Tag: Scotland
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Aboyne stone circle and Crathes Castle
Our first weekend of car ownership has been rather nice. We can be a bit more spontaneous. With the car club you need to plan in advance and book it. With our own car we can just decide on the spur of the moment to go out. Yesterday we had dinner with some friends in…
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The Highland road trip past Corgaff Castle
We’re back in Aberdeen and fast wifi again – yay! We loved our weekend away in Aviemore; our first trip away since Christmas last year when the whole of Scotland was put in lockdown that eventually lasted more than 4 months. I think lots of people had the same idea as we did because Aviemore…
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Through the blue door … River North Esk, Angus
About 50 minutes south of Aberdeen is an outstanding walk along the River North Esk. It starts at the Gannochy Bridge, an 18th-century vaulted arch bridge about a mile north from the village of Edzell. You can park in Edzell and walk from there or there’s parking beside the blue door itself and also around…
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This is why we don’t go to Hazlehead Park
It has been 6.5 years since we moved to Aberdeen and in all that time I’ve only visited Hazlehead Park once. This is because it’s very difficult to get to by bicycle. The single time I visited it was when a friend took me in her car some years ago. Today we had no choice…
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The Balmoral pyramid
Today is the first day we’ve been allowed to leave Aberdeen after almost 4 months of lockdown. It was Boxing Day 2020 when all of Scotland was put into lockdown. Nearly 4 months later restrictions are starting to lift and we’re allowed to leave the city for exercise and mental health but still cannot stay…
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Seal on the banks of the River Dee
On his walk yesterday Ben saw a seal on the banks of the River Dee and took these great photos and video. We sometimes see seals swimming in the Dee but this is the first time we’ve seen one sun-baking on the bank. This part of the river bank is quite busy with people walking…
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Cross-country skiing on Deeside Way
It snowed a bit more overnight last night and Aberdeen put on a brilliantly crisp and sunny day for us. Rather than going for my usual run around the park I decided to try some cross-country skiing on Deeside Way. A few years ago we all got some cross-country skiing gear from the second-hand sale…
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New tourist attraction at Duthie Park: carnivorous snowmen
It has been snowing all day today and there’s more to come tonight. I feel like I’m living in an alpine ski resort. Elizabeth and I went sledging again during a break today. It’s good having kids because that gives me an excuse to sledge. I don’t think I could go as an adult alone,…
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Sunshine and blizzards
Aberdeen put on a beautiful day today with bursts of sunshine mixed in with intermittent snow blizzards. It was a perfect day. There’s more snow on the ground than I think I’ve ever seen in Aberdeen in the almost 7 years we’ve lived here. It’s lovely soft stuff that makes brilliant snowmen. We all had…
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Wild and windy February day at Torry battery
Everywhere in Scotland has been getting massive amounts of snow except for Aberdeen. One family in Moray couldn’t even get out their front door there was so much snow. All Scottish ski fields have more snow than they’e had for years, probably decades, and yet they’re all shut because of covid and we can’t leave…
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A dream come true
Today was a good day. It has long been a dream of mine to ice skate outside in a natural environment and today I ticked that off my list. Aberdeen has had several days of sub-zero temperatures, freezing the water in lakes and ponds. We found what is really just a puddle of water on…
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The snow gods delivered
The plague is raging through the British population faster than an anti-vaccination conspiracy theory on Facebook. I can’t see lockdown ending at all until a significant proportion of the population has been vaccinated. But it’s not all bad: today the snow gods brought snow to cheer spirits and get people outside into the fresh air.…
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Full lockdown for Scotland
The covid situation in the UK is pretty dire right now with close to 60,000 cases per day. It’s worse than it was back in March at the height of the first peak. I read that hospitals in London are now cancelling vital cancer surgery. This is the reason covid is so deadly. It may…
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Elrick Hill
Being confined to Aberdeen, or within 5 miles of the boundary of Aberdeen due to covid restrictions, has stymied our walks in the countryside quite a bit. But it has forced us to look for hidden gems close to home and Elrick Hill is one such place. I’d never been here before but it was…
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The Nightingale Hospitals and snow at Drum Castle
We are in tier 4 covid restrictions here as is most of the UK as the sick in hospital reach record numbers. At the start of the pandemic the government was following its pandemic playbook which had been written in the years/decades leading up to 2020 but specifically for a flu pandemic. The plan included…
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Two countries and their Christmas strategies, the 5-mile boundary, and Manifesto
One of my coworkers lives in Italy and he told me they’re going into lockdown from December 24th – 27th and then again from December 31st – January 3rd. This is the opposite of what’s happening in the UK where everyone is in lockdown now but we’re free to meet other households from the 23rd…
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Abedeen in tier 3 for Christmas
For the second time this year we’ve had to cancel a holiday due to covid. We were due to go to the highlands on Monday for 6 days to self-catering holiday accommodation but they’re moving Aberdeen into tier 3 on Friday at 6pm which effectively puts a fence around the city for everyone living here.…
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Winter wonderland, Braemar
After last Sunday’s disappointing walk in Tullos Wood we went further afield today for a walk in Braemar. The recent snowfall in the highlands has created a winter wonderland and we were gifted a beautifully sunny day. The last part of the drive from Crathie to Braemar is always lovely but today the mist over…
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O Christmas tree
We put our Christmas tree up last weekend. It’s the same timber tree we use every year that we bought in the UK several years ago. Unfortunately the company appears to have gone out of business now but we love our tree. The lights are up in the city centre and they’re very pretty, especially…
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Prince Albert’s Cairn
I love Sundays. This is the one day of the week when none of us is working and there are no extracurricular activities to take children to. We like to spend our Sundays walking in the hills somewhere in Aberdeenshire and perhaps because there’s a bit of royal mania with the latest release of The…
