Aberdeen - The Granite City

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Aberdeen - The Granite City

September 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Aberdeen provides an explosion of stunning scenery from an old-world waterfront on the eastern side to the awesome Grampian Mountains in the west. With so so many sights to take in, it’s well worth the cost to get a rental car from Aberdeen Airport. Bearing in mind that it’s the third largest city in Scotland, expect Aberdeen to have a wide selection of cosmopolitan merits from theatre, cinema etc to sites of historical interest and endless shopping possibilities. This area of Aberdeen and the Grampians is the home of that mad drawer of crowds and alcohol lovers, the Malt Whisky Trail. If and when you have recovered from imbibing the world famous whiskies of eight distilleries, then it’s time to follow the Castle Trail amidst the region’s most stunning of views. You will find a whole host of activities such as fishing, golf, whisky tasting, skiing and lots more on offer here in Aberdeen and the Grampians.

Don’t be surprised to find some form of gala or celebration to be taking place during your trip to Aberdeen. Tourists and locals often meet to remember the area’s history with traditional entertainment and events like the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games. Locally known as the “Friendly Games” the event are held annually on the 4th Saturday of August at Strathdon in Aberdeenshire. Other events to check out when visiting Aberdeen include, the Braemar Telemark Festival  (March), the Aberdeen Jazz Festival (March), the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (April-May), the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival (June), Tartan Day, The Wickerman and the Stonehaven Fireball Festival. The Stonehaven event is one of last remnants of an east coast fire festival traditionally held to see in the New Year.You will find a huge selection of cheap Aberdeen hotels

The new town of “Granite City” Aberdeen offers wonderful granite buildings and a wonderful range of superb restaurants, top class shopping and a very lively social calendar whatever time of the year you arrive. In fact, if Aberdeen has so many attractions, why is its own population recognised as internationally well travelled? Why would they ever want to leave this marvellous city? They say that you never to appreciate what is already yours but the truth is that Aberdonians can look more forward to returning home more than the rest of us. Who would blame them? Everything is here! A pleasant climate, sandy beaches, the Lemon Tree (Aberdeen’s own long-running Festival Fringe), picturesque streets, warm friendly people, fishing villages worthy of a place on a postcard and Union Street where you find a plethora of shops, together with three shopping malls!

Aberdeen is famous as the “City of Roses” with very good reason. A popular attraction and landmark in these parts is that of Duthie Park’s Rose Hill with more than 12,000 different captivating varieties and assortments of Rose.

Aberdeen’s old town district has a historic air about it. The area known as Old Aberdeen is a preserved site, and was once a single burgh. Here you will encounter its cobbled high street with Aberdeen Art Gallery, Provost Ross’s House, the harbour and many other attractions within close proximity of one another. Don’t miss an opportunity to explore Aberdeen University’s ancient King’s College with its 15th century chapel and fixtures.

While visiting Aberdeen a lot of visitors are interested in the relationship between the city and North Sea. For a number of years North Sea oil reserves have fueled the growth and prosperity as well as devastating losses of life in the area. Visitors can pay their respects at the Piper Alpha Memorial, a rose garden found in Hazelhead Park dedicated to the memory of the 167 oil workers lost to the North Sea in the tragedy of 1988. For further information about oil exploration in the North Sea, the 5 Star Maritime Museum found on the Shiprow, provides exhibitions on the fascinating subject well as an in depth insight to earlier (but equally as dangerous) forms of fishing and shipping in the region.

Take a map and the area around Aberdeen and the Grampians seems to be very compact. This is deceiving.  In reality, there is a vast acreage of ground to explore with plenty of attractions at every corner and much to miss if limited to public transport. Cycling out in the countryside around Aberdeen is amazing and highly recommended for all able-bodied souls. For the rest of us,  swapping two wheels for four and exploring the glorious surrounding from behind the wheel of  a rental car from Aberdeen Airport has many attractions. For the fresh air lovers hiking is a great way to explore these amazing landscapes “off the beaten track”.

The Grampian Highlands

Walking is certainly the leading activity in the Grampians with so much to explore and virgin vistas which can only be found when travelling on foot. Walkers can experience a wide range of challenges from the exposed coast to the high altitudes of the Grampian and Cairngorm mountain ranges. If an active outdoor pursuits holiday is called for the Grampians area of Scotland will be the ideal solution! The offerings are generous from gliding to water sports and horse riding to cycling. Another exciting possibility is off-road driving as well as walking Scotland’s official Long Distance footpaths.

Take a drive to Balmoral and you will immediately realise why Queen Victoria fondly nicknamed this royal estate her “Paradise”. Designed as a holiday destination for the British Royal Family, the area is now enjoyed by many (non-royal) visitors for its world famous sporting activities such as salmon and trout fishing in the River Dee and cycle races across the Royal estate.

Over at the coast there are some brilliant facilities for water sports. A notable event is that of the annual yacht race to and from Stavanger in Norway. Peterhead’s marina is extremely popular with visiting yachtsmen whilst yachting enthusiasts head to Findhorn on the Moray Firth.

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