Aberdeenshire Tours

10/11/2024

26/10/2024

Tours from last week with lovely folk from various parts of the US.
The ancestry day was very fruitful and a pleasure to take this lovely family around the places where their ancestors lived. We visited Some lovely wee villages that I hadn't actually seen before.
Others wanted to see Dunnottar, the most visited Castle in Aberdeenshire, as well as wildlife, amazing scenery, a wee dram at Glendronach Distillery and hairy coos.
As usual, wee MacTavish worked his charm with everyone he met.

18/09/2024

Wonderful weather in Aberdeen and the Shire.

12/09/2024

Hi Folks!

Did you know that adult male Grey Seals can weigh up to a staggering 240Kg?! That's a big animal you don't want to mess with. Although seals might look quite docile and almost 'dog-like', it's easy to forget that these are quite formidable marine mammal predators of the sea.

As we begin to encroach ever closer to pupping season, we do ask the public to be extra mindful of disturbance. Our seals haul-out at the very southern tip of the reserve, on the river mouth, often very close to the World War II pillbox relic (north side of the Ythan).

We would encourage people to avoid walking close to the pillbox, especially at low tide, when the seals are most likely to be resting on the sand (hauling out), and to instead cut across the dunes to either the estuary or east facing beach. This way, they are less likely to see you and get spooked.

Excellent views of them are to be had from the brand new Newburgh and Ythan Community Trust's board walk. By watching them from a safe distance from the board walk or beach to the south, you are ensuring that the seals are not disturbed and can happily do what they do best, rest on the sand (haul-out) and descend into the water, in their own time, to go fishing.

Thank you again for your continued consideration.
The Forvie Team

11/09/2024

A few recent enjoyable tours with lovely people from various parts of the USA, Canada and Switzerland took us to many wonderful places including Dunnottar Castle, Crathes Castle, Delgatie Castle, Fettercairn Distillery, Cullen, Portsoy, Banff and Newburgh Beach.

25/08/2024

MacTavish and I enjoyed the company of lovely Lisa from Florida on our day tour around Aberdeenshire. Stone circle, castles, beaches, watching seals on one and hunting for treasure (sea-glass) on another, a clifftop walk and always great Scottish food along the way.

21/08/2024

Stone Age to modern day - excellent two days with Viking Jonathan around ancient sites in Aberdeenshire.

21/08/2024

My new Viking friend Jonathan wanted to see sites from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and beyond. Fortunately, these are in abundance in Aberdeenshire. Day one started with a hike up onto the Bennachie range to see the remains of the hill fort there. We then visited two of the best recumbent stone circles as well as numerous Pictish stones and ancient churches. On day two we were joined by my friend Alison, a qualified Archaeologist with a passion for all things Viking so she and Jonathan had a lot to talk about. We started with a tour of Fyvie Castle then an insiders view of St Peter's Church with its remarkable Tiffany stained glass window and Pictish stones set into the rear wall. An excellent lunch (as usual) at Delgatie Castle followed by a tour of the castle with its beautiful painted ceilings. We then stopped at Deer Abbey before going on a search for St Olaf's Well and the site of the battle between the Scots and the Danes led by King Malcolm the 2nd and King Canute respectively. Very interesting if not a bit gory, to see this and the mound where the bodies from the battle still lie, covered by the shifting sands.
Arrive as a guest and leave as a friend.

18/08/2024

Two tours, two different days, two different couples and exactly the same locations. Dramatic Dunnottar Castle, fabulous Fettercairn Distillery and colourful Crathes Castle and gardens.

13/08/2024

It pays to look every so often. Aberdeenshire skies. 🙂

12/08/2024

MacTavish and I had a wonderful week with lovely friends from Iceland. The weather was amazing too. We enjoyed Haddo House and Country Park; Pitmedden Garden and woodland walks; Bennachie; vintage car rally, Glen Garioch Distillery and dinner at The Redgarth all in Oldmeldrum; Aboyne Highland Games and Aberdeen Beach. Arrive as guests and leave as friends.

09/08/2024

Highland Games season is in full swing. The sound of the bagpipes stirs my soul.

07/08/2024

Recent tours were enjoyed by lovely folks from various places in the USA. We visited, Dunnottar Castle, Balmoral Castle, Crathes Castle and gardens, Newburgh Beach, Delgatie Castle - great tour and lovely lunch, Aquorthies Stone Circle and took Kenneth Fraser to Castle Fraser. With assistance from two other local tour guides we took three coaches of passengers from the cruise ship SH Diana, berthed at Aberdeen Harbour to Balmoral Castle, Milton of Crathes for a superb lunch and Crathes Castle and gardens.
The weather was kind and everyone had fun.

04/07/2024

We all had a very enjoyable day on the Royal Deeside tour. This lovely family from New Jersey had only one day in Scotland so the pressure was on to give them a great taste of this small part of the country. Dramatic Dunnottar Castle never fails to impress with its location and history. Of course Balmoral Castle is a 'must do' stop for many and it's a pleasure to walk around the beautiful grounds, taking in the newly designed gardens. A wee dram on a tour of nearby friendly Royal Lochnagar Distillery was welcome (not by me, the driver). Tomnaverie Stone Circle is set on top of a hill giving 360° views. A wee stop at the Falls of Feugh added to the lovely sights we saw in such a short space of time. I can happily say that my guests thoroughly enjoyed their snippet of Scotland.

26/06/2024

MacTavish and I enjoyed a lovely day touring with Diana from Massachusetts. We saw a plethora of seals, took a great tour of fabulous Fyvie Castle, enjoyed a delicious Delgatie Castle lunch and experienced the magic of the stones at Easter Aquorthies Stone Circle.

16/06/2024

Wonderful to have this annual event in my village. I love the pipes and drums.