THESE days, Deeside is often prefixed with the word “Royal” – a reference to the Hanoverian dynasty (subsequently rebranded Windsor), who today hold the British throne.

This is, though, a deeply dramatic corner of the Highlands also alive with Jacobite intrigue – Bonnie Prince Charlie’s life was once saved by a local aristocrat – and is brilliant to visit even if you’re not remotely interested in what King Charles has for breakfast at Balmoral. Two castles – both re-opened this year – in particular stand out.

Charles is currently in residence so visiting Balmoral (below) is out. I’m more interested anyway in a brace of castles that both thrill in very different ways.

First up is the old Jacobite bolthole of Braemar Castle, which reopened this year. It’s now community-owned and has been dramatically revamped with a striking white lime render. Inside is a collage of history that ripples through the trappings of what was a family clan home until the 1950s.

The approach from the car park is an engaging one as signs mark a timeline that tells the swashbuckling histories of a fortress locked in a seriously strategic spot at the meeting point of three mountain passes. By the time I get inside the castlen, I’m dripping in Jacobite battle cries, billeted Redcoats and the wild “Fighting Farquharsons”.

I venture through each floor with an audio guide bringing the rooms alive. Each one has a story, with each clan chief leaving an indelible mark. One Farquharson really made her mark: Lady Anne Farquharson, who defied her husband and turned out for the Jacobites.

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When she hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie at her Moy Castle, his life was threatened by a British raiding party. So she roused with her servants to save his life. In 1715, the Earl of Mar also raised the standard at Braemar Castle for the ill-fated Jacobite rebellion. 

The saving and rebirth of Braemar Castle is down to the local community. Sheila Anderson worked on the project and explains: “Before the recent National Lottery and Historic Environment cash, it was funded, remarkably, through our inclusive community’s efforts. I guess we were ahead of the curve doing it without the overarching funding. 

“The community displayed an incredible energy and it shows what a community do when they put their minds to it. They got involved in heritage without any heritage body getting them to that point. We did some match funding through historical events, but the community was at the heart of it all.”

Pushing deeper into Deeside, I swish by Balmoral, only stopping to take a look at gorgeous Crathie Kirk.

The royal Family attends services here and, of course, the church was the scene of a dramatic intervention in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Veering from official neutrality, the late Queen Elizabeth cautioned just days before the vote that Scotland should ”think very carefully about the future”. 

The second castle is Craigievar. This is my first visit and instantly I’m kicking myself I’ve not savoured it before. Visitor services supervisor John Lemon tells me: “Craigievar is the most beautiful castle in Scotland and we know Walt Disney had an image of it on his desk. So it really is the original fairytale castle.”

I totally agree on its looks and the Disney doppelgänger. Fine corbelling introduces the top three floors that were added in 1626. Other ornate flourishes include sweeping turrets and the dormer windows. I can imagine Cinderella sweeping through.

One delicious detail on the striking pink exterior is actually a stonemason’s joke – a bear with its paws on its ears to shield it from the stone bagpiper playing just above. The exterior itself is thanks to the 18-month long Pink Again project to return the castle back to its brilliant “Craigievar Pink” glory using 13,000 litres of special limewash – enough to paint all the courts at Wimbledon.

Unlike Braemar Castle, Craigievar (below) was never a Jacobite redoubt. But my guide Paul Cormack – the only way to access the castle is on a free guided tour – tells me of rumours of a Jacobite once squirrelling away in a canny attempt to bat for both teams and ensure that the Forbes family would not be punished by the victors in the Jacobite-era conflicts.

(Image: NQ)

This shrewd political manoeuvring ensured Craigievar’s safety and is why today it is one of the best-preserved castles in Scotland. John explains: “This is the castle to visit in Deeside. We have almost 70 castles here, but it’s one of only two that look pretty much the same as they did two centuries ago.

There are a series of 1820s paintings of Aberdeenshire’s castles and they demonstrate this dramatically.”  My Deeside base is the grand Balmoral Arms. As I tuck into a local pheasant terrine, followed by estate venison pie, I hear more tall tales.

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This time it’s Queen Victoria – the hotel houses an old private loo that was pressed into service by the long-reigning monarch. Stories are everywhere in Deeside.

As I turn my car back towards the Cairngorms and home I whizz by Balmoral. I’ve not missed perhaps Royal Deeside’s most famous castle, not when I’ve been delving deep into two of Scotland’s most impressive – and impressively recently revamped – fortresses, which each offer windows into Scotland long before Queen Victoria paraded through the glens in search of a holiday home.