Braemar cottage beloved by author Nan Shepherd needs rescued amid 'risk of collapse'

Press and Journal

21-04-2025

A crumbing cottage beloved as the 'holiday howff' of famed author Nan Shepherd is at risk of ruin unless the new owners are given permission for a package of rescue works.
Braeview Cottage, barely more than a cabin, is sagging at the roof with its walls slowly giving way to time.
The building's literary links have now energised efforts to save it.
Nan Shepherd is the author of the legendary memoir The Living Mountain, which details her experiences hillwalking in the Cairngorms.
She first visited this wee Deeside cottage in 1928. And once wrote about her first impressions of it…
She said: 'On the April day when I first saw the 'doon-by' house, its diminutive size, its compactness… stole my heart.
'For a very long time we went back at least once, often twice a year.'
Nearly a century later, the cottage is in a state of disrepair.
Documents submitted to the council state: 'As the building approaches its centenary it is structurally unsound and at significant risk of being beyond effective repair.'
However, a 'carefully executed programme of works' could bring it back from the brink of collapse'.
Braeview Cottage has recently been bought by Calum and Jackie Innes of Blairgowrie.
The couple previously restored nearby Downie's Cottage, a five-star retreat on the same plot of land in Royal Deeside.
They now hope to pull off the same type of overhaul here, with various plans to spruce it up.
The roof is to be dismantled and rebuilt using corrugated steel sheeting in its original colour.
Decayed external walls are to be rebuilt and the cottage's original layout, including its steep stair and signature gable window, will be saved with input from conservation specialists.
The owners also hope Braeview will be listed by Historic Environment Scotland, which would mean its 'special interest' is recorded.
It is unclear what the future plans for the building are beyond salvaging it, but those behind the revamp hint at its growing appeal.
Documents sent to the council by Galbraith add: 'Braeview is now a somewhat dilapidated and unassuming property.
'But in recent years its association with Nan Shepherd has resulted in it attracting interest both locally and internationally.'
You can see the plans on the Aberdeenshire Council website.
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