20 Attractions to Explore Near Crathes Castle

Scolty Hill is a small hill south of the Deeside town, Banchory. Its best known feature is the 20m tall tower monument, built in 1840 as a memorial to General William Burnett who fought alongside Wellington. The tower was restored in 1992 and a viewing platform added by the Rotary Club of Banchory-Ternan. It enjoys splendid views over Banchory, the Dee Valley and the Grampian Mountains, which surround the hill. This encourages thousands of visitors each year. It is popular for tourists, locals a

Drum Castle is a castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. For centuries it was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine. The place-name Drum is derived from Gaelic druim, 'ridge'. The site is located approximately 6+1⁄2 miles northeast of Banchory and 3 miles west of Peterculter. The property is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to the public.

This large freshwater loch is located near Dunecht and Kirkton of Skene in Aberdeenshire. It's a very picturesque area with the loch surrounded by attractive woodland and reedbeds. It's great for wildlife too with concentrations of wildfowl in autumn and winter in particular greylag geese, goldeneye ducks and pink-footed geese. Common gulls and otters are also found on the loch.

The Den and the Glen is a children's park in Maryculter, Scotland, near the city of Aberdeen. It is best known for its disformed and off-looking models of various fairytale characters, as well as some more modern characters such as Shrek and Postman Pat. The most well known statue is of Barney The Dinosaur, which became an internet meme with the caption "cha cha real smooth". It has been rated a 4-star visitor attraction by the Scottish Tourist Board.

Kincardine Castle is a Victorian country house in Royal Deeside, Scotland. Formerly known as Kincardine House, it is private home which also operates as a hospitality venue. The house sits 1 kilometre north-east of the village of Kincardine O'Neil, and 8 kilometres east of Aboyne on the north side of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire.

Blairs Museum is home of the Scottish Catholic Heritage Collection. Located in Aberdeen, Blairs Museum provides an insight into Scotland’s Catholic heritage, with collections spanning over 500 years. See paintings, church textiles, Jacobite memorabilia, and the stunning Mary Queen of Scots Memorial Portrait. It was one of the iconic attractions in this area.

Castle Fraser is the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland and one of the grandest 'Castles of Mar'. It is located near Kemnay in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. The castle stands in over 300 acres of landscaped grounds, woodland and farmland which includes a walled kitchen garden of the 19th century. From the striking simplicity of the medieval Great Hall to the well-stocked library and Victorian bedrooms, a tour of the castle gives a sense of walking through history.

Clachnaben is one of the best known of Aberdeenshire's lower hills, celebrated together with Bennachie in an old couplet. Its fame rests on the magnificent granite tor on its summit, a superb viewpoint and a worthy objective for any outing. A popular walk starts at the car park on the Cairn O' Mounth road, 10 kilometres south of Banchory. Popularity has caused some erosion on the old steep path which climbs this hill directly; however, efforts have been made to stabilise the erosion.

Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, is an Olympic sized heated open air public pool opened in 1934. It is the northernmost lido in the UK.This 55 yard x 20 yard open air pool is the UK's only art deco Olympic sized sea water lido. The water is heated and the pool is open from late May to early September. There is a Leisure Centre with indoor swimming pool next door. Other facilities include a paddling pool and a cafe.

Stonehaven Bay is the perfect setting for a great day out. At just over one kilometer in length, the half-moon shaped bay features a busy working harbour, rocky outcrops towards the north and the sandy stretch towards the south, ideal for sunbathers. This particular beach is popular with watersports enthusiasts.

Dunnottar is a wonderful woodland for all the family to enjoy with wildlife, a rich diversity of wild flowers, and many historical features such as Lady Kennedy's Bath, an ice house and the Shell House. Enjoy a walk with the family through the spectacular woodland, watch the bodging group turning wood, discover the rich history whilst exploring the woods to find the Shell house, the Ice house, Lady Kennedys bath and Gallows hill.

Cairn O' Mount is a high mountain pass in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has served as an ancient military route at least from Roman times through the 13th century AD. The alignment of the Cairnamounth, Elsick Mounth and Causey Mounth ancient trackways had a strong influence on the medieval siting of many fortifications and other settlements in the area comprised by present-day Aberdeenshire on both sides of the River Dee.

The Tolbooth Museum is housed in the former wardhouse, or prison for Aberdeen, a unique complex of 17th and 18th century gaol cells. It first opened to the public as a museum in 1995. Featured displays deal with local history and the evolution of crime and punishment over the centuries. The museum's unique atmosphere and gaol cells provide a striking visitor experience and a real insight into imprisonment and the treatment of prisoners and rebel Jacobites in times gone by.

Dunnottar Castle is a dramatic and evocative ruined cliff top fortress that was the home of the Earls Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in Scotland. Steeped in history, this romantic and haunting ruin is a photographer’s paradise, a history lover’s dream and an iconic tourist destination for visitors the world over. Dunnottar is best known as the place where the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, were hidden from Oliver Cromwell's invading army in the 17th century.

Loch of Aboyne is a shallow, artificial formed, freshwater loch in Grampian, Scotland. It lies 1+1⁄4 miles northeast of Aboyne and 26 miles west-southwest of Aberdeen. An earthen dam was constructed around 1834 to retain the loch. It also served as a reservoir for a nearby mill. It has one of the finest submerged floras in the area with 8 species of pondweeds. There is a high diversity of leeches and pond snails and modest numbers of passage and wintering wildfowl including wigeon, goosander and

Craigievar Castle is a picturesque fortified tower house in Aberdeenshire, said to be the inspiration for the fairytale Disney castle. The setting is among scenic rolling foothills of the Grampian Mountains, and the contrast of its massive lower storey structure to the finely sculpted multiple turrets, gargoyles and high corbelling work to create a classic fairytale appearance. It was the seat of Clan Sempill and the Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963.

Fowlsheugh is a coastal nature reserve in Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland, known for its 70-metre-high (230 ft) cliff formations and habitat supporting prolific seabird nesting colonies. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Scottish Natural Heritage, the property is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Fowlsheugh can be accessed by a public clifftop trail, or by boats which usually emanate from the nearby harbour at the town of Stonehaven.

East Aquhorthies Stone Circle is a recumbent stone circle – a monument type only found in north-east Scotland. It has a large stone set on its side and flanked by two upright stones, usually on the south or south-west part of the circle. The circle is particularly notable for its builders' use of polychromy in the stones, with the reddish ones situated on the SSW side and the grey ones opposite. The discovery of a possible cist covered by a capstone at the centre of the circle indicates that th

Grampian Transport Museum is a transport museum and charitable-based trust located in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Its exhibits chart the history of transport in the north east of Scotland through dramatic displays, working and climb-aboard vehicle exhibits and video presentations. Major exhibits include the world's oldest Sentinel Steam Waggon from 1914, a giant Mack Snowplow and a working model of Robert Davidson's motor for electric traction.

The Bennachie Visitor Centre is the ideal starting point to explore the Bennachie forest and hill range. Learn about the history of the hill, its wildlife and the people that have called it home. There's an extensive network of paths to explore - from a 15 minute woodland stroll to an all day hike over the moorland hill tops.