|
Coordinates: 57°04'36?N 2°46'46?W? / ?57.076617, -2.779493
Aboyne (Scottish Gaelic: Abèidh) is a village on the edge of the Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, approximately 30 miles (48km) west of Aberdeen. It has a rugby club which plays on The Green. It also has a swimming pool, a golf course with 18 holes, all-weather tennis courts, and a bowling green. Aboyne Castle and the Loch of Aboyne are nearby.
Aboyne as seen from the "Fungle" footpath.
Aboyne has a population of over 2,200 people. It has many businesses, including a supermarket (Co-op)[1], two banks, several hairdressers, a butchers, a newsagent, an Indian restaurant, another restaurant called the Candlestick Makers and a post office. Originally, there was a railway running through the village, but it was closed on 18th June, 1966. The station now contains some shops and the tunnel running under the village is now home to a firearms club. The market-day in Aboyne was known as Fèill Mhìcheill (Scottish Gaelic for "Michael's Fair").
[edit] History
The locale was inhabited since very early times with the west wing of Aboyne Castle dated to 1671 AD.[2] The siting of the castle itself is related to the limited number of the crossings of the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains to the south.[3]
[edit] Tourism and culture
With respect to tourism, in the summer the number of people and volume of vehicular traffic increases dramatically. The Highland Games on the Village Green is a feature in August, with the population of the village doubling for it. However, Aboyne is unusual in having The Green on which events are held, as the village was modelled by one of the first Marquesses of Huntly (inhabitants of Aboyne Castle) on a traditional English village with a green at the centre. Few Scottish towns have such an asset. The British royal family is resident in nearby Balmoral Castle during the summer.
There are many outdoor pursuits available including walking, cycling, and, most notably, gliding from the airfield just outside the village. Aboyne has become extremely popular with gliding enthusiasts from all over the UK and Europe due to its uniquely suitable air currents (due to the surrounding terrain). The airfield has a webcam [4] and small weather monitoring centre[5] on its premises. It is the only gliding airfield in Scotland to boast tarmac runway, of which it has two in parallel which run east-west.
The pass of Ballater is a popular rock climbing area, and indeed the village of Dinnet a few miles west is the first being located inside the famous Cairngorms National Park. Walkers and cyclists can ascend Mount Keen by cycling as far as they can from Glen Tanar forest, before walking to the summit of Mount Keen.
There are also many more leisurely activities, such as sitting at local cafes and viewing various attractions. Aboyne is also a good place for younger children, as there is a large green which includes facilities for rugby and football, as well as accommodating a play park.
There are two schools, an academy and a primary school. The academy has around 650 pupils, about a third from Aboyne itself, with the remaining two thirds from surrounding villages. The school has access to a full size swimming pool and gym, run by the Deeside Community Centre, which is attached to the school.
[edit] References
- , Aboyne location map
- , John Mackintosh, History of the Valley of the Dee, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day
- , C. Michael Hogan, Elsick Mounth, Megalithic Portal, ed A. Burnham, 2007
- , Aboyne Airfield Webcam
- , Aboyne meteorological data
[edit] External links
[edit] In the News
|
Settlements and Places of Interest in Marr, Scotland |
|
| Primary Settlements |
|
 |
|
| Other Settlements |
|
|
| Places of Interest |
|
|
(Source: Wikipedia) |