Aberdeenshire - 91 Attractions You Must Visit

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About Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It has a rich prehistoric and historic heritage. It is the locus of a large number of Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites, including Longman Hill, Kempstone Hill, Catto Long Barrow and Cairn Lee. There are also so many other things to see and do around this county.

Types of Attractions in Aberdeenshire

Activities Around

List of Attractions in Aberdeenshire

Findlater Castle

Findlater Castle

Iconic Buildings

Findlater is one of the most dramatical situated of any Scottish castle, perched on a promontory joined to the mainland by a narrow neck of land, with almost sheer cliffs on the other three sides. The cliffs reach 90 feet in places, while the level surface of the castle promontory is some 30 feet below the level of the surrounding mainland cliffs, meaning that it can only be reached by a steep and irregular path.

Forvie National Nature Reserve

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

Fraserburgh beach

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.

Fyvie Castle

Fyvie Castle

Iconic Buildings

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.

Glenbuchat Castle

Glenbuchat Castle

Man-made Structures- Other

Glenbuchat is a good example of a late 16th-century Z-plan tower house, located in remote Strathdon countryside between the River Don and the Water of Buchat. The builder of Glenbuchat was John Gordon of Cairnburrow, who erected the new house to mark his marriage to Helen Carnegie, his second wife, in 1590.

Glenshee Ski Centre

Glenshee Ski Centre is an alpine snowsports area in the Scottish Highlands. It is located above the Cairnwell Pass at the head of Glen Shee on either side of the A93 road between Blairgowrie and Braemar. Glenshee is Britain's largest alpine snowsports area and is referred to as the 'Scottish Three Glens'. in reference to Les Trois Vallées. The ski area covers 2,000 acres. Extensive snow-making often allows the slopes to remain open in poor weather longer than other ski areas in Scotland. The sk

Grampian Transport Museum

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.

Haddo House

Haddo House

Iconic Buildings

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.

Huntly Castle

Huntly Castle

Iconic Buildings

Huntly Castle is a ruined castle north of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. There have been four castles built on the site that have been referred to as Huntly Castle, Strathbogie Castle or Peel of Strathbogie. The original wooden castle was built on a motte. The second castle, made of stone, was built on the northern end of the bailey. The third and modern castles were built to the e

Kildrummy Castle

Kildrummy Castle

Iconic Buildings

Kildrummy Castle was once one of the most magnificent and imposing castles in Scotland. It was built in about 1250 by the Earl of Mar. The castle was intended to consolidate the Mar dynasty's hold over north-eastern Scotland and was located where it could command important routes across the region. It may have replaced an earlier castle built on a motte a mile to the north east and since occupied by Kildrummy Kirkyard.

Kincardine Castle

Kincardine Castle

Iconic Buildings

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.

Kinnaird Head Castle Lighthouse and Museum

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.

Lairig Ghru

Lairig Ghru

Mountain Passes

The Lairig Ghru is the best known hill-pass in Scotland. Nestled in the middle of Cairngorms National Park, it was once one of the main routes used for driving cattle and transporting goods through the Cairngorm mountains. Its 500-metre deep trench cuts between the second and third highest mountains in the United Kingdom, creating a trail that is wild and remote.

Lecht Ski Centre

Lecht Ski Centre

Skiing Spots

The Lecht Ski Centre is an alpine ski area in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands. The ski slopes are set around the mountains Beinn a' Chruinnich, 2,552 ft and Meikle Corr Riabhach, 2556 ft. The Lecht is the smallest ski area in Scotland in terms of area, number of runs and vertical drop and as such is the most suitable for beginners. 15 lifts provide access to 23 groomed pistes.

Leith Hall Garden & Estate

Leith Hall is a country house in Kennethmont, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built in 1650, on the site of the medieval Peill Castle, and was the home of the Leith-Hay family for nearly three centuries. Since 1945 it has been run by the National Trust of Scotland. Leith Hall is set in a 286-acre estate with scenic gardens.

Linn of Dee

Linn of Dee

Outdoors- Other

Linn O' Dee is a famous beauty spot, much favoured by Queen Victoria. The River Dee runs through a narrow channel and drops into rocky pools below. There are walking trails through the woods and picnic spots beside the falls.

Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle

Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle

Outdoors- Other

Old Ruins

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.

Loch Callater

Loch Callater

Man-made Lakes

Loch Callater is freshwater loch around five miles south of Braemar. The loch is surrounded by steep hills and so photo opportunities are abundant. The loch is around one mile in length. This area is popular with walkers and at the north end is the Callater Stable walkers' bothy.

Loch Etchachan

Loch Etchachan

Man-made Lakes

Loch Etchachan is a remote freshwater loch set deep within the central Cairngorms plateau, in the Cairngorms National Park, located in the eastern Highlands of Scotland. It is the highest waterbody of its size in the UK, the surface being 927 metres above sea level.

Loch Kinord

Loch Kinord

Lake/ River/ Ponds

Loch Kinord is a small, freshwater loch at Muir of Dinnet, Aberdeenshire, Scotland just north of the River Dee and 5 mi east of Ballater. The loch is also known as Loch Ceander and Loch Cannor. It is approximately 1 mi in length and was formed from a glacial kettle hole. The loch sits within the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve and is immediately south of Loch Davan.

Map of attractions in Aberdeenshire

Comments

For more information about Aberdeenshire, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeenshire