20 Attractions to Explore Near Bullers of Buchan

Slains Castle is a large imposing ruin fronting directly onto south facing cliffs about a kilometer east of Cruden Bay. The ruin you see today is the inevitable result of the castle’s location and various misfortunes becoming the owners over time. The owners, the Earls of Errol, were an influential family in the Cruden Bay area for many years and prospered after William Hay married the daughter of King William IV. Overtime the Hays fell upon hard times and in 1919 the castle and contents were s

HMP Peterhead was a prison in Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, operating from 1888-2013. Since June 2016, the former grounds operate as the Peterhead Prison Museum. It was designed to hold 208 prisoners and to be Scotland's only convict prison . Occupancy averaged at around 350 however, until peaking at 455 in 1911. Additional buildings were completed in 1909, 1960 and 1962, bringing capacity up to 362. According to the Scottish Prison Service, the prison could, in 2012, accommodate up to

Old Slains Castle is a ruined castle near Collieston in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The 13th-century castle was originally the property of the Comyn, Earl of Buchan. After the forfeiture of the Comyns in the 14th century it was given to Sir Gilbert Hay by Robert the Bruce in recognition for his support against the English.

Forvie National Nature Reserve is one of our natural treasures. The large areas of bare sand and shifting dunes that dominate the southern end of the reserve have been compared to the Sahara Desert. It’s a place of stark beauty. The reserve covers almost 1,000 hectares of sand dunes and dune heath between the North Sea and the estuary of the River Ythan. It is home to a rich variety of wildlife. Forvie is particularly renowned for its birds. These include a breeding colony of eiders, four speci

Aden Country Park has 230 acres full of things to see and do, from old buildings to explore to a farming museum to discover. There is something for everyone, you can even bring the family pooch. It is home to the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum, forest walks and a ruined country house. Every year it hosts a pipe band contest which attracts bagpipe bands from around Scotland.

Newburgh Beach, is one of the best places in the United Kingdom for spotting marine wildlife. Along the sandy estuary of the River Ythan, there is a large colony of around 400 seals, which make the shoreline their home, and can safely be observed from the opposite bank. Children will love watching the seals, which can be both cute and comical, going about their daily business here.

The Loch of Strathbeg is a designated Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. It is located near to Rattray and Crimond in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The loch is maintained by the RSPB and around the loch there are three hides from which visitors may watch the birds and other wildlife. Access to the loch is through Crimond airfield where there is a car park at the edge of the reserve.

Balmedie is a flat sandy beach with sand dunes to the rear of the beach. At the back of the beach is a substantial area of sand dunes, where the principal vegetation is marram grass, but also contains a range of other plants at home in this type of environment.

One of Scotland's longest beaches it stretches south for 14 miles from the mouth of the River Ythan to the River Don at Aberdeen. The easiest place to reach the beach is from the Balmedie Country Park, 8 miles north of Aberdeen and signposted off the A90. Here there is an attractive cark park, picnic area and play park. Boardwalk paths lead through the sand dunes to the beach.

Haddo House is a spectacular country house designed by William Adam and built in the years between 1731 and 1736. Today the house is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and open to the public. The surrounding country park is operated by Aberdeenshire Council, while the extremely large Haddo Estate, of which the country park forms only a small part, continues to function as a farming and sporting estate.

The historic walled garden at Castle Fraser, like many other gardens is situated a little way from the house and provides a sheltered environment for the plantings. These include shrubs, flowers, well trained fruit and vegetables. A new herbaceous border has been created on the south side of of one of the walls.The garden has views towards the magnificent castle which was completed in 1636 and has a fine interior. This includes a magnificent baronial hall, furniture and works of art.

Danny and Joan Ross opened the award-winning gallery in rural Aberdeenshire in 1987. They celebrate and promote Scottish art, showing the best emerging artists as well as established modern masters. Several hundred artists are represented by the gallery. All are carefully selected by Danny and Joan, who are always on hand and happy to discuss the work of any artist.

Tolquhon Castle is a substantial ruinous courtyard castle with a large tower and some fantastic stone carving on the gatehouse, held by the Preston family and then by the Forbeses, in a quiet spot near Tarves in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. The castle was built by William Forbes, 7th Laird of Tolquhon, between 1584 and 1589 as an extension to the earlier tower house known as Preston's Tower. Although ruined, the castle has been described as "the most characteristic château of the Scots R

Fraserburgh is a long, golden, sandy beach starting at the south-eastern end of the town and stretching along the Aberdeenshire coastline to the point where the Moray Firth meets the North Sea. The beach’s proximity to all the facilities and fine golden sand make it a popular spot for families and there is usually plenty of room for everyone.

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is based in Fraserburgh on the North East corner of Aberdeenshire. Situated by Kinnaird Head lighthouse, the first lighthouse on mainland Scotland, Kinnaird Head Castle contains both the lighthouse and purpose-built museum alongside. This museum tells the great story of the Northern Lighthouse Board, the engineers who built the lights and the keepers who tended them. It is a story of skill, courage, technical genius and brilliant organisation.

There are two lighthouses located on Kinnaird Head, in Fraserburgh, Scotland, an historical one built in a converted castle, and its modern replacement built in 1991. The original lighthouse now forms part of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses.

Fyvie Castle’s 800-year history is rich in legends, folklore and even ghost stories. Discover the amazing collection of antiquities, armour and lavish oil paintings. Stroll around the picturesque loch, or visit the restored glass-roofed racquets court and ice house. It was a magnificent fortress in the heart of Aberdeenshire.

Loanhead Stone Circle is one of the best examples of a monument type known as a recumbent stone circle. These monuments are only found in north-east Scotland. They’re defined by a ring of upright stones, with a massive stone slab laid on its side between two upright pillar stones – usually in the south-west arc of the circle. The recumbent setting is at the south-south-west of the circle but the recumbent stone itself is angled somewhat towards the south.

Delgatie Castle is a castle near Turriff, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Like many castles, Delgatie is rumoured to be haunted. A number of reports of a ghostly red-haired figure, supposedly one Alexander Hay, were made by soldiers posted there during the Second World War. The castle's information boards, mostly written by Captain Hay who restored the house in the 1950s, recount that the ghost was first seen when a body was found bricked up in a priest hole.

Craigston Castle is a 17th century castle, set in 250 acres of grounds in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built in 1607, with an ornate balcony. The interiors are largely original, decorated with portraits of Scottish kings. The castle is composed of two main wings flanking the entrance and connected by an elevated arch, and surmounted by a richly corbelled parapet. There are bases for corner turrets near the top corner of each wing, but the turrets themselves do not appear to have ever been co