Tower O'Ess
from £150.00 Per night*
Glen Tanar Estate, Aboyne, Aberdeen, AB34 5EU
T: +44 (0) 13398 86451
A gateway that ended up as a house for two
The tower went up in the early 1870s at the mouth of Glen Tanar, built to be the way in rather than somewhere to live. By 1918 it was a working gatehouse, and it is now one of seven cottages the estate lets, the only one of them for two people.
Everything is stacked. The sitting room is on the ground floor, with the wood burner, books and games, and a spiral staircase up to the bedroom and bathroom. The bath is a double ended roll top slipper bath, and there is a walk in shower, a separate toilet, a heated towel rail, robes and towels. The kitchen is small and properly equipped, with an electric cooker, a microwave, a fridge freezer and a dishwasher.
The hot tub is out in the garden, on decking with seating and a barbecue, and the Water of Tanar runs past below.
Good to know
- Arrival is from 4pm and departure by 10am, with earlier arrival by arrangement.
- The estate describes the cottage as not suitable for babies or children, so this is a booking for two adults.
- The rooftop is not accessible to guests, whatever older descriptions of the tower say.
- The washer dryer is not in the cottage. The estate lists it at a nearby location on the estate.
- One or two well behaved dogs, at £20 per dog per stay, and they must not be left alone in the cottage.
- Forty per cent of the rent confirms the booking, the balance falls due twelve weeks before arrival, and the deposit stops being refundable after seven days.
- Rent covers linen, towels, crockery, kitchenware and the fuel for cooking and heating.
- The estate does not publish rates online. You book by enquiry through the estate office.
Features
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Kitchen
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Hair dryer
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TV
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Heating
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Hot tub
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Indoor fireplace
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King bed
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Wifi
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Washing machine
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Dryer
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Adults only
Location
Where it puts you
Glen Tanar is the eastern end of the Cairngorms National Park, on the south side of the Dee above Aboyne, with hundreds of miles of estate track through Caledonian pine to walk, ride or cycle. Mount Keen, the most easterly Munro in Scotland, is climbed from the glen.
Ballater, Braemar and Balmoral are further up Deeside on the same road. The other way, the Dee runs down to Aberdeen and the coast, where Dunnottar Castle stands on its headland south of Stonehaven.
The Cairngorms
The national park end to end: the mountains, the castles, the whisky and the roads between them.
The Aberdeenshire explorers
A family working through the best of Aberdeenshire, from the Deeside castles out to the coast.
Frequently asked questions
What time is check in and check out?
Arrival is from 4pm and departure is by 10am. The estate will take an earlier arrival by arrangement.
Can we go up onto the roof?
No. The estate states that the rooftop is not accessible to guests.
Is there a washing machine in the cottage?
The estate lists the washer dryer at a nearby location on the estate rather than in the tower, so ask where it is when you book.
Can we bring children?
The estate describes Tower O'Ess as not suitable for babies or children. Five of the other cottages on the estate sleep four or more.
Can we fish while we are staying?
Salmon fishing on the Dee runs from 1 March to 30 September and is booked by the day, part week or week, with ghillies available. Salmon and sea trout go back under the Dee Conservation Code. The trout loch is fished by boat, two boats a session with two rods in each, and books online between 24 March and 31 October.
Can we use the wildlife hide?
The Lookout takes up to six people and usually runs between 8pm and 10pm, when a guide walks you out and leaves you to it. Red deer, pine martens, badgers, red squirrels and Scottish wildcats are the regulars. Sessions go through the estate office.
Important
*Make it Scotland provides general information and aims to be as up to date as possible. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information or pricing provided.
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