

Dee n’ Do : 5

Charlena Miller

Not My Father's Son: A Memoir

A God In Ruins Kate Atkinson

Alan Cumming

This debut novel is set in modern-day Scotland and laced with adventure, romance, and hope, it reminds us that love and belonging are often discovered in the most unexpected places.

Trust has never come easily to Ellie Jameson. A broken past taught her that self-reliance is the only option—no one sticks around for the long haul. When a fateful letter arrives with news of an unexpected inheritance, she sees a silver lining in the tragedy that seems to follow her. Anxious to leave American city life for the rugged Scottish Highlands, she sets off to claim her fate in a whirlwind of determination. Captivated by the land of stunning lochs, fiery whisky, and a particularly charming Highland local, it seems things may finally be turning around . . .

But nothing could have prepared Ellie for what awaits at the Glenbroch estate. £12.99

380 pages 133mm x 203mm

In his unique and engaging voice, the acclaimed actor of stage and screen shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career.

Kate Atkinson’s dazzling Life After Life, one of the top selling adult books of 2014, explored the possibility of infinite chances, as Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again.

A beloved star of stage and screen, Alan Cumming's life and career have been shaped by a complex and dark family past - full of troubled memories, kept buried away. But then an unexpected phone call from his long-estranged father brought the pain of the past hurtling back into the present, and unravelled everything he thought he knew about himself. This is a story of his journey of discovery, both a memoir of his childhood in Scotland, and an investigation into his family history which would change him forever.

In A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy – would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father – as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.

£4.00

304 pages 129mm x 198mm

A God in Ruins is a masterful companion to Life After Life, and will prove once again that Kate Atkinson is one of the finest novelists of our age.

£7.99

400 pages 162mm x 240mm

On The Bookshelf

What Lies Between

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our feedback yon issue four It’s great to see Dee n’ Do getting around – home and abroad. If you have any photos of the magazine you’d like to share, just send your pic to us at hello@deendo.com, or via www.facebook.com/deendomagazine or www.twitter.com/Dee_n_Do.

I was so impressed with the last issue of Dee 'n Do which I picked up purely by chance in the Grant Arms in Monymusk.

From a design point of view it is so fresh and it oozes quality and the content is so interesting and informative.

I have taken the opportunity to spread the word about your publication and managed to distribute a few more free copies and I have been asked when the next publication will be made.

I only discovered the Issuu site at the weekend and am overjoyed to be able to look at earlier editions which have only served to reinforce my opinion about the sheer quality of the publication. Keep up the excellent work!

Christopher, Donside

Just read issue 4 and there is soooo much to read and enjoy in there! Your little mag just oozes quality. I like the slightly quirky layout and the scattering of interesting nuggets of information. It feels right, reads right and even smells right! Congratulations.

Simon Blackett, Braemar

Hope you are all well. We were truly delighted with the wonderful comments about our Keiller Lounge in the Pat's Picks section of the latest Dee n' Do magazine.

Alexandrea Masson, Craigendarroch

Just got my hands on @Dee_n_Do magazine- really impressed! Nice content, beautiful layout. Well done!

Lauren, Twitter

Enjoying a tea break and the latest @ Dee_n_Do magazine. As always, inspiring and beautifully put together!

Shannon Napier, Twitter

Congratulations on having an article on a great hobby. As my wife is probably responsible for most of the geocaches placed in the Grampian region we were surprised that you said there were only 450 caches in Aberdeenshire!

We don't think that's quite right - it's nearer 1000 and increasing!

My wife, my mom and myself just got back from an 8 day trip to Scotland.

We started our tour at Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Pitlochry, Laggen Glasken, Isle of Skye, Mallaig, Loch Ness, and Glasgow. We were all so stunned at the overall beauty of Northern Scotland and especially the Highlands, my favorite. i stumbled across Dee n Do and I have to say that your magazine is awEsome! I really love the layout and the great articles, graphics and beautiful photographs. I hope to be reading it for a long time. I live in Shawnee, Oklahoma and would like to visit Aberdeen and other towns. Please keep up the great work! The magazine is a hit with me.

By the way, I love kayaking and would like to know of some places to paddle.

Cheers!

Walter Cartwright, Oklahoma USA

John Wilson, Email

Dee n' Do - so many pages, such high quality paper, so excellently bound... all that before one's even opened it up. But the content fully justifies the material elegance. I am filled with admiration for the huge variety within: everything from hard history to kiddies games, all presented in a way that appeals to the eye and tweaks the interest. I thought all the artwork, especially the photography, was excelptional. Yet it's a freebie - Lucky Deeside!

Peter Davis, Malvern, England

Dee n' Do is just wonderful. I have all the issues. They are packed with interesting articles Keep up the brilliant work.

Judith Gray, Email

I love the front cover of issue 4!

Paul Morrison, Aberdeen

More wonderful things from the wonderful dee n' do magazine Sharon, Inverness

Do you have something to say? Ideas to promote?

Feedback to give? If so, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

You can reach us at the following: hello@deendo.com

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+44 (0)7771 924103

www.facebook.com/deendomagazine www.twitter.com/dee_n_do www.instagram.com/dee_n_do www.issuu.com/deendomagazine www.deendo.com

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