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

Whilst on my quarterly run I came across Allan Park…read more Maybe it was the lateness of the day, they grey skies or cold weather, but this park it pretty blah. There's a trail I started to walk down but stopped because it didn't look all that interesting. I've been told the area recently flooded the there is a staircase currently blocked off, so maybe it's blah for this reason. I'm not sure what it is, but this park doesn't seem all that popular with the locals.

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.

This place is fantastic for a sunny day out (if you're fortunate enough to catch one)…read more It's an unusual place to visit in that you have the combined attractions of forest walks with one of the longest beaches in Scotland (around 5 miles). There's also a large picnic table area which permits BBQ's, so you really could spend the whole day here. Access to the site is currently a very reasonable £2 per vehicle and there is plenty of parking as well as toilet facilities. If you've not been before, I'd definitely recommend it for a relaxing day trip!

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.

we spent a whole day in craigtoun and really enjoyed it. it…read morewas £5 each to enter, but once you are inside everything else is free. we went on the boating lake twice, the second time the queues where pretty big, played putting golf, played crazy golf, went on the miniture train, played a few games of bowls and walked round some lovely gardens. the little ones went on the trampolines, bouncy castles and the play equiptment. we took a picnic although there was a cafe we only bought ice creams. there are toilets available also. we had a really enjoyable day and would recommend it to anyone. we found there to be one thing missing, a place that size could easill accomadte a maze, but thats personal opinion. really great place to vistit

From the owner: Craigtoun Country Park is a great-value family day out, just outside St Andrews. The park is open…read moreall year round with free entry, free parking and many free facilities. From Easter to October we run a selection of supervised, paid attractions. Seasonal Paid Attractions The Craigtoun Amenities will run from Saturday 28th March 2020 as follows: Monday - Sunday: 1030 - 1600 hrs (till 1730 hrs: 29th June - 23rd August) Saturday 28th March - Sunday 19th April: Open Daily Saturday 25th April - Sunday 24th May: Weekends Only Mon 4th, Fri 8th, Thu 21st, Fri 22nd & Mon 25th May: Special Holiday Openings Saturday 30th May - Sunday 23rd August: Open Daily Saturday 29th August - Sunday 27th September: Weekends Only Saturday 3rd - Sunday 25th October: Open Daily Ticket Prices Individual ride ticket (under 3s free) - £1.70 Buy 10 tickets, get 1 free - £17.00 Day Band Individual (under 3s free) - £8.50 Day Band for a Group of Three - £24.00 Day Band for a Group of Four - £28.00 Day Band for an Additional Group Member - £5.00 Season Pass Individual (under 3s free) - £32.00 Season Pass for a Group of Three - £80.00 Season Pass for a Group of Four - £90.00 Season Pass for an Additional Group Member - £25.00 The Craigtoun Café Wednesday 25th March - Sunday 25th October: Open Daily, 1000 - 1700 hrs (hot food till 1600 hrs) Off Season: Wednesday - Sunday, 1000 - 1600 hrs (hot food till 1500 hrs)

Very nice playground for kids of toddler to primary school ages. Flying fox, swings, bridges, and…read morelots more. Accessible via safe walkway along train tracks.

This is 'the' place to hang out for dog walkers and young folks when the sun is out. A quick look…read morearound will make it clear there are a lot of dogs and students in this area. The park is only small but that just means you'll bump into more people you'll know.

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.

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!