Royal Deeside - Castles and Crags
Mon 7 September - Fri 11 September 2026 A 5 Day Escorted Coach Holiday to Scotland with Jones Holidays staying at the Aberdeen Altens Hotel, Aberdeen
Book NowROYAL DEESIDE: CASTLES & CRAGS
7 – 11 September 2026
Monday – Friday
5 Days
From £739
Explore the majestic beauty of Royal Deeside and Aberdeenshire on a holiday that blends stunning landscapes, historic charm, and relaxing comfort.
With a guided tour of the vibrant city of Aberdeen, rounding off an unforgettable adventure. Sit back, relax, and take in the wonders of this beautiful region!
HIGHLIGHTS
Aberdeen | Guided tour of Peterhead Prison Museum | Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life | Crathes Castle | The Royal Deeside Railway | Guided tour of Aberdeen City
DAY ONE - Arrival
We depart from your home pick-up join your coach and drive north making a stop in Moffat, before continuing our journey north to our hotel. Arrive at your hotel in Aberdeen late afternoon.
DAY TWO – Peterhead Prison Museum and Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life
Today we enjoy a guided tour of Peterhead Prison Museum. Step into the gripping and fascinating history of Peterhead Prison with an unmissable guided tour. Led by an expert guide, you’ll delve into the real-life stories of life inside Scotland’s Toughest Jail.
We then make our way to Edinburgh where we visit Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life.
Pitmedden Garden combines its 17th-century origins and more recent agricultural past into a unique experience. Seeing the garden in all its grandeur today, with its straight lines in hedges and lawns, makes it hard to believe that there was a time when the garden was filled with bushes and the trees filled with fruit.
After a fire in the early 1800s, Pitmedden House and the garden were maintained by the Keith family. During the world wars, Major James Keith transformed the garden into a farm and kitchen garden to supply Aberdeen and the surrounding area with a large, healthy crop. Within the garden today, the espalier apple and pear trees along the great walls and the magnificent herbaceous borders are remnants of this agricultural period.
Major Keith was a leading figure in agricultural progress during his time, and the impact of his farming infrastructure is still noticeable today. Pop into the farmer’s living room, check on the horse in the stables, and see if you can recognise any of the tools or machinery in the implement shed.
DAY THREE – Crathes Castle and The Royal Deeside Railway.
Our first visit today takes us to Crathes Castle with its painted ceilings and family portraits adorn this turreted castle, set among sculpted yew trees and nature.
The Burnett family, who lived in the castle for over 350 years, had roots in the area dating back to 1323 when Robert the Bruce granted them nearby land.
This afternoon we enjoy a return journey on The Royal Deeside Railway.
The Royal Deeside is a standard gauge steam and diesel hauled heritage railway, in a beautiful setting running alongside the River Dee. At the Milton of Crathes, there is an award-winning Victorian station, as well as a wonderful view of the surrounding hills. The Milton of Crathes complex includes craft shops, a restaurant and art gallery where we should have time to explore before we make our way back to the hotel in time for dinner.
DAY FOUR – Guided tour of Aberdeen City Centre
Today we have a guided tour of Aberdeen. Discover Aberdeen's rich history from being a small fishing settlement to the centre of oil for Europe. We make our way through some of the oldest streets, explore tunnels and retrace the steps of some of Aberdeen's most important figures in its (sometimes very dark) history.
Enjoy the rest of the day you can explore Aberdeen at your own pace before we make our way back to the hotel for dinner this evening.
DAY FIVE –Departure
After our breakfast, we make our way to Pitlochry, where we have some time to look around before we continue our journey home.
YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES
Luxury coach travel
Home pick-up
4 nights accommodation, dinner & breakfast
Porterage on arrival and departure
Tea/coffee and shortbread on arrival
Guided tour of Peterhead Prison Museum
Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life
Crathes Castle
The Royal Deeside Railway – return journey
Guided tour of Aberdeen City Centre (by coach and on foot).
ABERDEEN ALTENS HOTEL, ABERDEEN
The Aberdeen Altens Hotel is pleasantly situated on the outskirts of the ‘Granite City’ Aberdeen. Hotel facilities include heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a gym. All bedrooms are ensuite and have television and tea/coffee facilities. This hotel has a lift.
Please note: all single rooms are double for sole occupancy. The hotel currently does not have any bedrooms with walk-in showers/shower cubicles, other than 1 disabled accessible zip/link bedroom with a wet room, although the hotel hopes to have some further walk-in showers by 2025 – please enquire.
DAY ONE
We depart from your home pick-up join your coach and drive north making a stop in Moffat, before continuing our journey north to our hotel. Arrive at your hotel in Aberdeen late afternoon.
DDAY TWO
Today we enjoy a guided tour of Peterhead Prison Museum. Step into the gripping and fascinating history of Peterhead Prison with an unmissable guided tour. Led by an expert guide, you'll delve into the real-life stories of life inside Scotland's Toughest Jail.
We then make our way to Edinburgh where we visit Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life.
Pitmedden Garden combines its 17th-century origins and more recent agricultural past into a unique experience. Seeing the garden in all its grandeur today, with its straight lines in hedges and lawns, makes it hard to believe that there was a time when the garden was filled with bushes and the trees filled with fruit.
After a fire in the early 1800s, Pitmedden House and the garden were maintained by the Keith family. During the world wars, Major James Keith transformed the garden into a farm and kitchen garden to supply Aberdeen and the surrounding area with a large, healthy crop. Within the garden today, the espalier apple and pear trees along the great walls and the magnificent herbaceous borders are remnants of this agricultural period.
Major Keith was a leading figure in agricultural progress during his time, and the impact of his farming infrastructure is still noticeable today. Pop into the farmer's living room, check on the horse in the stables, and see if you can recognise any of the tools or machinery in the implement shed.
DAY THREE
Our first visit today takes us to Crathes Castle with its painted ceilings and family portraits adorn this turreted castle, set among sculpted yew trees and nature.
The Burnett family, who lived in the castle for over 350 years, had roots in the area dating back to 1323 when Robert the Bruce granted them nearby land.
This afternoon we enjoy a return journey on The Royal Deeside Railway.
The Royal Deeside is a standard gauge steam and diesel hauled heritage railway, in a beautiful setting running alongside the River Dee. At the Milton of Crathes, there is an award-winning Victorian station, as well as a wonderful view of the surrounding hills. The Milton of Crathes complex includes craft shops, a restaurant and art gallery where we should have time to explore before we make our way back to the hotel in time for dinner.
DAY FOUR
Today we have a guided tour of Aberdeen. Discover Aberdeen's rich history from being a small fishing settlement to the centre of oil for Europe. We make our way through some of the oldest streets, explore tunnels and retrace the steps of some of Aberdeen's most important figures in its (sometimes very dark) history.
Enjoy the rest of the day you can explore Aberdeen at your own pace before we make our way back to the hotel for dinner this evening.
DAY FIVE
After our breakfast, we make our way to Pitlochry, where we have some time to look around before we continue our journey home.
BB=Breakfast Included, D=Dinner Included
YOUR HOLIDAY INCLUDES
Luxury coach travel
Home pick-up
4 nights accommodation, dinner & breakfast
Porterage on arrival and departure
Tea/coffee and shortbread on arrival
Guided tour of Peterhead Prison Museum
Pitmedden Garden & Museum of Farming Life
Crathes Castle
The Royal Deeside Railway – return journey
Guided tour of Aberdeen City Centre (by coach and on foot).
ABERDEEN ALTENS HOTEL, ABERDEEN
The Aberdeen Altens Hotel is pleasantly situated on the outskirts of the ‘Granite City’ Aberdeen. Hotel facilities include heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a gym. All bedrooms are ensuite and have television and tea/coffee facilities. This hotel has a lift.
Please note: all single rooms are double for sole occupancy. The hotel currently does not have any bedrooms with walk-in showers/shower cubicles, other than 1 disabled accessible zip/link bedroom with a wet room, although the hotel hopes to have some further walk-in showers by 2025 – please enquire.
HOTEL FACILITIES INCLUDE
| General | Rooms | Accessibility |
| 4 star | Tea/coffee making facilities | Lift |
| Bar | Television |
|
| Restaurant | Hairdryer |
|
| Lounge | Wi-Fi |
|
| Swimming pool |
|
|
| Gym |
|
|
| DAYS | TOUR DATE | DEPARTS | PRICE | SUPPLEMENTS |
| 5 | 7 – 11 SEP 2026 | MONDAY | £739 | £160 SINGLE |
| JONES HOLIDAYS INSURANCE | £36 | |||
Rooms are allocated on a first come first served basis and are limited. If no single supplement applies this is limited to the tour single room allocation and therefore additional cost may apply. Prices displayed are per person unless otherwise stated. If door-to-door pick-up is included there may be additional charges for out of area. Itineraries and hotel inclusions may be subject to change. Seat numbers on the coach may be subject to change. Issues whilst on tour must be raised in the first instance with the driver. Covid-19 restrictions may apply. When making bookings you accept on behalf of yourself and your party the terms in our Trading Charter which can be found in our brochure, on our website at http://www.jonesholidays.co.uk/Jones-holidays-trading-charter, or a copy can be requested from our Sales office. If your holiday is more than 56 days from departure, we offer a 7-day cooling off period where a full refund will be offered from the date of the initial confirmation invoice (with the exception of flight holidays).
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Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.
Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Bodelwyddan | Bodelwyddan, Marble Church |
| Chester Services M56 | Chester Services on M56 |
| Colwyn Bay | Colwyn Bay, Railway Station |
| Garden City | Garden City , Amontola Restaurant |
| Holywell | Holywell, Bus Station |
| Llandudno Junction | Llandudno Junction, Train Station Car Park |
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