My little piece of Scotland: Ballater

MY FAVOURITE place in Scotland is Ballater, about 40 miles west of Aberdeen. Every year we go on holiday to a cottage there, and me and my sister always have lots of fun looking for rabbits, fishing for tadpoles and playing games.

In the summer it is fun to paddle in the river. I once saw the Queen and other royal family members. Sometimes I go up to Ballater for picnics and we go for walks in the forest and have fun.

There are really good cycling tracks for kids and grown-ups. Ballater is always warm and sunny – that's one of the best things about it. It also has the Hilton Craigendarroch, which I love. It has bunk beds, a pool, a snooker room and a balcony.

One of the best places to visit is Balmoral Castle. The gardens are beautiful and I sat on a sun-lounger in the Queen's summer house. I love shopping in the village. There are book shops, toy shops, an ice-cream shop and a flower shop. As Ballater is small, it is easy to find places so you never get lost. In World War Two it was where people were evacuated to from the towns.

There is also a great tourist information shop in the old train station, which is now closed, but you can see and climb aboard the train Queen Victoria used to travel in from London. You can also see the soldiers at their barracks when they are there to guard the Queen when she comes to Balmoral for her summer holidays.

Did you know that a snake lives in Ballater and that the snake is called an adder? The adder lives at the side of Loch Muick, which is a fantastic big loch that you can walk all the way around. It takes a long time but you can stop for lots of picnics and see lots of birds of prey and deer and other stuff.

Ross Mennie (eight), Aberdeen

This article was originally published in Scotland on Sunday on 21 February 2010