Potarch Green Park

The Dee Valley opens up properly when you reach Potarch Green Park, a nature reserve that sits on the banks of the River Dee just outside Banchory. It's the sort of place where you can actually hear yourself think - no gift shops, no visitor centre nonsense, just woodland, water, and the occasional heron if you're lucky enough.

The main draw is a straightforward riverside walk through mixed woodland where the trees crowd right up to the water's edge. You get proper forest floor underfoot - moss, fallen branches, the works - and the river's always there beside you, which keeps things interesting. The walk isn't strenuous, more a gentle mooch really, so families with younger kids will manage fine without it becoming a chore. The reserve opens up at points where you can actually see across the water, and on a clear day the views back upstream are worth pausing for.

Bring a camera if you're into birds and wildlife - this stretch attracts serious twitchers, though you'll see the common stuff easily enough. It's also genuinely free, which is rare enough these days. Allow a solid hour if you want to do the full circuit without rushing, maybe ninety minutes if you stop to watch the water.

Stay at Aboyne Loch or Feughside Caravan Park - both within easy striking distance - and this makes a proper morning outing before heading into Banchory proper for lunch. It's not dramatic or famous, but that's rather the point. Quiet, well-maintained, and exactly what a nature reserve should be.