From the Cairngorm National Park to the stunning northeast coast, Aberdeenshire boasts a spectacular landscape. It's also home to a hugely impressive variety of wildlife, such as pine martins, eagles and whales.
As you can probably imagine, Situ's serviced accommodation here ranges from lodges with forest views and loch-side chalets to fully-equipped townhouses in Aberdeen's city centre. For the corporate traveller, we have a range of great serviced apartments in Aberdeenshire.
So, whether your trip is for pleasure or business, then you are certain to find something to suit your needs. In fact, why not treat yourself and browse our offering of luxury accommodation in Aberdeenshire?
Situ's serviced accommodation has all the comforts of home, including state-of-the-art smart TV and broadband. Our kitchens are fully-equipped and on-site parking is usually available. Domestic cleaning is carried out weekly, fresh linen and towels are always supplied, and many of our homes and serviced apartments in Aberdeenshire have on-site washing facilities, including dryers. Dry-cleaning services are often available too on request. Concierge services are commonplace.
So popular is our self-catering accommodation in Aberdeenshire that we’d always suggest booking well in advance of your trip.
Aberdeenshire sits in the north-east corner of Scotland. To the south it borders Angus and Perth & Kinross, with Highland and Moray to the west. Aberdeenshire surrounds Aberdeen city, but this is a separate local authority region. Aberdeenshire has a population of around 260,800. Aberdeenshire is home to the Grampian Mountain range as well as a major part of the much larger Cairngorm National Park.
In terms of where it sits compared to the rest of Scotland, Aberdeenshire is 141 miles and a 2 hour 41 minute drive from the capital city of Edinburgh. It’s just a little longer to Glasgow at 159 miles and a 2 hour 52 minute drive to Glasgow. From Dumfries in the Scottish Borders it’s 223 miles and a drive of around 4 hrs.
The Aberdeenshire Council area includes Kincardineshire and part of Banffshire. As such, it’s a large area of 6,313 km². The town of Inverurie is the most central location within Aberdeenshire so this is used as the location for the travel advice for air, train and bus travel in this guide.
Like many regions in the United Kingdom, retail and wholesale is the sector which employs the most residents across Aberdeenshire. Manufacturing is next, followed by the professional, scientific and technical sector, and then human health and social work. There are increasing numbers of small businesses in Aberdeenshire.
There are a number of exciting projects underway in the region to upgrade transport links. Investment is being made in railways, new river crossings are being built, and the harbour is being expanded. A new digital infrastructure is being built as well, with the aim of making the region one of the best digitally-connected in the UK, and which will benefit both Aberdeenshire's businesses as well as its residents.
A haven for those who love both the outdoors and wildlife, Aberdeenshire claims part ownership of the Cairngorm National Park. In this huge wilderness (twice the size of the Lake District), you’ll find five of the highest mountains in the UK.
But it’s not just mountaineers and hill walkers who visit Aberdeenshire in their droves, wildlife lovers come in their thousands too to see the almost-extinct red squirrels, pine martins, and Capercaillie in the thriving Caledonian Forests.
Fishing is huge in Aberdeenshire, particularly in the River Dee where there are plenty of salmon. Another nautical pass-time is whale watching, thanks to the humpbacks that visit the area from time to time. Dolphin watching is popular too. Bird watchers also come to see puffins and a variety of wading birds, including guillemots and razerbills.
Those who prefer spending time indoors may be interested in the whisky tours of the area. Scotland is famous for its number of whisky distilleries, and Aberdeenshire boasts more than any other region in the country. Or if you want to sample some of the fresh local produce, you can check out the local farmers' markets that are dotted all over Aberdeenshire.
History lovers can spend whole weekends exploring the many castles such as the beautiful Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven, or the baronial pink Craigievar Castle near Alford (the latter is said to be the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella castle). Other famous castles include Balmoral, Braemar, Crathes and Drum. In the more rugged north of the region you’ll find Fyvie Castle, Huntly Castle and Balvenie Castle.
And talking of castles and those who live in them (or used to), Aberdeenshire provides a summer home to our current royal family – and the queen, in particular, spends all summer at Royal Deeside.
Getting back to outdoor pursuits, Glenshee is a popular ski resort, while another popular pursuit in these parts is golf. Trump’s course is here (at Balmedie) – it’s one of 55 golf courses in total in Aberdeenshire.
There's so much to see and do here, and having the flexibility of your own home-from-home will help you get the most out of your trip. Why not browse Situ's serviced apartments in Aberdeenshire and find a great place to stay?
Aberdeen Airport is the nearest to Aberdeenshire, and is a 32-minute drive or 3hrs 23 mins by bus. Edinburgh Airport is the next closest, with a drive of 2 hours 14 mins and 5 hrs 13 mins by bus.
Glasgow Airport is a 2 hr 47 mins drive and 5 hrs 17 mins by both train and taxi.
There are 16 railway stations in Aberdeenshire, including Portlethan, Montrose, Dyce and Brechin. Inverurie Station is in the town’s Station Road.
Edinburgh is 3 hrs 37 mins by train (or 2 hrs 49 mins on the night train). Glasgow is 3 hrs by train. Dumfries is 6 hrs 4 mins by train via Glasgow.
Edinburgh is 4 hrs 56 mins by bus, while Glasgow is quicker at 4 hrs 31 mins. Dumfries is a bus journey of just over seven hours.
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