River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
The
River Dee
(
Scottish Gaelic
:
Uisge Dhe
) is a
river
in
Aberdeenshire
,
Scotland
. It
rises
in the
Cairngorms
and flows through southern Aberdeenshire to reach the
North Sea
at
Aberdeen
.
[3]
The area it passes through is known as
Deeside
, or
Royal Deeside
in the region between
Braemar
and
Banchory
because
Queen Victoria
came for a visit there in 1848 and greatly enjoyed herself. She and her husband, Prince Albert, built
Balmoral Castle
there which replaced an older castle.
[4]
Deeside is a popular area for tourists, due to the combination of scenic beauty and historic and royal associations.
[4]
It is part of the
Cairngorms National Park
, and the
Deeside and Lochnagar
National Scenic Area
.
[5]
The Dee is popular with
anglers
and is one of the most famous
salmon
fishing rivers in the world.
[6]
The
New Statistical Account of Scotland
attributed the name Dee as having been used as early as the second century AD in the work of the
Alexandrian
geographer
Claudius
Ptolemy
, as
Δηο?α
(=Deva), meaning 'goddess'. This indicated the river had divine status in the beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the area. There are several other rivers with the
same name
in
Great Britain
, and they are believed to have similar derivations,
[7]
as may the Dee's near neighbour to the north which is the
River Don
.
[
citation needed
]
Geography
[
edit
]
Upper reaches
[
edit
]
The River Dee rises from a spring on the
Braeriach
plateau
in the
Cairngorm Mountains
at a height of at about 1,220 m,
[1]
the highest source of any major river in the
British Isles
.
[2]
Emerging in a number of pools called the Wells of Dee the young Dee then flows across the plateau to the cliff edge from where the Falls of Dee plunge into An Garbh Choire ("burn of the rough
corrie
"
[8]
).
[9]
The river is then joined by a tributary coming from the Pools of Dee in the
Lairig Ghru
, and flows south down the Lairig Ghru between
Ben Macdui
and
Cairn Toul
, tumbling over falls in the Chest of Dee on its way to White Bridge and the confluence with the Geldie Burn, at which point it turns east.
[9]
Linn of Dee
[
edit
]
At
Linn
of Dee the river passes east through a 300-metre natural rock
gorge
,
[3]
a spot much favoured by
Queen Victoria
during her stays at
Balmoral
. The queen opened the bridge which spans the Dee at this point in 1857.
[10]
Between Linn of Dee and
Braemar
the
Lui Water
(formed by the Luibeg and Derry burns) and the
Quoich Water
join the growing River Dee. The River Clunie enters the Dee at Braemar.
[9]
Evidence of human activity stretching as far back as
c.
8,200
BC has been found at a complex of sites stretching along the banks of the Dee.
Strathdee
[
edit
]
Through Deeside the river passes
Braemar
,
Balmoral Castle
,
Ballater
,
Dinnet
,
Aboyne
, and
Banchory
reaching the sea at
Aberdeen
. Near
Ballater
two rivers are tributaries: the River Gairn flowing from the north and the River Muick which flows out of
Loch Muick
, from the south. The river is within the
Cairngorms National Park
until it reaches Dinnet. The
Water of Tanar
flows through
Glen Tanar
before joining at
Aboyne
. The
Water of Feugh
has its confluence with the Dee near the Falls of Feugh at Banchory and
Coy Burn
enters at
Milton of Crathes
.
[9]
[11]
The tidal limit is just above
Bridge of Dee
which was built about 1720; it carries the main
A90
trunk road from Aberdeen to the south.
[12]
Before reaching the North Sea, the river passes through
Aberdeen Harbour
, the principal marine centre for the energy industry in Europe, servicing the
offshore oil and gas industry
.
[13]
An artificial channel was constructed in 1872 to straighten the river's flow into the sea.
[
citation needed
]
Footdee
("Fittie") is an old fishing village at the east end of Aberdeen Harbour.
Nature and conservation
[
edit
]
Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area
|
---|
Caledonian pine forest, Glen Tanar
|
Location
| Aberdeenshire
,
Scotland
|
---|
Area
| 400 km
2
(150 sq mi)
[14]
|
---|
Established
| 1981
|
---|
Governing body
| NatureScot
|
---|
Further information on the ancient estate:
Kingcausie
The Dee is important for nature conservation and the area has many designated sites.
[5]
The upper catchment down to
Inverey
is within the
Mar Lodge Estate
, which is owned by the
National Trust for Scotland
and has been classified as a
national nature reserve
since May 2017.
[15]
The
Cairngorms National Park
which was established in 2003
[16]
covers the whole of the catchment of the Dee, including the tributaries, down to as far as Dinnet.
[5]
As well as being included as part of the
Cairngorms National Park
, the Deeside area along with the mountains surrounding
Lochnagar
as far south as the head of
Glen Doll
is classified as the
Deeside and Lochnagar
National Scenic Area
. It is one of 40 areas in Scotland designated as a scenic area.
[17]
The
Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area
covers 40,000
ha
, extending from the Geldie down to
Ballater
.
[14]
The entire length of the Dee is defined as a
Special Area of Conservation
(SAC) due to its importance to
salmon
,
otters
and
freshwater pearl mussels
.
[18]
Other SACs within the Deeside area include
Glen Tanar
, the
Muir of Dinnet
, Ballochbuie, and the
Morrone Birkwood
.
[5]
The southern side of Deeside is classified as a
Special Protection Area
, due to the area's importance to
golden eagles
.
[19]
Much of the semi-natural
Caledonian pine forest
in Scotland is within the Dee catchment. The area contains nationally rare examples of pine woods, birch woods and heather moors with associated wildlife. On the valley floor there are deciduous
alder
and mixed broadleaved woods as well as meadow grasslands.
[20]
The Dee is a popular
salmon
river and has a succession of varied
pools
which are intersected by sharp
rapids
.
[6]
In 1995 it was estimated that salmon fishing on the river contributed between £5 and £6 million a year to the Grampian Region economy.
[21]
In 2020 it was estimated that salmon fishing contributed £15 million a year to the local economy and the River Dee reporting 10% of Scottish salmon catches.
[22]
The River Dee operates a
catch and release
practise and all salmon which are caught must be released back to the river.
[23]
Transport on Deeside
[
edit
]
The
A93 road
runs west along the north bank of the river from Aberdeen to Braemar before it turns south, leaving Deeside, to climb to the
Glenshee Ski Centre
at
Cairnwell Pass
and then onwards to
Perth
.
[9]
Just west of Ballater the
A939
Lecht Road leaves the A93 to take a tortuous climb towards the
Lecht Ski Centre
then on to
Tomintoul
and eventually
Nairn
. Beyond Braemar a narrow road continues along the south side of the Dee as far as Linn of Dee, at which point it doubles back to terminate at
Linn of Quioch
on the north bank of the Dee. There are no paved roads into the Cairngorms beyond Linn of Dee, although two walking routes, the
Lairig Ghru
and the
Lairig an Laoigh
, continue via passes in the mountains to reach
Speyside
.
[9]
Until 1966 the
Deeside Railway
ran from Aberdeen to Ballater, operated by the
Great North of Scotland Railway
.
[24]
The line opened from Aberdeen to
Banchory
in 1853, was extended to
Aboyne
in 1859, and a further extension to Ballater was opened in 1866.
[25]
The line was not extended beyond Ballater to Braemar as this would require it to run close to Balmoral, leading to objections from Queen Victoria.
The Royal Family used Ballater Station when visiting Balmoral. After the line closed, the station was converted into a rail museum. It was destroyed by fire in 2015
[25]
and has since been restored, now providing a tourist information centre, restaurant, tearoom and public library.
[26]
A very short section of the line near
Milton of Crathes
has been restored as a
heritage railway
, named the
Royal Deeside Railway
.
[27]
Royal Deeside
[
edit
]
Since the reign of
Queen Victoria
the
British Royal Family
have spent their summers at
Balmoral Castle
. Each year they attend the
Braemar Highland Gathering
and other local events.
[28]
Birkhall
which was previously owned by
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
, is now a favourite retreat of
King Charles
.
[29]
Due to these royal connections, the area around Braemar and Ballater is sometimes referred to "Royal Deeside", and this usage has been encouraged by the tourist trade.
[4]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Wells of Dee on
Braeriach
.
-
-
Aberdeen Harbour, at the estuary of the River Dee.
-
The River Clunie near Braemar.
-
The River Dee at Peterculter, facing downstream.
-
Balmoral Castle in Royal Deeside (
photochrom
from about 1900).
-
The River Dee
-
The Dee at Banchory
-
The Dee on a map of Scotland
-
The Dee in winter
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Watson, Adam (1975).
The Cairngorms
. Edinburgh: The Scottish Mountaineering Trust.
- ^
a
b
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
and www.theriverdee.org (2007).
"The River Dee Catchment Management Plan: Issues Consultation Document"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 21 March 2012
. Retrieved
9 March
2011
.
- ^
a
b
Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911).
"Dee"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 921.
- ^
a
b
c
"Royal Deeside"
. Visit Scotland. Archived from
the original
on 1 March 2018
. Retrieved
7 February
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Sitelink - Map Search"
. NatureScot
. Retrieved
29 September
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"River Dee - Angling"
. River Dee Trust
. Retrieved
7 February
2018
.
- ^
"The New Statistical Account of Scotland, pp. 3-4"
. William Blackwood and Sons. 1845
. Retrieved
28 February
2018
.
- ^
Anderson, Robert (1911),
Deeside
, Adam & Charles Black, 4 Soho Square, London
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Ordnance Survey
Landranger 1:50000, Sheet 43
- ^
"Linn o' Dee history, tourist information, and nearby accommodation"
. Britain Express
. Retrieved
28 February
2018
.
- ^
Ordnance Survey
Landranger 1:50000, Sheet 44
- ^
Stapleton, C.; Pethick, J. (1996).
Review 52. Coastal processes and management of the Scottish Estuaries. III. The Dee, Don and Ythan Estuaries
(PDF)
. Scottish Natural Heritage. p. 19. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 9 November 2013
. Retrieved
9 November
2013
.
- ^
"Aberdeen Harbour"
. Aberdeen Harbour Board. Archived from
the original
on 29 May 2014
. Retrieved
9 November
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"Deeside and Lochnagar NSA"
. NatureScot
. Retrieved
29 September
2020
.
- ^
"Scotland's Newest National Nature Reserves"
. National Trust for Scotland. 17 April 2017
. Retrieved
7 February
2018
.
- ^
"History Leading to the Cairngorms National Park"
. Cairngorms National Park Authority. Archived from
the original
on 15 January 2018
. Retrieved
27 February
2018
.
- ^
"National Scenic Areas"
. NatureScot
. Retrieved
29 September
2020
.
- ^
"River Dee SAC"
. NatureScot
. Retrieved
29 September
2020
.
- ^
"Cairngorms Massif SPA"
. NatureScot
. Retrieved
29 September
2020
.
- ^
"Caledonian Pinewood Inventory"
. Forestry Commission Scotland. 24 June 2016
. Retrieved
28 February
2018
.
- ^
Scottish Office
(1997).
Report of the Scottish Salmon Strategy Task Force
. Edinburgh: Scottish Office.
- ^
Dee-Fisheries-Management-Plan-2020-25.pdf (riverdee.org.uk)
- ^
Dee Conservation Code 2022 (riverdee.org.uk)
- ^
British Railways Pre-grouping Atlas and Gazetteer.
Ian Allan publishing, 1958/2004.
- ^
a
b
"Royal station in Ballater destroyed by fire"
. BBC News. 12 May 2015
. Retrieved
28 February
2018
.
- ^
"Fire-damaged Ballater station set to reopen"
. BBC News. 19 August 2018
. Retrieved
25 June
2021
.
- ^
"Royal Deeside Railway"
. 2017
. Retrieved
28 February
2018
.
- ^
"The Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles attend the Braemar Gathering"
.
News: NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland
. BBC. 7 September 2013
. Retrieved
9 November
2013
.
- ^
Grice, Elizabeth (9 April 2005).
"Alone at last (with just a few house guests)"
.
Telegraph
. Retrieved
9 November
2013
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
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Primary settlements
| | |
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Other settlements
| |
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Places of interest
| |
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