River Dee, Aiberdeenshire

The **River Dee** () is a river in Aiberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms an flows throu Strathdee tae reach the Nor' Sea at Aiberdeen. The area it rins throu is kent as **Deeside**, or **Ryal Deeside** in the region atween Braemar an Banchry acause Queen Victoria visitit the area in 1848. She an her husband, Prince Albert, tuir doon an auld castle an biggit Balmoral Castle.

Deeside is a common tourist spot, due tae a mix o bonnie scenery an historic an ryal associations. Deeside, alangside Lochnagar, is considered a National Scenic Area an is pairt o the Cairngorm National Pairk. The Dee is weel-liked wi  anglers, an is een o the maist weel-kent saumon fishin rivers in the warld.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland attributit the name Dee as haein been uised as airly as the seicont hunneryear AD in the wark o the Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemy, as *Δηοῦα* (=Deva), meanin 'Goddess', pintin tae a divine status fur the river in the beliefs o the auncient fowk o the area. There is mony ither rivers in Great Britain wi the same name, an aa o these ar believed tae hae alike wird oreegins.

## Geography
### Upper reaches

The River Dee rises fae a spring on the Braeriach plat in the Cairngorm Mountains at a heich o aboot 1,220 m, the heichist soorce o ony major river in the Anglo-Celtic Isles. The Dee flows intae a nummer o puils cried the Wells o Dee then flows ower the plat tae the cliff edge fae faur the Faas o Dee plunge intae An Garbh Choire.("burn o the roch corrie"). The river is jint bi a tributary comin fae the Puils o Dee in the Lairig Ghru, and flows sooth doon the Lairig Ghru atween Ben Macdui an Cairn Toul, tummlin ower faas in the Kist o Dee on its wey tae White Brig an the meetin o the watters wi Geldie Burn, at fit pint it turns east.

### Linn o Dee

At Linn o Dee the river rins east throu a 300 metre naitural rock cleuch. The brig that spans the Dee this pynt wis appent bi Queen Victoria in 1857, an the spot wis muckle favoured bi the queen durin her stays at Balmoral Castle. Atween Linn o Dee an Braemar, the Lui Watter (formed fae the Luibeg an Derry burns) an Quoich Watter jine the River Dee. The River Clunie meets the watters o the Dee at Braemar. Evidents o human activity as aerlie as c8,200 BC hae been fand at mony steids alang the baunks o the Dee.

### Strathdee
Throu Deeside the river rins past Braemar, Balmoral Castle, Ballater, Dinnet, Abyne an Banchry tae reach the sea at Aiberdeen. Near Ballater twa rivers is tributaries: the River Gairn fae the nor an the River Muick, comin fae Loch Muick tae the sooth. The river remains inwith the Cairngorms National Pairk until it reaches Dinnet. The Watter o Tanar flows throu Glen Tanar afore jinin the Dee at Abyne. The Faas of Feugh haes a meetin o the watters wi the Dee at Banchry an Coy Burn enters at Milton o Crathes.

The tidal limit is juist abeen Brig o Dee, biggit aroond 1720, that carries the main A90 trunk road fae Aiberdeen tae the sooth. Afore winnin at the Nor Sea, the river rins throu Aiberdeen Haven, the main marine centre fur the energy industry in Europe, servicing the ooterly ile an gas industry. Ae airtifical channel wis biggit in 1872 tae strachten the river's flow intae the sea.

## Natur an hainin

The Dee is important fur natur hainin an the area haes mony designated steids. The upper catchment doon tae Inverey is inwith the Mar Lodge Estate, that is awnt bi the National Trust for Scotland an haes been classified as a national natur reserve syne Mey 2017.

The Cairngorms National Pairk, establisht in 2003, covers the hale o the catchment o the Dee, includin tributaries, doon tae as far as Dinnet.  Aside fae bein pairt o the Pairk, the Deeside airt, alang wi the mountains surroondin Lochnagar as far sooth as the heid o Glen Doll, ar thegither classified as the *Deeside and Lochnagar [[national scenic area (Scotland)|National Scenic Area]]*, een o 40 sic areas athort Scotland. The designated national scenic area covers 40,000 ha, extendin fae the Geldie doon tae Ballater.

The hale lenth o the Dee is a Speicial Area o Conservation (SAC) as saumon, otter an mussels lippen til it for their scowth. Ither SACs athin the Deeside airt include Glen Tanar, the Muir o Dinnet, Ballochbuie an the Morrone Birkwood. The soothren side o Deeside is classified as a Special Protection Area, gien the area's importance fur gowden eagle.

Muckle o the semi-naitural Caledonian pine forest in Scotland is athin the Dee catchment. The area haes nationally rare ensaumples o pine wids, birk wids an heather muirs wi associatit wildlife. On the dale fleer there are aller an mixed braidleaft wids an meidae gresslaunds.

The Dee is weel kent as a saumon river, haein a series o varied puils, split bi shairp rapids. In 1995 it wis shawn that saumon fishin on the river gied atween £5 tae £6 million a year tae the Grampion Region economy.

## Ryal Deeside
The area aroon Braemar an Ballater is kent as Ryal Deeside, a term that the tourist trade haes heezed up. Syne the reign o Queen Victoria, the British Ryal Faimily hae spent thair simmers at Balmoral Castle. Ivery year thay attend the Braemar Hieland Gaitherin an ither local events. Birkhaw, umwhile awnt bi the Queen Mither, is noo uised bi King Charles III.

## References