Tourist attractions Stonehaven

The lifetime work of Sir James and Lady Burnett, these gardens combine a wide variety of forms, colours and scents. Yew hedges dating from 1702 separate the predominantly red and yellow Pool Garden from the two formal French gardens, the Fountain (sh..

Legend has it that St Ninian founded a Christian community here in the 5C, which is why Sir William Keith was excommunicated for having built this 14C castle here. The vast ruins of Dunnottar stand on a headland that is virtually inaccessible with ..

The Valley of the River Dee, known as Deeside , extends deep into the Grampian Hills. Dotted with castles such as Drum and Crathes , it is home to a wide variety of sites including the architectural masterpiece of Craigievar , Aboyne Park , where..

A 16C fortified house, Crathes Castle is a striking example of traditional architecture which is enhanced by a series of delightful gardens. Admirable painted ceilings and particularly interesting early vernacular furniture can still be seen in some ..

Built around the harbour in the 17C, Stonehaven's harbour is now principally used by pleasure craft. It also serves as a base for the Stonehaven Maritime Rescue unit, part of the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology, which develops new maritime syst..

The author of the famous trilogy of novels, A Scots Quair, James Leslie Mitchell (1901-1935), whose pen name was Lewis Grassic Gibbon , was particularly influenced by the Mearns countryside around Arbuthnott where he spent his teenage years. His lif..

In the second half of the 18C, a local landowner, Robert Barclay of Ury, who had made his fortune in Jamaica, decided to build a new village north of the River Carron. The spacious square still has its clock tower and market place. No 9 Market Square..

Its long triangular shape goes back to the medieval period, as do the many passages and alleys in this district of well-to-do houses. The many houses with gables here led to the inhabitants of Montrose being known as gable endies , at the time when ..

This 18C building was enlarged in the 19C and has an elegant arcade facing the statue of Joseph Hume, politician and reformer.

At 67 m high, the 19C neo-gothic bell tower is a remarkable landmark. It was added to the 18C church by Gillespie Graham. The famous Panniter Panels in the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh come from the early church.

Drum Castle is very old and has a massive tower dating from the 13C, with walls that taper from 3.65m at the base to 1.82m near the parapet. External stairs lead up to the first floor, which contains three vaulted chambers with timber roofs. Ninety s..