Single Stay at Glen Dye

Our journey to Glen Dye started on a dark and rainy February morning, Full of excited trepidation about what awaited us 6 hours up North.

A change in circumstance meant my husband and young daughter were unable to come. Although disappointing, this did not deter my son and I, and we couldn’t wait to visit Scotland and all the fabulousness that is Glen Dye.

Our drive was filled with laughter and lots of singing – albeit completely out of tune! As we escaped the hustle of Edinburgh the scenery started to come to life. We ascended up the snow-covered Cairn O’ Mount road, and we were taken aback by the beauty of the landscape, deep peat-filled land lined with enormous pine and fir trees, it was akin to a National Geographic front cover.

After being greeted by Audrey (who is a font of knowledge on everything to do with Glen Dye) we settled into our cottage, The Corner House. There is an immediate feeling you have whenever you go somewhere new, you; ‘ve seen the photos online and you have a perception of what it will be like, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. From the moment we stepped into our cottage we fell in love. It was kitted out with everything we needed, ours even had a vintage football table. It truly feels like a home from home, and in fact, better than home. Every wall or area had something new and interesting to look at. There’s art by Real Hackney Dave, David Shrigley, Bench Allen, and a beautiful landscape mural by Matt Jukes paired with antique pieces. Exciting objects were throughout, although the taxidermy took some explaining to my son.

The views were incredible. We looked out onto the forest, the living room window was so big, it felt like we were nestled in the forest.

Our fire was stocked ready for us, and my son took charge of lighting it as the night sky drew in. One thing I will kick myself for is not taking my telescope. the skies are so bright at nighttime, with very little pollution, it was some of the clearest I’ve ever seen.

There is so much to do at Glen Dye and in the surrounding areas, the places I’d recommend visiting: Dunnottar Castle – There are about 1,500 steps up to the castle, which my 7-year-old made light work of.

Stonehaven and Braemar were lovely villages to visit with great independent shops. Stonehaven has a beach boardwalk that is lined with steel sculptures, there is a great family-run fish and chip shop here too.

Balmoral Castle the grounds alone are worth a visit and here we saw a native red squirrel, something which we have never seen back home.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time and wish we could have stayed for longer. For anybody unsure of traveling alone or with a child, book the trip, you won’t regret it. We can’t wait until we visit again.