Beautiful large park with surrounding woodlands with lovely walks. The park has big old trees,…read morerhododendrons, rose gardens, sculptures, a maze, tea room, refreshment stand, large kids play areas, golf courses, crazy golf. Easy to get to by bus, Stagecoach buses to from Aberdeen and Westhill drop you off at entrance to the park. Also has the Piper Alpha memorial rose garden.

great park lovely when the rhodedendrons are out…read more loads to do and a brill childrens play area, plus childrens zoo loads of space

Mother's day and a bit dreich. the Family had booked a 1pm "afternoon tea" at the Duthie Park…read moreCafe. An excellent spread with helpful staff. and in the overflow, so plenty of elbow room - though we did need to keep our coats on - no problem. We have had lunches there before, & been well served. The Winter Garden is a Jewel for the city with a lovely display all year round. At Hogmanay, we met a French journalist, doing tourist info, who specially liked it. The kids (2& 5) liked the whole experience and especially the talking cactus, and stamping the special medal for £1.01ea. The whole afternoon - good value. We left a generous donation as we had spent a lovely afternoon and have some cakes home with us for tomorrow. PS The cream for the excellent scones was proper whipped cream!

Ahh, sunny days in Aberdeen at Duthie Park. One of the best…read morethings about living in Scotland was how much people appreciated the sun. It's out less, so when it is people go crazy. Shirts off (even though it's still pretty chilly), picnics, dog walks, everyone shows up in Duthie Park for an ice cream. Glorious. Some seriously fond memories of Sunday afternoons spent with friends in Duthie Park. There's a huge amount of nicely trimmed grass for sitting or kicking a football around or throwing a frisbee. There's great paved paths for walking your dog or letting your kid ride their bike. There's also multiple play areas for children and some of them are really awesome. Notably the playground with a zip line (how fancy!--disclosure: I would wait around and try to get a go when kids weren't on it) and a roundabout (you never see those in playgrounds anymore!) and some pretty tall slides. There is a greenhouse garden full of exotic plants and loads of cacti that you can check out for free, which is a fun activity on a colder day. And there is an ice cream shop in that same area, which is of course great for those cherished warm, sunny summer days in Scotland. Overall Duthie Park is a very well-rounded area, with plenty of green space and a great place to spend some time with the whole family. I love going back when I'm back visiting Aberdeen.

In the east of the city, this is a pleasant walkway which follows the long beach. A great place to…read moretake a stroll, though can be quite windy and cold at certain times of the year! The North Esplanade leads to Duthie Park (with its beautiful roses, fountains and statues) and the Winter Gardens on the banks of the River Dee. Also on the Esplanade is the famous Beach Ballroom where there are many exhibitions and concerts.

Really pretty beach, if you take a walk to the end, you come across a tiny fishing-style village…read moreand the harbour, where we witnessed a few porpoise having a leisurely swim. The only down side is the less than Mediterranean weather, but then if you're going to Aberdeen for the weather, you're going to the wrong place! A day on the beach is a day well spent in Aberdeen.

Beautiful tucked away not so secret garden in the midst of all the hustle and bustle that makes you…read morefeel as if your secluded away your own little secret garden. This would be a gorgeous spot to spend a little time enjoying a bit of rare sunshine with a picnic and a special loved one or to just sit on a bench with a book and a cup of tea. Lots of benches so it's easy to find your own little semiprivate nook to watch the world go by and the ducks float past.

Huntly Castle ranked as my number one family site to visit as part of my heritage travel trip to…read moreScotland in July 2019 and it did not disappoint. The castle, now of the Gordon Clan same as my Grandma Rosemary Gordon who died in February 2023, is located inland from the Eastern coast of Scotland in the town of Huntly. I arrived at the castle a little before 4:00 p.m. on Monday 8 July 2019 and spent over an hour exploring. Parking was available in a lot past the building where I paid the entrance fee and bought a copy of the official souvenir guide to the castle. The castle is part of the Historic Scotland network of sites. Since Huntly Castle was the only site in the network on my list for my trip I opted for the just-Huntly Castle fee, a Historic Scotland pass was also available for purchase here. The entrance fee goes towards the preservation of the castle and lands. Per the informational placards on the grounds of the castle (Tower House placard specifically), the first stone castle at this site was built in the early 1500s by the Gordon Clan, of which foundations remain intact. Each of the areas of the castle came with informational placards providing background about the utility of the room in the past and how it wove into a broader Scotland context. Navigating through the premises was straightforward and the different rooms and hallways did not get clogged even when there were more visitors in a given area. The weather on my visit was clear and sunny, which made exploring the outdoor parts less cumbersome than if it had been rainy. All around thoroughly enjoyed my experience.

We visited here on a grey and a bit rainy day. Not many visitors on that day. Surprising, because…read morethis is a wonderful castle to visit. The earls of Fife built the original castle, the Peel of Strathbogie, around 1190, to guard the crossing-point where the rivers Bogie and Deveron meet. It became a stronghold in the 1300s. The stately palace, begun about 1450 by the newly ennobled Earl of Huntly, is one of Scotland's most impressive late medieval buildings. A lot of the castle is still standing today. In the back of the castle there is a lot more to explore (like the old kitchens). A lot of rooms to visit and lots of ruins to see. A very exciting place to explore and lots to learn about its history. A lot of information is provided everywhere. We did stay here a lot longer than expected. You also can climb up to a certain point. And don't miss out on the prison (and its two mannequin-prisoners that look quite life-like from a distance). Staff in the visitors centre was friendly and helpful. Some good souvenirs can be found here as well. And our Bulldog was also welcome on the grounds. Parking was right next to the castle - for visitors only of course. Since we are members, the entrance was free. A fantastic visit. Surely not to be missed and worth a (longer) drive. Highly recommended!

Some things are just better seen in person…read more This place was a real treat. For people who aren't in the best of shape like I was, just know that yes there is a lot of steps. But if you are fan of things Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, etc. just know the hike is worth it. I'm more of an Elden Ring fan myself more than anything so the fact that we were here when we had overcast weather definitely added to the experience. There's descriptions in particular rooms that tell you what the room was originally used for. So it's nice reading those and taking a minute to close your eyes after taking a picture of the room and just imagining the hustle and bustle happening in these walls. There is a parking lot to park but it does look somewhat limited. We got here right when it opened to avoid any issues with that so just keep that in mind. If you need a snack beforehand there is also a food truck right before you make the small trek to the stairs. You can't however eat once inside I believe. But man, I had the biggest grin when I was munching on my fries and slowly hiking up to this castle. Dunnottar Castle for any trip imo.

My mom and I went on a trip to Scotland and Ireland last month and this was our favorite castle…read morethat we saw. (And of course, it was also one of the first ones that we saw, lol.) It is just so beautiful. The ruins are still intact, they didn't rebuild to make it look like it was back in the day. They give you a map that is extremely helpful and there are information plaques everywhere. The walk to the castle is so great too, with the ocean all around you; but it can be a bit steep at times. All in all, this was a picturesque castle that you NEED to see when you go to Scotland.

If you ever find yourself in Montrose (and i hope you do) you should set aside a day to spend at…read morethe beach. Not only have you got some of the best sand dune networks to be found in Britain but you've also got the Sea Front Splash. This is a great place to occupy the kids, there are three seperate parts to the park making it suitable for all ages of kids and the parts for the younger ones are tastefully fenced off. The main park has several water play areas, which contain not only the usual splash pools but have a dam section and Archimedes screws. For the older kids (me included) there's a mini assault course, mini golf and trampolines. I should mention that the park is local authority run and mantained. Now i know most people at this point are thinking grafitti, broken seats and rubbish, but no. This place is well looked after and mantained. From the landscaping to the freshly painted pavillion. The entire park is person friendly, the ground is white sand to a depth of about 2 feet so sand castles are a must! There's plenty of parking and also disabled access. The toilets are 20 pence to use (free for the kids) and very clean. There is a small cafe and ice cream stand for the hungry but i recommend the packed lunch option. This is a great place to relax whether with or without kids. On a sunny day the park is busy but there's always a place to sit and relax without being bothered. I've read several books while the kids play away safely and as it's open planned i can keep an eye out for them easily. Ooh, almost forgot: Dogs are welcome but on a lead and poo bins are a plenty, so PLEASE use them.

Great wee park and killed a few hours while the tide was in. Loads of stuff for the young ones to…read moreplay in, on and around!