aberdeenshire city

In addition to the castle and whisky trails, Aberdeen and Grampian offer coastal, stone circle and victorian heritage trails.

Coastal Trail - The trail takes in over 165 miles of unspoilt coastline and will take the tourist on a stunning journey featuring some of the North East of Scotland’s most breathtaking sights. Starting at St Cyrus and following the coastline all the way to Findhorn, the trail visits some of the small coastal communities of the North East as well as craggy clifftops, secret coves, sandy beaches, secluded harbours and bays and a whole range of tourist attractions such as museums and visitor centres. For more information visit www.aberdeen-grampian.com

Stone Circle Trail - The North East of Scotland has an impressive history and heritage and this can be seen in the many stone circles, standing stones, Pictish ruins and centuries old cairns. Scotland’s colourful past is recorded in these amazing sites that have been linked to the Bronze age, Romans, Picts, Grampian’s early agriculture as well as showing ancient forts, burial grounds and religious buildings. Acting as a starting point for the Trail, the Archeolink is a multi-award winning visitor attraction that takes visitors on a journey from the Mesolithic age to the days of the Roman marches. Featuring indoor and outdoor activities, the Centre has something for everyone and is a great starting point for the Stone Circle Trail. For more information on the Archeolink visit www.archeolink.co.uk. For more information on the Stone Circle Trail visit www.aberdeen-grampian.com.

The Victorian Heritage Trail - The trail takes tourists on a grand tour of Queen Victoria’s favourite sights and locations and features a wide range of attractions that will leave the visitor with a lasting impression of the country and it’s rich history. Taking in two distilleries, the trail also offers impressive castles, ancient kirks, notable bridges and rivers, viewpoints, walks and numerous interesting towns and villages as well as the renowned Cairngorms National Park, where Scotland’s wildlife can be seen in their natural habitat. Whether visiting in the summer, winter or seasons in between, the trail will provide some of the most breathtaking sights and attractions Scotland has to offer.

THE GREEN TOURISM
The AECC is part Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). The scheme focuses on reducing the negative impact of business activities on the environment. The business areas covered are in compliance with legislation, management, communication to clients through website and staff through emails, energy efficiency and renewables, solid waste, improving public transport and promotion of walking and cycling, water efficiency and limiting pollution, purchasing of environmentally friendly and local goods and services and increasing biodiversity.

Why the AECC is a ‘Green Meeting’ Venue:
Events organised electronically as much as possible
Public transport easily accessible
Delegates given energy saving and recycling advice on arrival
Recycling facilities available
Most food and drink suppliers are local, cutting down on food miles
Eco-gifts are given to delegates
Low energy light bulbs with reflectors in all meeting rooms
Building Management System for effective heating throughout.



Wildlife @ the AECC

Birds such as oyster catchers, wood pigeons and pheasants have been spotted as well as animals like weasels and even roe deer. The grounds comprise of areas of landscaped planting as well as wild and overgrown areas towards the rear with species such as willow herb, buddleia and lavender (beneficial for pollen seeking invertebrates), thistles, foxgloves, clover, cow parsley and ivy. Ground covering plants are beneficial for foraging animalsNative trees planted include Alnus glutinosa (alder), Betula pendula (silver birch) and many more.

Local Biodiversity
Nearby Balmedie and Donmouth Nature Reserve are locations which demonstrate significant biodiversity. Balmedie is a beach and dune system north of the city of Aberdeen. The long and wide beach of clean golden sand is bordered by the 5th largest sand dune system in Britain which stretches 14 miles. The dunes are a substantial area of stable grassland where the principal vegetation is marram grass. They support a large array of wildlife and are regarded as a site of special scientific interest. The beach is sandy and over the years has won a number of awards including a seaside award in 2006 and 2007.
Donmouth Nature Reserve - Where the River Don meets the sea, beside the A92 a few kilometres north of the city centre, the estuary in the Donmouth LNR gives excellent scope for seeing waders, terns and seabirds. Sandwich, common and Arctic terns fish here in summer, with little and black tern also recorded. Skuas come by in late summer, which is also a good time to watch out for little stint and other passage waders.
Coastal Aberdeenshire has recorded more than 225 species of birds while the nearby Forvie nature reserve is home to the largest colony of eider ducks in the UK. Schools of dolphins and porpoises can often be spotted from the coast which is also home to seals.

CASTLE
Aberdeenshire is famous for it rich castle tradition and is known as Scotland’s castle capital with over 70 castles and castle sites in the region.

Scotland’s amazing history can be experienced through some of the world’s most unique castles and visitors are encouraged to take in some of the rugged ruins, colossal castles and haunted halls the North East has to offer.

Scotland’s only Castle Trail can also be found in Aberdeenshire and features over 12 of the most magical castles from the last millennium. The trail is approximately 150 miles long and reveals some of the country’s Norman and Renaissance heritage.

A number of the castles on the trail can be found just a short drive out of the city itself with Drum and Tolquhan Castles and Castles Fraser and Crathes all near Aberdeenshire.