Oct 24th 2008 The Malt Whisky Trail
Aberdeen offers an explosion of stunning scenery from an ancient harbour on the eastern side to the spectacular Grampian Mountains in the west. With so much to see, it’s pretty much essential to get a rental car from Aberdeen Airport. Since it’s the 3rd largest city in Scotland, expect Aberdeen to have a diversity of attractions from theatre, cinema etc to old relics and endless shopping possibilities. The region of Aberdeen and the Grampian mountains is the home of that magnet for discerning drinkers everywhere, the Malt Whisky Trail. Provided that you have recovered from tasting the malts of eight distilleries, then it’s time to follow the Castle Trail amidst the breathtaking views of this majestic region. You will find a huge range of activities including golf, fishing, whisky tasting, skiing and loads more on offer here in this picturesque region of Scotland.
Don’t be surprised to find some form of celebration or gala to be taking place while in Aberdeen. Visitors and locals often get together to celebrate the area’s past with traditional entertainment and events such as the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games. Otherwise known as the “Friendly Games” the event are held annually on the fourth Saturday in 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 festival is one of last remnants of an east coast fire festival traditionally held to welcome in the New Year.There are a great selection of comfortable Aberdeen hotels
The new part of Aberdeen known as the “Granite City” offers superb granite buildings and endless supplies of the finest restaurants, top class shopping and a very lively ‘what’s on’ listing whatever time of the year you arrive. Coincidentally, if Aberdeen has so many attractions, why are its own people recognised as internationally well travelled? Why would anyone ever want to leave this marvellous place? They say that you never to appreciate what is already yours but the truth is that Aberdonians can look more forward to coming home more than the rest of us. Who could blame them? They have everything! A generally cool and dry climate, sandy beaches, the Lemon Tree (Aberdeen’s own long-running Festival Fringe), pretty streets, warm friendly people, fishing villages worthy of a place on a postcard and Union Street where you find a whole host of shops, as well as 3 shopping precincts!
Aberdeen is famous as the “City of Roses” with good reason. A popular attraction and landmark in this area is that of Duthie Park’s Rose Hill with in excess of 12,000 different captivating colours and types of Rose.
The Old Town district of Aberdeen has a nostalgic 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 places of interest within a few hundred yards of one another. Don’t miss a chance to visit Aberdeen University’s ancient King’s College with its 15th century chapel and fixtures.
While in Aberdeen a lot of visitors explore the relationship between the city and North Sea. For a number of years North Sea oil reserves have played a huge part in the growth and prosperity as well as devastating losses of life in the area. Visitors can see the Piper Alpha Memorial, a rose garden found in Hazelhead Park dedicated to the loss of 167 North Sea oil workers lost in the 1988 tragedy. If you would like to find out more about oil exploration in the North Sea, the 5 Star Maritime Museum found on the Shiprow, offers 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 region of Aberdeen and the Grampians appears very compact. This is far from the truth. In actual fact, there is a vast acreage of ground to explore with plenty of attractions awaiting you at every corner and much will be missed if limited to public transport. Cycling out in the Aberdonian countryside 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 wonderful way to explore beautiful landscapes “off the beaten track”.
The Grampian Highlands
Walking is possibly the foremost activity of the Grampians with vast areas to explore and unspoilt terrains which can only be found when travelling on foot. Hikers can enjoy a diverse landscape challenge from the wild coastline to the high altitudes of the Grampian and Cairngorm mountains. If an active outdoor pursuits holiday is called for the Grampians area of Scotland will be the ideal solution! The offerings are wide and varied from gliding to water sports and cycling to horse riding. Off road driving is also on offer as well as walking Scotland’s official Long Distance footpaths.
Head to Balmoral and in an instant you’ll see why Queen Victoria memorably called this magical estate her “Paradise”. Built as a holiday destination for the British Royal Family, the estate is today enjoyed by many (non-royal) visitors for its renowned sporting activities such as game fishing in the River Dee and road races across the Royal estate.
Across at the coast there are some brilliant facilities for water sports. A popular event is that of the annual yacht race to Stavanger and back. Peterhead’s marina is very popular with visiting yachtsmen whilst zealots of the fine art of sailing head to Findhorn on the Moray Firth.
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