Aberdeenshire

Aberdeen glitters like no other city in Britain. Built from silver granite that sparkles in the sunlight, Scotland's third-largest city combines centuries of maritime history with a cosmopolitan energy shaped by its role as Europe's oil capital. The medieval Old Aberdeen clusters around St Machar's Cathedral and King's College, while the harbour still bustles with fishing boats landing the day's catch. Pristine sandy beaches stretch north from the city centre, and the local food scene, from fresh seafood to Aberdeen Angus beef, rivals anywhere in Scotland.

Aberdeenshire beyond the city is castle country like nowhere else. Over 300 castles, tower houses, and ruins dot the landscape. More per acre than anywhere in the UK! The Castle Trail links fairy-tale Craigievar with its pink-harled turrets, the dramatic clifftop ruins of Dunnottar where Scotland's crown jewels were hidden from Cromwell, and magnificent Fyvie with its 800 years of history. Royal Deeside, where the River Dee winds through ancient Caledonian pinewoods to Balmoral, has drawn monarchs since Queen Victoria's time.

The coastline here is among Scotland's most spectacular and least discovered. Fishing villages like Pennan and Crovie cling impossibly to cliff bases, while seabird colonies throng the RSPB reserve at Fowlsheugh. Inland, whisky country begins at the region's western edge, and the Cairngorms National Park is within easy reach. This is a Scotland of substance: grand, handsome, and quietly confident in its own considerable charms.