Aberdeen is not just a city by the sea, it is a city of the sea. A city where ships dock right up against the city-centre streets. Where urban dolphins leap at the harbour mouth. Where locals paddle-board and surf off the city beach. And golden sands stretch for miles – towards vast dunes to the north and high cliffs to the south. It is a city of rivers too, where the Dee and the Don meet the sea, bringing crystal clear waters from the Cairngorm mountains.
This is a city with not one but two Old Towns: Old Aberdeen, with its cobbled streets, mature trees and 15th century fortified cathedral – where Aberdeen’s first University was founded in 1495. On the Old Aberdeen campus, we plan to host the Visual Science of Art Conference (VSAC, 22nd-24th of August), as well as the Tutorials on Sunday 25th of August.
And then there’s Footdee – known locally as Fittie – a quirky fishing quarter at the water’s edge, with squares of tiny cottages, flower-filled gardens and brightly painted outhouses, their eccentric decorations drawing on the city’s seafaring soul.
A nice way to explore the city is to visit some of its famous Street Art pieces. Since 2017, the annual Nuart festival in Aberdeen has attracted tens of thousands of visitors and locals and is providing a lasting legacy alongside new and inspiring pieces of art throughout the city centre. View all the current Nuart pieces on the digital map here.
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is the area around Aberdeen city. It stretches from the Banffshire coast in the north all the way around to St Cyrus National Nature Reserve in the east, featuring beautiful coastlines, pretty seaside towns, rugged cliffs and sandy bays. It also has some incredible mountains and farmland as it runs towards the Cairngorms National Park.
With over 260 castles, stately homes and ruins, Aberdeenshire is known as ‘Scotland’s Castle Country.’ It has more castles per acre than anywhere else in the UK, and you can discover 19 of the most famous and dramatic castles in Aberdeenshire. Did you know that the British Royal Family have their summer holiday home, Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire? Come find out why they love spending the sunnier months in the North-east of Scotland!
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is no stranger to a visit from the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon which many regard as the ‘Holy Grail of skywatching‘, where the sky turns shades of green and blue as waves of light dance above us. The magnificent light show is caused by the Sun hurling energised particles into Earth’s upper atmosphere at speeds up to 45 million mph, where Earth’s magnetic field redirects the particles towards the North Pole creating this mesmerising atmosphere. Although an aurora borealis is best viewed in areas where there is low light pollution, it is not impossible for them to be seen over Aberdeen.
