Why we love it
The mountains and the sea within half an hour’s drive, wilderness all around, a pizza oven, a hot tub and a dog sleepover pack!
What you'll love
Dogs will love
- The gravy bones and other useful things in the sleepover pack
- Stretching out on the deck for a nap
- Snuffling the sand and rockpools at great beaches
Humans will love
- Living the simple life in the colourful cabin
- Firing up the Ooni pizza oven
- Hot tubbing under starry skies
The place
Aberdeenshire is somehow one of the less-explored parts of the UK. While a lot of visitors to Scotland head north and west to the highlands and islands, an area with fabulous coastline and a national park that could swallow the Lake District whole goes too often ignored. Barley Bothy puts you in perfect position to experience it. Head to the beach for surfing, follow the whisky trail to world-famous distilleries and hike the Cairngorms for days on end. There’s everything from great downhill biking and skiing in winter, to country pubs with diverse menus that feature highland game and fresh seafood in equal measure. Owner Jane will leave you a hamper that gives you your first taste of the area’s flavours and kits you out with a few essentials for the dog, then it’s up to you whether you roam far and wide through Aberdeenshire’s wilderness, or just lie back in the bothy’s hot tub and keep your eyes out for the wildlife and, if you’re really lucky, the northern lights.
In the neighbourhood
- The Whisky Trail (Glenfiddich), 40-minute drive: Not so much an official tour as an acknowledgement of the fact that there are enough distilleries in the area that you can hop from distillery to distillery
- The Bin Forest, 15-minute drive: The Bin Forest offers a series of short, scenic walking trails named after its highest point, The Bin Hill. Along the trails, you’ll find majestic grand fir trees – some nearly 200 years old – grown from seeds collected by renowned Scottish botanist David Douglas.
- The Bank Café and Restaurant, 13-minute drive: Dogs allowed on the ground floor seating please use discretion with others around eating – serving locally served food with accompanying local whiskys.
- Cullen Beach, 36-minute drive: Head on over to this sandy stretch for an ear-flapping sprint on the coast. Head further inland and take in the aqueduct on a grassy stroll.