When you have lived somewhere for three years and you invite your friends along on what is to be your Final Walk In Scotland, apparently people feel obligated to come.

Or maybe they just don’t want to miss a final opportunity to climb a munro with you.

Or maybe lots of folks want to make the time for an epic day of hiking but when you say this is the Last Chance To Go With Us, you raise the stakes just high enough that those who have been meaning to take you up on your earlier invitations for walks in the woods actually clear their schedules, wake up early on a Saturday morning and come along.

Or maybe it was just a rather gorgeous day.

Whatever the reason, somehow we managed to get 18 people on top of Mt. Keen and even more than that out for the first several miles of the day on our last big climb in Scotland.

It felt like a party in the car park at Glen Tanar, setting out with adults, teenagers, children and even a couple of dogs.

I loved watching friends meet friends.

Divinity world colliding with Trinity world.

Folks walking and talking.

Kids playing.

And picking blueberries.

Folks exclaiming about the lovely day.

We ambled through the morning, sometimes a long snake of folks. And sometimes a big jumble.

I could tell the pace was slower than Taido liked.

He kept trying to get people moving along, when kids stopped to climb trees or play near the water.

“Long day ahead of us still!” he reminded us.

We said farewell to those who weren’t in for the big climb at a bend in the road, and then Taido picked up the pace, marching us through the next several miles.

We were swarmed by midges when we stopped for lunch and I could tell that Taido was glad the pesky bugs did the job of moving us along so he wouldn’t have to.

Mt Keen is supposedly one of the easiest munro in Scotland to climb. There are no scary bits or really difficult parts to navigate.

The trail is clearly defined so you can’t really lose your way.

It’s just a very long approach.

Like over six miles in before you really start to go up the hill.

Those miles are gorgeous though.

And so gradual is the incline that you don’t even notice you are gaining elevation.

You kind of feel on your way in like you could walk forever in this wonderland.

Of course, then you do walk forever.

And ever.

Across more bridges and through more heather fields.

And it is lovely.

And because there is water and stones, there is stopping to play.

And play.

And splash.

And kids being very silly.

But eventually you cross one final bridge.

And the uphill begins.

And the moment you start to go up the hill, you realize how very long you have been walking.

And maybe your legs are very tired.

Of course the kids all flew up the hill and waited a long time on top, but a few of us gals had a long slog to get there.

And the up stretched out in front of us for too far.

But in the end everyone who set out to get there made it up!

That’s a big success in my book!

How fun to be on top of a munro with such dear friends.

Oh Scotland, you have been so very good to us!

What beautiful memories we have!

And then after a snack and a few photos, it was time for the descent.

A few fellas headed off ahead of us because the day was stretching into late afternoon and they had evening commitments.

And of course the kids took off, practically running down, as they do.

But the downhill was much slower for me (and for a few others).

But oh-so-beautiful!

There was big relief on getting back down to this bridge. The day was fading and my legs were so tired but, oh to be on the flat ground again!

After getting off the mountain I wanted to lie down in the heather and nap but instead we needed to pick up the pace and walk the long road back.

And Long. It. Was.

We laughed thinking of how much longer the miles always seem on the way back, stretching on and on, marching on wobbly legs.

We speculated about what would still be open in the nearby town of Aboyne. Everyone was hoping for fish and chips!

The kids stopped and waited for us to catch up every few miles. These were the only moments I saw them all day, brief hellos before they bounded off again, disappearing before me with their friends.

And I walked along with my friends.

Telling stories, laughing at ourselves, talking of other walks.

Delirious with hunger and fatigue.

I was too tired to be sad about it being our last climb. I just wanted to see that familiar bend in the road that would indicate we were near the cars.

The daylight was fading when we finally reached them. Two cars filled and went on to scout for a dinner spot, and one more followed a bit later.

There was rejoicing that a fish and chip shop was indeed still open in Aboyne. They had outdoor tables and we sat around them eating and laughing for a long while before limping back to our cars to drive home.

We had friends in our car and we laughed all the way back to Aberdeen as our van snaked through the dark roads. I looked out the window at the night sky, and wondered when I would ever see all these folks together in one place again.

Maybe, probably not until heaven.

And that’s exactly what this day was for me, a little piece of heaven.

(Only I think I get new legs for my first climb in heaven, yo.)

Big cheers and thanks to everyone who came out and climbed Mt. Keen with us, picnicked in the park with us the Saturday beforehand and met us at our favorite Aberdeen pub, Six Degrees, the next Saturday after this hike. We had a brilliant month of Scotland goodbyes, and they are still reminding me that when you move to a place and dig in for three years and choose to love big, you will be loved. You will have such dear friends and you will smile from the deep wells in your heart (like I am in this photo snapped my friend Nicola). In the still very new place I am now (just a month in Germany), I need that reminder on the daily. 

Also, thanks to Taido, Nicola and Joan for sharing their photos with me to use alongside my own in this post. 

The post Climbing Mt Keen in Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.

We’ll have to get up early.

We’ll need to leave by 6am, but I’m pretty sure we can do it all in one day. 

It will take us over three hours to drive there, somewhere between 5 and 7 hours to climb it, and then three hours to drive back home. Plus I think we should stop somewhere for dinner. 

Taido was talking about climbing Ben Nevis,

the tallest mountain in Scotland (and the UK) at 1344 meters (4414 ft).

We had wanted to climb it the whole time we lived in Scotland.

It had been on our list since moving there. We had even considered trying to climb it on our very first fall break but had opted to wait for better weather or for when we had more time.

We waited a long time for better weather and more time. I had pictured us spending a week in the area of Fort William, climbing munros, taking ferries and seeing many of the parts of Scotland we had “saved” until the end.  

But somehow, the time got away from us.

Three years slipped by so quickly.

So in our final weeks, with less than a month left in Scotland, Taido was still determined for us to tackle Ben Nevis.

It’s not even supposed to be difficult.

he said.

Just a lot of elevation gain. 

(Note to self: He always says things like this.)

So we gambled on the Scottish weather and ended up with quite possibly the most gorgeous day ever.

Less than a week after I flew to Scotland from Arkansas, I found myself climbing up, up, up.

High into the blue, blue sky.

I huffed and puffed and did major penance for the weeks of drinking margaritas and lying by the pool back home.

But I made it.

Along with everyone else.

Our friend, Amy, came along to share in the fun with us, and she was super gracious about waiting for me to bring up the rear.

We spent a little while on top before heading back down with the throngs of other folks climbing Ben Nevis on that gorgeous August day.

These cairns and the mountains beyond them where my final view before heading back down.

And the going down, well, it was harder than going up. It actually went on forever and ever.

At least that’s what my knees would tell you.

The kids would get way ahead because they can run and do not have creaky knees.

Also, I don’t think they stop to take it the views.

The gorgeous-ness of Scotland on a sunny day.

I knew on this day that our departure was looming so I was trying to hold each frame a little longer.

All those shades of green and blue.

And heather all in bloom.

But my legs were aching something fierce coming down these rocky trails.

I was so happy to reach this little loch and the end of the trail. We celebrated big with a stop at a pub for classic Scottish fare. Burgers and fish and chips and beers were all ordered up and promptly devoured.

By 10:30pm we were home and in bed.

Taido was right.

You can do it all in one day from Aberdeen, but man it was a doozy of a day.

I still hope we get more time one day in that part of Scotland, but I don’t imagine we will ever have more sunshine and blue sky than we did on our epic Ben Nevis day together.

So glad we did it!

And it wasn’t the last mountain we climbed in Scotland. We managed to fit one more munro in: Mt. Keen! Stay tuned for that one next time!

PS. Here’s the map info, directions and trail notes for climbing Ben Nevis!

Did you enjoy this post? Maybe consider subscribing by email to receive future posts straight to your inbox.

The post Climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.

On my first Sunday in church in Scotland, a gal introduced herself to me and gave me her number. She said I could call her for coffee sometime.

But I didn’t call her.

For all kinds of reasons.

I was in a state of total overwhelm. I thought she was just being polite. I was still mourning our move. I missed my friends from home.

So I didn’t meet up with Sandra for coffee.

But she didn’t forget about me. She remembered that she had offered.

And sometime after Christmas, she made another attempt. She invited me to her house for tea with a couple of other moms of teenagers.

And this time I took her up on her offer.

And the women that were at tea on that very cold, wet day became some of my closest friends in Aberdeen.

They are the people I asked my questions about school and exams.

Over the next 2 1/2 years, we ate together and took our kids on outings together and prayed for each other.

Sometime this spring, I told Sandra about one of the places on my list that I still wanted to see on a day trip from Aberdeen.

It’s this place north of Aberdeen, but still on the coast, and there’s this crazy rock I’ve seen pictures of. It’s called Bow Fiddle Rock. Have you ever heard of it?

She had not heard of it, but when I described it a little more (A rock that looks like it has been slid into another rock.) and told her the name of the closest town, her eyes grew wide with recognition.

Cullen!! I went there for summer holidays as a child! I haven’t been there for ages.

And so a day trip was planned. We drove up one morning after our kids left for school to walk from Cullen to Bow Fiddle Rock.

I was super excited when I spotted it!

And it’s just beautiful from every angle.

We had such a fun day walking along the coast and seeing the places Sandra played with her sister when they were young girls.

We even got a little Scottish sunshine.

We walked back to Cullen and popped into this darling little spot for lunch.

The Rockpool Cafe.

Everything was scrumptious.

We ate crab bruschetta and had Cullen Skink, the creamy fish chowder you can order all over Scotland but is named for Cullen!

Then we walked up and down the high street and popped into a shop or two before driving back to Aberdeen.

It was one of those perfect days I’ll save forever in my memory. And it makes up a little bit for the fact that I missed out on four months of teas and coffee with Sandra by not taking her up on her original offer.

We moved to Germany last week. And on Wednesday, a mom at Simon’s new school asked me to come over for coffee.

I don’t really feel like making new friends yet.

I’m overwhelmed. I have a serious language barrier going on. I miss my friends I’ve left behind. Maybe this mom was just being polite.

But I immediately said yes, exchanged numbers and set up a date.

I have Sandra to thank for that.

PS. If you want to visit Bow Fiddle Rock, here’s a great map of the walk from Cullen.

The post A Sunny Spring Walk to Bow Fiddle Rock from Cullen, Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.

Near daily I have walked along the River Don.

It is the path to school. The path to town. The path to Tesco.

On long summer evenings I walk it after dinner and watch the sky change colors.

I know I will breathe easier and sleep better, so I slip out and wander down, letting the river and the wind take my thoughts.

Sometimes I listen to podcasts. Sometimes I listen to music.

Sometimes I just pray.

Some evenings or on Sunday afternoons, Taido walks it with me. We walk fast and process the day’s events in snippets of conversation.

Sometimes I get a text from my friend Joy. The river is halfway between us and we meet on the bridge to walk and pray.

I have smiled, sung, laughed, cried and fretted on these paths.

I have seen them in the rain.

I have walked them in snow and ice and in the bright sunshine.

I know what’s around the corner.

And how long it will take me to get there and back.

I know exactly where to stop for a rest.

I know where the raspberry and blackberry bushes grow, and when they will be in season.

I know where the only wisteria I have ever seen in Aberdeen grows in the spring.

And I know to increase my loops through the secret garden when it starts to come in more fully.

And to reserve long afternoons for sitting on the benches with a notebook if the sun is out in the summer.

But in winter, I still bundled up and walked these trails.

On cold days, I still detoured now and then through these walls to the garden.

The bare vines are placeholders for what I know will later bloom.

I have photos to remind me that there will be flowers here again.

Lots of flowers.

The crisp days will eventually melt away into softer seasons.

The slanting sunlight will return.

Simon and I first discovered the garden along this walk in late autumn.

It was all yellow and green and just before winter.

We ran around the loop and came back a few weeks later to sit on the benches with our fish and chips from a nearby “chippy.”

It’s become a familiar refuge. A hideaway.

I know these trails when they are in bloom and the green growth is plentiful. But also I know them in the most scarce seasons when the sun seems stingy with its heat.

When the leaves change colors and when they are all on the ground.

I have walked and walked these paths. They are a part of an earned familiarity in Aberdeen that I will miss.

But I know also that I will find new gardens and paths.

And when friends and family come to visit me in Germany,

I will show them my hidden corners and all the places I have found to wander when the sun comes out to play.

So I’m saying goodbye to these weathered trails and making room on the little white benches in Persley Walled Garden for another family of wanderers to find and enjoy.

The post Walks in All Seasons along the River Don to the Persley Walled Garden appeared first on Alison Chino.

A light drizzle was falling on us as we made the drive to Aboyne, Scotland.

It was a Saturday morning in March. Nearly Easter.

We were headed to meet our friends Patrick and Nicola for a walk with our kids and theirs.

Soon we were standing around in the car park in the rain. (car park = parking lot, My friend Tanja likes to say “The car park sounds like it’s where all the cars go to play!”)

All of our kids were tugging at hoods and zippers to get a bit more cover from the rain.

When you are still beside the cars and it is raining, you feel that maybe you should just get back into the cars and forget the walk. It’s discouraging to begin a walk in bad weather, and it’s hard to just walk away from those metal coverings that have dry seats inside of them.

But we had driven an hour to reach Aboyne, so no one balked when Taido said, “Ok, this way.”

We filed behind him along the sidewalk until he turned left off of the road and onto a trail.

The joy of being with another family is that we could all laugh together about being out in the rain. If it had just been Chinos on this hike, there would have been attempted mutiny and non-stop complaining.

But when you’re with others who say things like, “Auch, well, it’s good to be outside on a Saturday,” then everyone is more inclined to be cheerful.

We traipsed through damp woods over brown ferns and grasses, not yet showing any signs of spring green. But on this wet March day, the air felt warmer. The winter chill was definitely beginning to pass even if spring was not yet visible.

The rain stopped after a bit, and the kids scrambled ahead of us, shedding their raincoats and climbing trees.

Nicola and I fell behind a bit, chatting and catching up after weeks of quick hellos at church. A proper chinwag while walking a wooded trail is my favorite way to spend time with a friend. Maybe it’s my introverted nature talking here, but it’s so much easier to walk and chat than sitting face-to-face. The pressure is off. You can walk and talk or walk and listen or walk and be quiet. Anything goes. This day we talked quite a lot. Easter was upon us and we were both feeling the sting of having one older child away from home for Easter. We talked about Easters of years past and how the day is not quite the same without little ones. We spoke of children getting older and living with mostly boys. We talked about the future and the hopes and worries of our hearts.

Before long the kids were shouting from a pile of rocks that we had reached the top and it was time for lunch.

We pulled out sandwiches and tuna wraps and apples and carrots and homemade blondies. We passed around treats and pretzels. The wind picked up and we all got chilled quickly on the exposed hilltop. Taido poured tea from a stainless steel flask and Patrick poured coffee from his blue and green thermos.

“I feel raindrops!” one of the kids said. “Let’s get going.”

Time to walk again.

Taido led us back down the hill we had climbed and then we looped on a different trail back to town.

We came down through a grove of pine trees and out by a field where the views opened up and we could see the mist-covered mountains. More of the ground and the trees were beginning to be green.

Spring was almost here.

It’s a long exhale every year when I realize that I have made it through another winter.

We walked along the field, everyone’s pace quickening in the rain.

I stopped to tie a lace and got behind. When I looked up, I saw our kids walking ahead together and then Taido with Patrick and Nicola following on the lane.

And I remember thinking then:

This is how I always will always remember our days in Scotland. Wandering in the Highlands on the days when the weather is not the best and even the season is not my favorite, but we are outside and we are together.

The joy of opening a flask of hot tea or a tupperware of homemade treats with a group of friends on a rainy day is a feeling I want to bottle. It is simple and lovely and inexpensive and uncomplicated. And on nights that follow days like these I fall into my bed with tired legs and full heart.

Many, many of our Saturdays in Scotland have been marked by this simple rhythm.

Steps on a path and friends alongside.

PS. Aboyne, Scotland is a super lovey little town in Royal Deeside (west of Aberdeen in the Highlands). You can find the walk we did at Walk Highlands, and if you find yourself in need of a cup of tea after a wet, cold walk, I highly recommend stopping in the Black Faced Sheep in Aboyne, Scotland before you head on your merry way. Another really charming spot for walking in this area is Glen Tanar.

The post A Wet Almost-Spring Walk in Aboyne, Scotland appeared first on Alison Chino.

What follows is a photo series of the coastal cliff walking we’ve done while we’ve been in Aberdeen for the last three years. Coastal cliff scenery is other worldly to me. Partly because I did not grow up near the sea and partly because, similar to the sand dunes in Scotland, these empty stretches of beautiful always feel like epic movie sets to me. Walking from one of these bays along the cliffs on the North Sea is definitely a quintessential Northeast Scotland experience.

Maps for all these Coastal Walks near Aberdeen can be found at Walk Highlands.

Mama on the Coast in May

Cruden Bay on a cloudy June Day

The post Visiting Aberdeen: Coastal Trails appeared first on Alison Chino.

Oh Scotland, Land of Castles.

Castles that are old estate homes.

And castle ruins by the sea.

Today I’m sharing a collection of photos of castles in Scotland.

Like Dunnottar in Stonehaven, there are a few castles we return to with friends again and again because of their proximity to Aberdeen.

Crathes Castle is probably the one we have been to most often. There’s a four mile walk in the woods, there are gorgeous gardens to explore and you can even enjoy the treetops via a ropes course.

Drum Castle is nearby Crathes and also has great walks and a superb playground for little ones.

There is also a small chapel (where you sometimes see a wedding!) and a grove of trees that are excellent for climbing!

We love Drum because you can get on top of the castle tower.

You can also enjoy the tower views from Castle Fraser, although sometimes they are covered in mist.

Fraser is another frequent favorite for walks and gardens and tea in the old castle kitchen.

The walk leading up to Castle Fraser is lined in trees and in the spring the daffodils turn the whole field yellow.

Craigievar Castle is a little further from Aberdeen but it’s a beautiful drive and is surrounded by pine forest that is worth a walk through.

Fyvie Castle is one of the most impressive estate homes and it’s not too far from Old Meldrum so it can be combined with a distillery tour at Glen Garioch.

I love Fyvie Castle in the springtime especially. Take in the daffodils and a nearby walk around a lake.

Of course Dunnottar is our favorite castle ruin, but we have a few others we love to go back to. Auchindoun Castle is near Dufftown so I usually combine a trip there with a visit to nearby Glenfiddich Distillery.

You park along the road and walk about a mile to Auchindoun, sometimes passing Highland Coos in the fields on the way.

And you can let the kids play at this nearly-always deserted ruin to their hearts content.

I’m pretty sure we’ve taken all our cousins to this castle now!

Right next to Glenfiddich is another castle ruin that is not always open, but if it is, Balvenie Castle is another fun one to roam. There are almost always Highland Coos next to this castle, so it’s worth a wander even if the castle is closed. A castle ruin, a distillery tour and seeing Highland Coos are three must-have experiences for tours in Scotland, so it’s nice to be able to check all three off the list here in Dufftown.

Another fun ruin near Aberdeen is Tolquhon Castle.

The walls and towers are almost all restored for climbing and exploring. It’s one of the best places for hide and seek in all of Aberdeenshire!

All our kids (and kid visitors) prefer the castle ruins to touring the estate homes because they are free to roam and touch whatever they like.

One more favorite ruin is New Slain’s Castle near Cruden Bay, which also happens to be my favorite coastal walk in Scotland. A collection of coastal walks near Aberdeen might be my next blog post.

Castle visits will forever remain in my memory as a huge part of our life in Aberdeen! I hope the kids will treasure all these tours of towers and turrets as well!

The post Visiting Aberdeen: Castle Trail appeared first on Alison Chino.

Oh, Aberdeen Beach.

You are sometimes called “Fun Beach,”

which makes us smile.

You are the first place we visited when we came to Aberdeen.

And you are the first place we bring our visitors. Usually as soon as they arrive.

It’s the North Sea! I say to my family and friends.

It’s so cold! They say when they stick their toes in the water.

Yes. All beaches are not warm apparently.

And you, Aberdeen Beach. You are never warm.

I mean sometimes crazy kids take their coats and even their sweatshirts off, but I always have my coat on.

And usually so does everyone else.

I always bundle up for a walk on your sands.

And I wear my wellies so I can stomp through the water.

Nope, you are not warm, but you are still lovely.

And you are fun.

And I have loved walking with friends in all seasons by the sea.

I don’t know where I am going next but I suspect it will not be so near to the North Sea.

So I will carry a few bits and pieces from my days of walking on your shores.

And I promise to always treasure the wind blown days of living by the sea.

The post Visiting Aberdeen: Fun Beach appeared first on Alison Chino.

I took this picture of Mary Polly in September 2013, less than a month after we moved here, and it pretty much captures how I feel about the Sand Dunes in Scotland.

The wind is always blowing the grasses that grow on the sand dunes so that you feel like you’re in the middle of filming an epic film about an ancient homeland.

Also contributing to “epic film feeling” is that there is no one around.

You have these giant playing fields full of sand and grass almost entirely to yourself.

Soon you are either battling enemies or singing loudly or just running wildly and thinking you are the star of life.

Because, come on! It’s gorgeous.

And the sea is right around the corner.

I get this little excited feeling every time we walk these boardwalks before we glimpse the sea.

Even though I’ve seen it a lot of times by now, I still wonder what it will be like. Will the tide be out? Will the water be rough? Will the ripples in the sand be undisturbed? Will there be seals? Will it be windy?*

What will we find today?

Almost always when I go to the sand dunes I find the following:

1. The wind in my hair, which is cold and makes me wrap my scarf around my face but is still exhilarating.
2. A rock or a shell or a piece of beach glass that I put in my pocket and later put on the window sill of my bedroom.
3. Kids who remember how to run and who are not afraid to get their feet wet in absurdly cold water.
4. Kids who do not mind getting covered in sand, rolling down hills and covering themselves with sand that I will later find all over everywhere and it will annoy me but also remind me of very good days.

Pretty much the whole coastline of Northeast Scotland is covered in these sand dunes, but we have a few favorite spots for sure. 

We have recently discovered Newburgh Beach where you can see hundreds of seals right at the mouth of the Ythan River. You drive down Beach Road and pass the golf course and then you can park and walk over the dunes to see the seals.

It’s a gorgeous beach but every time we go it is crazy windy.

We went to Newburgh recently though and the yellow gorse is so lovely right now. Except don’t get yourself in a place where you have to bushwhack through it. Take it from me, it’s real prickly.

You can also park at the Forvie Nature Preserve and walk through all kinds of sand dunes. If you go south you will eventually reach the Newburgh seals and if you go north you will get to Collieston. Either way, you are winning at seeing beautiful sand dunes in Scotland.

Another spot to see some gorgeous dunes and walk along a beach is just north of the mouth of the Don River in Aberdeen. There is a place to park along Donmouth Road, and a path that leads down to the beach. I find this spot particularly lovely during low tide.

Probably the dunes we visit the most often are at Balmedie Beach.

Balmedie is only about fifteen minutes away from us and we love it in all seasons.

And in almost any weather.

It is beautiful in the mist.

And on a sunny day you will think you’ve landed in heaven. Except then you might think that it is perhaps a little cold to be heaven.

Also at Balmedie is the boys’ favorite big sandy hill to run/slide/box sled/roll down.

And near the parking lot is a darling playground with a pirate ship. So at Balmedie you can play at the beach, on the sand dunes AND at the playground. So. Many. Choices!

We almost always end up leaving Balmedie because we’re all cold and have to go home and get warm. In fact, I often think that if it was a warmer or less windy day that we could stay forever. I recently tested this out with a friend of mine when we happened to go on what I think was maybe “the most perfect day ever to be had in Aberdeen.” We get one or two of those days a year (I exaggerate. We get really get four.) and so we ran out to Balmedie to make the most of it, planning to stay for a couple of hours. OVER SIX HOURS LATER, we said, well I guess we are going to have to load up and go home because you know, life. And we had eaten everything we had. But the kids played so hard for so long that I felt like we could have been there for a week. At one point, children were stripping off all of their clothes and running naked into the water, and even though I was still in a coat and hat, I wondered for a minute if we’d been transported to the Caribbean. It was glorious.

This is exactly how I feel when the sun shines bright at Balmedie:

Giddy with delight.

We’ve taken loads of visitors to Balmedie over the years so here are a few fun memories for cold trips to these sand dunes and beach.

In June 2014 with my friends Jermaine and Kristie.

In June 2015 with Bailey.

In May 2015 with Rhonda and Carol.

In April 2015 with Mama, all bundled up. (She’s also pictured above on the playground with Simon. Do not tell dare her to climb to the top of a playground structure!)

In July 2014 with Campbell and Wilson.

And Peter and Whitney.

Are there other places to play in the sand dunes in the UK that you would recommend? Do tell me because you know how I love a road trip to a new place to see the sea!

PS A cafe is opening at Balmedie next to the playground sometime soon. So that’s just one more reason to go!

*YES! It will almost always be windy!

The post Visiting Aberdeen: Sand Dunes appeared first on Alison Chino.

Our first excursion out of Aberdeen after our overseas move to Scotland was to a castle just outside of Stonehaven.

We walked two miles down King Street from where we were staying as guests of a family who were back in the US at the time to Aberdeen’s city center to catch a bus.

When the bus stopped on a quiet road near the castle ruin on a cliff, we were the only ones to get off.

We walked the road in the general direction of the sea until it appeared in the distance…

Donnottar Castle.

Dunnottar is dramatically perched on top of a rock that seems to rise out of the sea.

Needless to say, we were impressed.

We spent a couple of hours touring and playing around the castle ruins before our tummies reminded us that we needed to find something to eat.

We walked the two mile road to Stonehaven, unaware of the gorgeous coastal path we could have taken by the sea.

Some folks got a little tired of walking.

An hour later, we had found fish and chips and a beach to eat them on.

And everyone was happy.

We got back on the bus to head home to Aberdeen, tired and full and grateful for a wonderful day out to an epic location.

Stonehaven.

Over the last three years I’ve made many more trips to Stonehaven, and I never tire of watching the wonder wash across peoples’ faces when they glimpse the castle on the rocks or the delight in their eyes as we walk along the coastal path.

Especially for Americans, there is nothing quite like walking around a grass clifftop through ruins that hold stories that are so very old.

For over 800 years, these stones have withstood wind and rain and occasionally some sun.

We usually get a little bit of everything on our walks to and from the castle.

This rainbow and the darker clouds below are all from the same day.

When I take visitors, we always walk around to the opposite cliff from the castle for photographs.

You have to backtrack a bit and walk over a bridge though a gully to get over there.

Here are a few of the photos from that spot that we’ve taken of sweet friends who’ve come to see us in Aberdeen!

Sarabeth and Elizabeth, June 2014

Pete and Whit, Campbell and Wilson, July 2014

Diane, September 2014 (This might be my favorite!)

Rhonda and Carol, May 2015

Bob and Anna, Grace, Emily and Phineas, July 2015

Kelly, August 2015

And my last trip to Dunnottar..Donna and Tanja, April 2016.

(I’m missing a few other trips in there from friends who were visiting Aberdeen in winter….probably due to bad weather!)

After we see the castle, we walk back to Stonehaven along the coast. The views as you come into the town capture the whole harbor and the beach to the far left where we often eat fish and chips.

For lunch we have fish and chips on the beach, or we go to the Marine Hotel for beers and salmon chowder (Cullen Skink) and other cozy foods if the weather has turned.

Stonehaven has been one of my very favorite day trips to make from Aberdeen and since it was our first outing in Scotland as a family, it will always hold a special place in our hearts!

I’m so grateful I have gotten to share it with so many others!

PS.

If you go…here are a few details I would have loved to know on my first trip there.

You can park in Stonehaven right on the harbor (or in a free lot near the harbor) and follow the signs from the harbor to the coastal path. It’s 1.5 miles one way to the castle. When you reach the castle, there are a lot of stairs descending to the beach and then some more stairs up into the castle, so wear your hiking boots or trail runners. It cost around 7GBP to enter the castle ruins. There is a bathroom inside the castle which I always need when I get there. And the fish and chip shop we love is the Carron. There’s no place to sit in, so we carry it across the street to the beach. But like I said, we also love the Marine Hotel right on the harbor for food and drinks.

The post Visiting Aberdeen: Stonehaven appeared first on Alison Chino.