Life in the Shire

Beyond the city, is rural Aberdeenshire, an area blessed with wonderful scenery and a broad range of activities for visitors.

Surrounded on two sides by 100 miles of unspoilt coastline and on the third by the 4,000-foot tops cairngorms, Aberdeenshire offers mountain and moor, salmon-stocked rivers, granite towns, magnificent castles and gardens, sturdy slate-roofed villages and local folk sure of their own unique culture - and all ready with a genuine welcome.

The area is renowned globally for:

Walking

The diversity of walking opportunities ensures there is something for every taste and ability, ranging from cliff top and beach walks to the Munros and Corbetts of the Cairngorms National Park.

A network of way-marked paths and the improvements to increase the accessibility of lowland and highland walks has encouraged more and more visitors to venture into the natural wilderness of the Cairngorms National Park, the largest of its kind in the UK.

Golf

Aberdeen City and Shire boasts more than 70 golf courses to delight and challenge golfing visitors. 1999 British Open Champion, Paul Lawrie, officially endorsed a dedicated Golf Tourism Marketing Campaign.

Food and Drink

The region is home to some of Scotland's world-renowned food and drink including Aberdeen Angus beef and whisky. It also has the largest white fish port in Europe, along with fertile and productive arable and grazing farmland producing high quality meat, cereals, vegetables and soft fruits.

Events

A celebration of cultural heritage takes place throughout the year including events attracting both tourists and locals with entertainment from galas and ceilidhs to world-renowned festivals and the spectacular Highland Games.