Aberdeen & The Grampians - A Guide

Aberdeen offers an explosion of amazing scenery from an unspoilt waterfront on the east side to the awesome Grampian Mountains in the west. Being one of the largest cities in Scotland, expect it to have a huge range of cosmopolitan attractions from the arts to sites of historical interest and a wonderful selection of shops. The region of Aberdeen and the Grampians is responsible for the infamous Malt Whisky Trail. Once you have recovered from sampling the wares of eight local distilleries, there is the Castle Trail to explore amidst the region's most memorable of views. There is fishing, whisky tasting, golf, skiing and much more available here in Aberdeen and the Grampians.

You can look forward to some form of festival to be happening while in Aberdeen. Tourists and locals often get together to remember the history of the region with long established spectacles such as the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games, known locally as the “Friendly Games”. They are held annually on the 4th Saturday in August at Strathdon, just a short drive from the city of Aberdeen. Other events to check out when visiting the city include the Braemar Telemark Festival (March), Tartan Day, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (April-May), the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival (June), the Aberdeen Jazz Festival (March), The Wickerman, The Wickerman and the Stonehaven Fireball Festival. The Stonehaven event is one of the last remaining of an east coast fire festival traditionally held to celebrate the New Year.

The new town of “Granite City”, Aberdeen has magnificent granite buildings and a great cross-section of excellent restaurants, the best shops and a very lively ‘what’s on’ listing available to all visitors. In fact, if Aberdeen has so much to offer, why is its own population considered internationally well travelled Why would they want to ever leave this marvellous city They say you never seem to appreciate what is beneath your nose but the truth is that Aberdonians just look more forward than most to returning home. Who would blame them The city has everything! A generally cool and dry climate, sandy beaches, the Lemon Tree (Aberdeen's own perpetual Festival Fringe), pretty streets, welcoming local inhabitants, historic fishing villages and Union Street (where you find an awful lot of shops), as well as 3 shopping malls!

Aberdeen has been nicknamed the "City of Roses" with good reason. A popular landmark and attraction in these parts is the Rose Hill at Duthie Park with over 12,000 different varieties of Rose.

The Old Town section of Aberdeen has a wonderful historic feeling about it. The area known as Old Aberdeen is a preserved site, which was once an individual burgh. Here you will find its cobbled high street with Aberdeen Art Gallery,Provost Ross's House,the harbour and a number of other attractions within close proximity:a few miles of one another. Don't miss an opportunity to look around Aberdeen University’s wonderful King's College with its fifteenth century chapel and fixtures.

During their visit to Aberdeen many visitors explore the relationship between the city and the hostile North Sea. For a number of years North Sea oil reserves have played a massive part in the growth and prosperity as well as devastating losses of the region. Visitors can visit the Piper Alpha Memorial, a beautiful rose garden situated in Hazelhead Park dedicated to the memory of the one hundred and sixty seven oil workers lost to the ocean in the tragedy in 1988. The Maritime Museum on the Shiprow has a number of fascinating exhibits illustrating the synergy between the City of Aberdeen and the fishing and oil industries associated with the city.

Looking at a map, the region around Aberdeen and the Grampian Mountains appears very compact. This is quite misleading. In reality there is a vast swathe of territory to cover, with generous servings of attractions at every corner and much to miss if limited to public transport. Cycling in this wonderfully scenic area is amazing but it's a hilly area and it's definitely an activity only recommended for the young and agile amongst us. For the remainder, the use of four wheels rather than two has many attractions as a way to see the wonderful sights and countryside in this beautiful part of the world.