If you've never run in Royal Deeside, here's your invitation.

‍

explorr takes place in a corner of Scotland that plenty of people drive straight past on their way to somewhere else. Their loss. The Dee valley, with the town of Banchory at its heart, is one of the finest places in the country to run and ride. If you don't know it yet, let us make the case.

First, where is it?

Royal Deeside is the valley of the River Dee, running west from Aberdeen into the Cairngorms. Banchory, the gateway town, sits about 18 miles inland. Close enough to reach easily, far enough that the landscape has properly opened up by the time you arrive.

‍

Keep heading west and the valley climbs through Aboyne, Ballater and Braemar before the road gives out at the mountains. This is the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, the largest national park in the UK, where farmland gives way to forest, heather and big open country.

‍

It's called Royal Deeside because Balmoral, the royal family's Scottish home, sits further up the same valley. Queen Victoria fell for the place in the 1850s. People have been following her up the Dee ever since.

‍

Getting here is easier than you'd think. Aberdeen, with its airport and rail links, is under an hour away, and Banchory is a straightforward drive from the central belt.

‍

Why it's such good running and riding country

Here's the part that matters if you've come to move.

‍

Royal Deeside is laced with forest tracks, estate roads and quiet backroads. Firm, flowing, traffic-free routes that carry more sheep than cars. It's the kind of terrain that sits in the sweet spot between smooth tarmac and rough mountain trail, which is exactly what makes it such natural gravel country.

‍

The old Deeside railway line, closed in the 1960s, is now the Deeside Way, a 41-mile path running from Aberdeen to Ballater. Where Victorian trains once carried passengers toward Balmoral, you'll now find walkers, cyclists and runners. It's a ready-made ribbon of off-road miles through some of the best scenery in the north-east.

‍

And you don't need to be an expert to enjoy it. The ground is runnable and rideable rather than technical, so it welcomes the gravel-curious as warmly as the seasoned racer. If you can run on a path, you can run here.

A town worth basing yourself in

Banchory makes an easy base for a weekend.

‍

It's small enough to feel like a community and lively enough to have everything you need. Independent cafés, pubs, a proper high street and somewhere good to eat after a long day outside. It sits where the River Feugh meets the River Dee, and the rivers give the place its character.

‍

Just outside town, the Falls of Feugh tumble over ancient rock, and in season you can stand on the footbridge and watch salmon leap upstream. Above the town, Scolty Hill rises through woodland to a stone tower, with the whole valley laid out beneath you once you reach the top. It's a short climb and a big reward.

‍

Make a weekend of it

Come to race, stay for the rest. Within easy reach of Banchory you'll find plenty to fill the hours around your running:

‍

• Crathes Castle, a 16th-century tower house with walled gardens and woodland trails, cared for by the National Trust for Scotland.
• Drum Castle, one of Scotland's oldest tower houses, with an ancient oak wood and a rose garden.
• The Royal Deeside Railway at Milton of Crathes, a heritage line running vintage trains along the Dee.
• Scolty Tower, the hilltop monument with the finest view in town.

‍

That's before you've counted the fishing, the golf, the distilleries and the long list of walks that make Deeside what it is.

‍

Why explorr is here

explorr could have set up almost anywhere. It's in Royal Deeside because the landscape and the festival are the same idea. Getting out into proper countryside under your own steam, then ending the day somewhere good with other people who've done the same.

‍

The forest tracks and quiet backroads make the racing. The river and the hills make the setting. And Banchory, welcoming and walkable, makes the kind of base where a three-day festival feels at home. There's a Festival Village in the heart of town, live music, food and cold pints, and a route with your name on it whether you're stepping up to your first 5km or chasing a marathon.

‍

Come and see for yourself

‍

explorr, 28 to 30 August 2026, in Banchory, Royal Deeside.

‍

You've read the case. Now come and run it. We think you'll understand what the fuss is about roughly ten minutes into your first forest track.

‍

explorr takes place 28 to 30 August 2026 in Banchory, Royal Deeside. Choose your challenge and plan your weekend at explorr.co.uk.