Banchory is a small Royal Deeside town on the River Dee, close enough to Aberdeen for an easy day out but far enough west to feel like the country has opened up. It is not a dramatic Highland base, and that is part of the point: the appeal here is castles, wooded hills, river walks, and a settled Aberdeenshire rhythm.
The headline is Crathes Castle, a fine National Trust for Scotland tower house with formal gardens and estate trails. A little closer to town, the Falls of Feugh give Banchory its best short walk, especially when salmon are running and the river is high.
If you want a view, climb Scolty Hill, where woodland tracks lead up to a monument looking over Deeside. Add the Royal Deeside Railway at Milton of Crathes and Banchory has enough for a spare day that feels local rather than padded out.