General Sir Thomas Mydleton Biddulph KCBCP Memorial Drinking Basin

You'll find this Victorian drinking basin tucked away near Ballater, a modest tribute to a man whose name is far longer than most people's patience for reading plaques. General Sir Thomas Mydleton Biddulph was Queen Victoria's trusted aide-de-camp, and someone thought erecting a water basin in the Scottish Highlands would be a fitting memorial. Fair enough.

It's the sort of thing you stumble upon rather than plan a day around. The basin itself is practical Victorian stonework - the kind of thing that tells you more about 19th-century engineering than about Biddulph himself. You can see it in a matter of minutes, take a photograph if you're the type, and move on to somewhere with more obvious appeal.

Historically minded visitors might appreciate the connection to Queen Victoria's time in Deeside, which was significant for the area. Anyone fascinated by obscure royal connections will find this worth a quick detour. For everyone else, it's genuinely not worth going out of your way for.

It's free to view, naturally, and there's no admission fee or opening hours to worry about since it's an outdoor monument. The real value of a Ballater trip comes from staying nearby at somewhere like Howe of Torbeg holiday park, then exploring the Cairngorms and Braemar instead. The basin works as a brief historical curiosity on a longer walk, but don't expect it to be the highlight of your Aberdeenshire itinerary.