Шотландиядағы Ди өзені және Ройал Дисайд аймағы

River in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The River Dee (Uisge Dhè) is a river in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It rises in the Cairngorms and flows through southern Aberdeenshire to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen. The area it passes through is known as Deeside, or Royal Deeside in the region between Braemar and Banchory because Queen Victoria came for a visit there in 1848 and greatly enjoyed herself. She and her husband, Prince Albert, built Balmoral Castle there which replaced an older castle. Deeside is a popular area for tourists, due to the combination of scenic beauty and historic and royal associations. The New Statistical Account of Scotland attributed the name Dee as having been used as early as the second century AD in the work of the Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemy, as Δηοῦα (=Deva), meaning 'goddess'. This indicated the river had divine status in the beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the area. There are several other rivers with the same name in Great Britain, and they are believed to have similar derivations, as may the Dee's near neighbour to the north which is the River Don.

The Dee is important for nature conservation and the area has many designated sites. The upper catchment down to Inverey is within the Mar Lodge Estate, which is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and has been classified as a national nature reserve since May 2017. The Cairngorms National Park which was established in 2003 covers the whole of the catchment of the Dee, including the tributaries, down to as far as Dinnet. The Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area covers 40,000 ha, extending from the Geldie down to Ballater. Other SACs within the Deeside area include Glen Tanar, the Muir of Dinnet, Ballochbuie, and the Morrone Birkwood. Much of the semi natural Caledonian pine forest in Scotland is within the Dee catchment. The area contains nationally rare examples of pine woods, birch woods and heather moors with associated wildlife. On the valley floor there are deciduous alder and mixed broadleaved woods as well as meadow grasslands. The Dee is a popular salmon river and has a succession of varied pools which are intersected by sharp rapids. In 2020 it was estimated that salmon fishing contributed £15 million a year to the local economy and the River Dee reporting 10% of Scottish salmon catches. The River Dee operates a catch and release practise and all salmon which are caught must be released back to the river.

The A93 road runs west along the north bank of the river from Aberdeen to Braemar before it turns south, leaving Deeside, to climb to the Glenshee Ski Centre at Cairnwell Pass and then onwards to Perth. The line opened from Aberdeen to Banchory in 1853, was extended to Aboyne in 1859, and a further extension to Ballater was opened in 1866. The line was not extended beyond Ballater to Braemar as this would require it to run close to Balmoral, leading to objections from Queen Victoria. The Royal Family used Ballater Station when visiting Balmoral. After the line closed, the station was converted into a rail museum. It was destroyed by fire in 2015 A very short section of the line near Milton of Crathes has been restored as a heritage railway, named the Royal Deeside Railway.

Since the reign of Queen Victoria the British Royal Family have spent their summers at Balmoral Castle. Each year they attend the Braemar Highland Gathering and other local events. Birkhall which was previously owned by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, is now a favourite retreat of King Charles. Due to these royal connections, the area around Braemar and Ballater is sometimes referred to "Royal Deeside", and this usage has been encouraged by the tourist trade.