The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is based in the bustling fishing port of Fraserburgh on the North East corner of Aberdeenshire. It’s all here; Kinnaird Head Lighthouse – the very first lighthouse on mainland Scotland (1787), Kinnaird Head Castle containing the lighthouse and the purpose-built museum alongside.
Museum of Scottish Lighthouses
The museum tells the great story of the Northern Lighthouse Board, the engineers who built the lights and the keepers who tended them.
It is a story of skill, courage, technical genius and brilliant organisation.
The Kinnaird Head Lighthouse and Museum at Historic Environment Scotland
Pitmedden Gardens is a National Trust Garden 14 miles north of Aberdeen.
“Pitmedden is a 17th-century walled garden on two levels. Original garden pavilions with ogival roofs look down on an elaborate spectacle of four rectangular boxwood parterres flanked by fine herbaceous borders and espalier-trained apple trees on south and west-facing granite walls. An avenue of yew obelisks runs from east to west and up to 30,000 bedding plants add to the wow factor of this immaculately kept formal garden.”
Scotland’s Gardens
“Cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. Brilliant 17th-century design and meticulous maintenance give Pitmedden Garden its unique charm. With almost 6 miles of clipped box hedging, colourful parterres, over 200 fruit trees, and the sweet scents of honeysuckle and jasmine, Pitmedden really is a delight for the senses.
VisitScotland
It’s hard to imagine a garden today being planted on such an extravagant scale. The heart of the property is the formal walled parterre garden. There are also extensive herbaceous borders with an abundance of colour and scent. Fountains, topiary, sundials and a fascinating herb garden add to the sense of discovery. The surrounding woods are a haven for birds and other wildlife.
Be amazed at over 30,000 annual bedding plants that make up the colourful designs, and explore the woodlands around the garden on the waymarked trail. The picnic area is an ideal spot to stop for lunch, and you can even enjoy a game of boules on our pétanque piste. The adjacent Museum of Farming Life boasts an extensive collection of domestic and agricultural artefacts.”
St Andrew’s Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, is a cathedral of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is the see of the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.
The original building was designed in the perpendicular Gothic style by the architect Archibald Simpson, one of the main architects of Edinburgh New Town, and is one of Simpson’s many commissions in the city. While three sides of the Cathedral were built out of the usual local granite, for which Aberdeen is famous, the facade of the structure, facing King Street, was built from sandstone.
Aberdeen Science Centre is a science museum in Aberdeen. It displays exhibits which are aimed mainly at younger children. It attracts primary school groups around the year and its exhibits are ‘hands on’ so that everything can be played with and examined. The centre is a registered non-profit organisation that is funded by the public and donations from local corporate sponsors.
“The Cruickshank Botanic Garden is situated in Old Aberdeen on the King’s College campus of the University of Aberdeen and is a partnership between the University and the Cruickshank Charitable Trust
The Garden exists to promote an appreciation of the beauty, diversity and importance of plants, and an understanding of their role in the natural world
This beautiful and peaceful 11 acre Garden offers year round interest to visitors. It has shrub borders, a rock and water garden, sunken garden, rose garden, herbaceous border and an arboretum, and houses a nationally important collection of over 2500 labelled plants.”
Cruickshank Botanic Garden website
