In November 2021, I went on a trip with my friend to visit a friend of ours in Scotland, who currently studies at the University of Aberdeen. We were predominantly visiting to see her, but we also wanted to get out and see some of Scotland’s sights.
We decided to hire a car to make it easier to get around and because we wanted to visit a few places a little further away. I’ve compiled a list of my favourite places we visited, all either within Aberdeen or within driving distance for a day trip.
Old Aberdeen
The first place we visited was old Aberdeen, the medieval part of the city, which our friend told us is the main campus of the University of Aberdeen. It takes around half an hour to walk from the city centre and is full of narrow cobbled streets and historic buildings.
We walked through the streets, past King’s College and the other university buildings, before grabbing a coffee and heading towards the Cruickshank Botanic Garden. Although we didn’t stay long, the botanical gardens were beautiful and well worth a walk through.
Aberdeen seafront
Since I grew up living on the coast, I can never visit a coastal place without a walk along the seafront. We wandered down to the beach from the city centre for a brisk walk, before taking shelter in the amusement park, Codona’s, for a coffee. The amusement park houses a number of activities such as mini golf, bowling and laser tag. We decided we would visit again one day to take advantage of this!
Craigievar Castle
One of the most intriguing stops on our trip was our visit to Craigievar Castle, which lies 27 miles outside of Aberdeen (around a 50-minute drive). It is a pink castle which stands on a hillside tucked away in the Aberdeenshire countryside. It is said to be the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle.
The spot feels like you’ve stepped straight into a fairy tale and the castle was unlike anything I’ve seen before. It is positioned in the foothills of the Cairngorms National Park, which is where we were headed next.
Cairngorms National Park
Our next stop was the Cairngorms National Park, a vast, natural wonder with towns, villages and an abundance of walking trails. We stayed near the eastern side of the park, since we’d come from Aberdeen, and decided to take the trail up to Prince Albert’s Cairn, one of the Balmoral Cairns.
The Balmoral Cairns are 11 stone pyramids which were erected by Queen Victoria to commemorate the marriages of her children. Prince Albert’s Cairn was the biggest of the 11 pyramids, built as a memorial after his death. The Balmoral Cairns can be accessed from the car park near the Crathie Tourist Information Centre.
The trail up to Prince Albert’s Cairn is short but steep, be prepared for it to take you a couple of hours to walk there and back. The trail is mostly uphill, through beautiful woodland and you’ll pass Princess Beatrice’s Cairn on the way up. As you ascend to the top of the trail, you will see Prince Albert’s Cairn on the edge of a hillside, looking out across the magnificent Cairngorms. The view is stunning and well worth the hike! We treated ourselves to lunch in a small cafe nearby once we’d got back to our starting point.
Loch Ness
We felt like we couldn’t visit Scotland without visiting Loch Ness, so we decided to go for a day trip. The drive from Aberdeen takes around two and a half hours and was the furthest place we visited. Since it was lunchtime when we arrived, we made a pit stop at The Ness Deli in Drumnadrochit, a village on the edge of Loch Ness. I would very much recommend a visit, the food was delicious and the staff were so friendly.
Our next stop was to visit Urquhart Castle, a prominent castle that overlooks Loch Ness and has a rich history. The castle was invaded and overruled by many different groups throughout its history, before it was set on fire and left to ruins. The entry ticket into Urquhart Castle costs around £10 and includes a short video in a cinema room which explains the history of the castle, after which you are free to walk around the ruins. The view from the castle is extraordinary and we took advantage of the viewpoint to take most of our pictures of Loch Ness. We visited in the afternoon as the sun was starting to set, which provided beautiful views across the water.
Before we headed back to Aberdeen, we made a quick stop at Dores, a village right on the eastern shore of Loch Ness, that had been recommended to us by a lovely lady in Drumnadrochit. Here, you could walk right down to the edge of Loch Ness. Since the sun had nearly set at this point, we didn’t stay for long, but took a few pictures, before heading back to Aberdeen.
Overall, my trip to Scotland was extremely enjoyable. Not only did I get to visit my friend, but we also saw some of the most beautiful sights in Scotland. I can’t wait to visit again and discover even more of this beautiful country!