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The Arms of Aberdeenshire from
St Columba's, Pont Street, London
Aberdeenshire is in the
North East of Scotland, bordered by the North Sea to the North
and East, Inverness to the West with Kincardine, Forfar and
Perthshire to the South. The main towns are
Aberdeen,
Peterhead,
Fraserburgh,
Inverurie,
Stonehaven,
Westhill ,
Ellon and
Portlethen. It is mountainous and contains the famous Rivers,
the Don and the Dee which meet at Aberdeen, the Ythan and the
Deveron.
Mountains
The main mountains are:
Ben Macdhui 1,309 m
(4,296 ft), the second highest mountain in the Scotland
Braeriach 1,295 m (4,248 ft),
Cairn Toul 1,293 m (4241 ft),
Beinn a' Bhuird 1,196 m (3,924 ft),
Ben Avon 1,171 m (3,843 ft),
Lochnagar 1,154 m (3,786 ft)
Cairn Eas 1,084 m (3556 ft)
Sgarsoch 1,037 m (3,402 ft),
Culardoch 900 m (2,953 ft)
Hills
There are two intriguing
hills:
Tap o' Noth 563 m
(1,847 ft)
Bennachie:
Mither Tap 518 m (1,698 ft); Oxen Craig 528 m (1,732
ft)
Tap o' Noth
Both are surmounted by
Iron Age forts.
Battles
Harlaw Monument
Picts
The Maiden Stone
Aberdeenshire has a rich
history, and has an abundance of stone circles and
Pictish
stones. Bennachie has been suggested as the location for
the Roman/Pict battle of
Mons
Graupius as depicted at the
Archaeolink Prehistory Park at Oyne. Later
battles
included Harlaw in 1424 and Alford in 1645. Above all it is
Scotland's Castle County, with more than 100
Castles and Stately Homes.
Castles
Castle Fraser
It is well known for its
Highland Games, including Braemar, Aboyne and the Lonach
Gathering.
Highland Games
Aboyne Games
In terms of agriculture,
the main crops are oats and barley, and its
Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cattle have contributed to
Argentina's well known beef.
The Alford Bull
Its famous
grey granite
is exported worldwide.
Aberdeenshire is my
mother's homeland and the
family there is associated with the lands around
Bennachie.
Language
Doric is the dialect spoken in the North East, the broadest
version of which is the
Buchan Claik spoken around
The Broch
(Fraserburgh).
Robbie Shepherd writes a weekly column
"The Doric Column" in the
Press and Journal in Doric. (Doric
thought to be a reference to the complex Greek Dorian dialect
when it was popular to refer to Edinburgh as the Athens of the
North, Athens using "Attic" Greek).
Links
Aberdeenshire Council
Archaeolink Prehistory Park, Aberdeenshire Family Attraction,
Living History, Education, Events
Castles of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in Scotland
Clickable map of Aberdeenshire
The Lonach Gathering and the Lonach Society
The Aboyne Highland Games
The Braemar Gathering
The
Press & Journal
Tourist Information on Aberdeen and Grampian Highlands,
Scotland, UK - Aberdeen, Scotland's third city
The National Trust for Scotland - Scottish Castles & Gardens:
Aberdeenshire
Photographs © Iain Laird 2002-2014
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