Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is a county in the North East Scotland|north east of Scotland. It's a long way north - the coastline around Fraserburgh is further north than Newfoundland - but it's mostly lowland, fertile and productive, having more in common with the central belt of Scotland than with the Highlands. To the west however are the Grampian Mountains, with the scenic River Dee flowing out. Time was, if you were wealthy and needed a comfortable base to collect your farm rents while impressing the salons of London with your credentials as a Clan Chieftain and then what you needed was a historic castle in Aberdeenshire. And there are lots and lots of them. ==Towns and villages== Aberdeenshire map - Map of Aberdeenshire GPS 57.296|-2.587|zoom=8

Aberdeen GPS 57.1526,-2.11 is the only city, built of grey granite. Its most interesting areas are around Union Street and "Old Aberdeen" a couple of miles north. Lots of museums, galleries and visitor facilities and it's the transport focus for the county. Westhill GPS 57.154,-2.284 is a small commuter town just west. The county's red sandstone reaches the coast in a line of cliffs, interspersed with small fishing ports, where whaling and herring fishing were once major industries:
Stonehaven GPS 56.964,-2.211 15 miles south of Aberdeen has the clifftop ruins of Dunnottar Castle.
Then comes Aberdeen itself. Continuing north, find
Ellon GPS 57.366,-2.086, Cruden Bay, Peterhead GPS 57.5091,-1.7832 and Fraserburgh GPS 57.693,-2.005}}. Here the coastline turns west along the Moray Firth.
Gardenstown GPS 57.666,-2.333 has red sandstone cliffs, rows of prettily-painted traditional fishermen's cottages and a beach. It's one of the most attractive villages in Scotland.
Banff (Scotland) | Banff GPS 57.667,-2.524, with neighbouring Macduff, has Banff Castle and Adam-designed Duff House.
Portsoy GPS 57.683,-2.688 has a impeccably maintained old harbour and the ruins of Findlater Castle. The A96 crosses the top of the county between Aberdeen and Elgin, through gently rolling countryside and farmland. Small places in this triangle include:
Inverurie GPS 57.28,-2.38 and Oldmeldrum GPS 57.335,-2.32 are commuter towns for Aberdeen. East, towards Ellon and Methlick, is Tolquhon Castle, while to the north is Fyvie Castle.
Methlick GPS 57.425,-2.24 has grand Haddo House and what's left of Gight Castle, Byron's ancestral home.
Huntly (Scotland) | Huntly GPS 57.446,-2.788 has the ruins of Huntly castle. The River Dee runs out of the Grampian Mountains along a scenic valley, accessed by A93.
Near Banchory GPS 57.055,-2.49 are Drum Castle and Crathes Castle. To the north is Lumphanan, where Macbeth (the real one) made his last stand and beyond that is Craigevar Castle.
The mountains west of here are part of Cairngorms National Park. Above Ballater GPS 57.0448,-3.04942 is Queen Victoria's rural retreat, Balmoral Castle.
At Braemar GPS 57.006,-3.399 a lane continues up the valley to scenic Linn of Dee. The primary street climbs south over the bleak moor towards Glenshee ski area then Perth.

Travel to Aberdeenshire

Aberdeen is the transport hub for the county, with good air, rail and road connections. In January 2022 the A90 was re-routed away from Aberdeen, with the opening of the "Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road" to relieve the congested A92. Expect glitches in road signage and Satnav directions for a few months yet. For the north end of the county along the Moray Firth, another approach is via Inverness and Elgin.

Getting around

Bus operators in the area include Bain's coaches, 3 Deveron coaches, WM Nicoll and Stagecoach. Scheme to hop on and off multiple buses is available with the Grasshopper pass.

Sightseeing Tips

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Estates, Ballater AB35 5T 57.039722,-3.231389 off A93 midway between Ballater and Braemar Opening Hours: April-July daily 10:00-17:00, occasional guided tours in winter. Adult £11.50 Balmoral Castle - Balmoral Castle Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, bought this land and built a grandiloquent pile of a castle and the prototype of the "Scottish Baronial" style, all mock-turrets and stags heads looming over the stairways. Completed in 1856, it remains the Royal Family's summer holiday home. You can only visit one room within the castle and the ballroom, plus an exhibition in the stables and the gardens. The queen is resident in Aug & Sept, so there is no access then. See website for dates of guided tours in winter.

What to do as a Muslim in Aberdeenshire

Walk the

Cateran Trail Cateran Trail Stile on Cateran Trail - - 246951 kilometers 103 circular hiking route.Ski at Glenshee or Lecht. With a longer drive you can also reach Aviemore / Cairngorm in Highland Region. (Note thit is closed in 2018/19, making other ski resorts even more congested.)
Glenshee Ski Centre Cairnwell, Braemar AB35 5XU 56.88680,-3.41569 Top of Cairnwell Pass on A93, 10 miles south of Braemar ☎ +44 13397 41320 The main ski area is west of the road, in the shaded bowl between the mountains of Cairnwell and Càrn Aosda; east of the road is "Sunnyside", lower and with less snow cover. It gets very congested at weekends and in school holidays.
Lecht 2090 Strathdon AB36 8YP 57.20106,-3.24798 on A939 between Ballater / Strathdon and Tomintoul ☎ +44 1975 651440 "2090" means in feet, it's only 645 metres altitude at base, with the hills above rising to 775 meters. So do the maths, it's a beginners' and family-oriented resort. 12 lifts including a "magic carpet" for wobbly novices. Half a dozen short runs on the shady side west of the road, one even shorter run on the sunny east slope. Mountain bike trails here in summer.
Highland Gatherings and Games: each town or large village hosts at least one event during a summer weekend. Pipe bands, caber-tossing, field & track events and so on; often combined with Agricultural Shows. For instance Oldmeldrum Games are mid-June. Braemar's main games are on the first Saturday in September, with a junior version in mid-July. Aberlour Games are in early August.

Halal Restaurants Please be informed that on some destination such as Aberdeenshire we had no local Muslim that has researched some of the area. If you are a Muslim/Muslima and have been to Aberdeenshire or would like to maintain the eHalal Guide to Aberdeenshire, please contact us at guides@ehalal.io and email us your updates.

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Aberdeenshire Halal Travel Guide

South to Perth and Kinross or Angus

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