Pitmedden Garden

Poetry in pastel flowers, a haiku in hedge parterre, bright sunflower stanzas, lush lavender lyrics. Pitmedden Garden stuns with loud colour and silent symmetry. The Scottish Renaissance garden dates from the 17th century, originally founded by Sir Alexander Seton. Box hedge parterres deliver a poem of pristine pattern, and include 30,000 annual bedding plants. An […]

Better Read Books

From fantasy to folklore, discover a world of magic and mystery. A store of stories and spells, a book lover’s paradise. Better Read Books in Ellon, Aberdeenshire has something for all tastes and all ages. Choose a magnificent bag to take home your new treasures. Let yourself be transported in to a magic mirror world. […]

The Big Hop Trail 2023

This summer a tantalising trail of hare sculptures hops through Aberdeenshire (reaching as far North as Orkney and Shetland), each with its own unique, unusual or uplifting design. The Big Hop Trail 2023 is a celebration of 40 years of Clan Cancer Support, and in September the 40 hares will be auctioned to raise funds […]

Murly Tuck Café

The Murly Tuck Café in Tarves (near Ellon, Aberdeenshire) offers breakfast, light lunches and a mouth-watering medley of cakes: sugar coated dreams that melt tantalisingly on your tongue. A delightful café, its décor lights sunshine in your heart, while the happy buzz of careless chatter is soft music for the soul. An assorted array of […]

Crystal Cave

Ellon is a delightful riverside town in Buchan, read our full review here Within its busy shopping centre, there hides a gateway to another world, a planet of peace, a cosmos of magical crystal. Jules Healing Gems is more than just a crystal shop. It is a sunrise in stone, it is rainbows in rock, […]

Ballater

Ballater is a picturesque village in Aberdeenshire, on the edge of the Cairngorm Mountains and at the heart of Royal Deeside. Nearby is the Royal Family’s residence, Balmoral Castle. Queen Victoria famously wrote of the Deeside area: “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace”. Ballater is a ballad in brick. Walk down a street of […]

Books n beans

Aberdeen’s Belmont Street is home to one of the best independent bookshop / cafes in the city – the aptly named Books n Beans. A haven for booklovers, a heaven for coffee fans. Browse an impressive array of second hand books in all genres: there really is something for everyone, from crime to classics, history […]

Fyvie fairytale

A visit to the impressive and intriguing Fyvie Castle (castle open during spring and summer; grounds open all year) is not complete without a walk round its tranquil lake, a stunning scene of natural beauty. In winter, the lake is fierce but serene, with frozen ice punctuating its smooth waters like a living image stuck […]

Aden Country Park

Aden Country Park, near Mintlaw in central Buchan, offers a variety of charming riverside or woodland walks. Mature trees tower above like nature’s guardians. Paths wind through the trees, over bridges and by a chorus of blushing bluebells. The River Ugie glides through the park like a sparkling jewel, singing its lullaby of peace. The […]

New Aberdour Beach

Rocky hills point to the horizon, like the hands of a giant. The sea whispers as it strokes the shore, the song of a sea serpent. At New Aberdour Beach nature defies civilisation. You could believe you were anywhere, anytime, were it not for the cars in the parking area. Look towards the sea, and […]