Two years ago, when I visited Queen Victoria’s picnic cottage, it was in a rather sorry state.
Having fallen into disrepair over the decades, it stood as a forlorn, boarded-up shell on the banks above the Linn of Quoich on the Mar Lodge Estate.
However, the cottage – which was enjoyed by Queen Victoria on her visits to Balmoral – has been restored to its former glory by the National Trust for Scotland.
It opened to the public in April, and I was desperate to visit.
I tied in a trip last week with a guided walk led by Mar Lodge Estate ranger Lianne Starbuck-Stephen.
How do you reach picnic cottage?
We started from the Quoich car park, crossed the bridge, and turned left onto a path through pines trees.
Lianne pointed out new information panels on rocks and logs, which fit subtly into the environment.
One welcomes you to Glen Quoich and others stress the importance of deadwood, which can offer food and shelter for all sorts of plants, fungi, birds and invertebrates.
It doesn’t take long to reach the picnic cottage, and my goodness, what a glorious sight!
While a handsome wooden porch has been added, furniture has been specially commissioned to create a ‘fully immersive’ experience.
Doors, window frames, columns and the porch roof have been painted a striking cherry red, which just adds to the fairytale charm.
“Archaeological surveys showed there was a porch here previously – so we’ve reinstated it sympathetically,” Lianne told me.
Picnic cottage saved from ruin
Built around 1850, the picnic cottage was on the Buildings at Risk register after years of decay when the Trust took over Mar Lodge Estate in 1975.
It stabilised the cottage’s poor condition, and a major restoration plan began in 2023.
Contractors began clearing rubble from inside the dwelling last summer before re-harling and repointing walls with lime mortar.
New windows, doors and timber floors were installed, and larch shingles on the roof were replaced.
The original fireplaces and chimneys were also restored to working condition.
What’s inside?
The main feature inside is a huge table made of Scots pine, which boasts carvings of the river and landscape, and plaques with Gaelic descriptions (and English translations) of natural features in the glen.
Benches made of larch – also in abundance in the glen – are almost as impressive.
Meanwhile, interior walls are adored with panels and evocative quotes from Queen Victoria and Aberdeenshire-born nature writer Nan Shepherd.
One, from Queen Victoria’s journal on October 7, 1873, states: “Got out and lunched at the usual place, near the Linn and then sketched, but was terribly tormented by midges.” I feel her pain!
Another frequent visitor to the glen was Princess Louise, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
She married Mar Lodge Estate’s owner, Alexander Duff, the 6th Earl of Fife, in 1889.
When can you visit?
“The idea is that people can enjoy their own picnics here and walk in the footsteps of Queen Victoria and Princess Louise,” smiled Lianne.
“We know Queen Victoria was a regular visitor – if you check out her published diaries online, she mentions Glen Quoich around 70 times.”
The estate aims to open the cottage between 10am and 4pm from April to October.
The restoration project was made possible thanks to funding from the NTS USA Foundation and is a fine example of the Trust’s commitment to preserving Scotland’s cultural heritage.
It’s a big year for the NTS: 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of its annual Footpath Fund appeal.
To mark the milestone, the Trust is promoting 25 walks across Scotland.
Try this special walk
One starts at the Linn of Quoich, and Lianne was keen to give me a flavour of it.
Essentially, the three mile loop explores the beautiful regenerating pine woodlands and crystal-clear waters of Glen Quoich.
The route also takes in the historic Earl of Mar’s Punchbowl, with links to the 1715 Jacobite Rising, and, of course, the picnic cottage.
I’ve always found it mesmerising to watch the River Quoich as it rushes through the Punchbowl, a curious water and ice-sculpted pothole.
The story goes that the Earl of Mar made punch out of whisky, honey and water in the ‘bowl’ – either to celebrate a successful deer hunt, or to toast the Jacobite cause.
Wonder of wildlife
Pause here for a while and you never know what you’ll see – wildlife abounds.
I spotted dippers and grey wagtails, but Lianne said there’s a chance of seeing black grouse, pine martens and white-tailed eagles.
It’s an absolutely magical place to hang out, but a walk up the glen along the recently created ‘wild’ path is well worth it.
“It’s a journey through the Quoich, with fantastic views of the glen,” Lianne said.
“We haven’t waymarked it because it’s a bit of a wild route and we want people to follow their intuition.”
Tree regeneration
Much of the path heads through dense young woodland which indicates the huge success the Trust is having with its tree regeneration programme.
“Reducing the deer density has allowed these young trees to come through,” Lianne enthused.
“Previously any young shoots would just get eaten.
“We’ve got a good mixture of trees at this level – Scots pine, larch, birch and rowans.”
Trees have faced historical challenges on Mar Lodge Estate related to both grazing and felling.
Many were harvested by Canadian loggers during the Second World War.
Lianne, however, is hopeful about the future.
A survey in 2021 showed the estate, which is Scotland’s largest national nature reserve, had created an additional 2,000 hectares of regenerated woodland.
“That’s fantastic news,” she beamed. “I’m already excited about the 2026 survey!”
Wild – but wonderful – path
Those who follow the ‘wild’ path will find it gets a bit rougher as it winds its way through heather, reaches a little burn, and swings uphill into a plantation.
It then descends to a sturdy footbridge, with a glorious pool below, and joins a track that passes through magnificent Scots pine trees.
When it emerges from the forest, there’s a cracking view of the Corbett, Morrone.
A path through dense trees takes you back to the Quoich car park.
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