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Grampian

Dunnottar Castle just before sunrise, Grampian, Scotland (© Thomas Dickson - Fotolia.com)
Dunnottar Castle just before sunrise

Introduction


The Grampian region is made up of the traditional counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Kincardineshire (Mearns), and Moray (Elginshire). It was named after the Grampian Mountains, which extend from the southwest Highlands to the Moray Firth. Grampian is an adaptation of the Latin name Mons Graupius, recorded by the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus as the site of the defeat of the native Caledonians by Gnaeus Julius Agricola circa 83 CE.

Grampian is the third largest Scottish region both in size and population (530,000). Its largest city and administrative centre is Aberdeen (pop. 220,000), which is also the main sightseeing destination. Aberdeen, the granite city, is a vibrant seaport that grew rich on shipbuilding, textiles, and more recently on the oil industry. It possess the fifth oldest university in the English-speaking world. Aberdeenshire is the wealthiest British region outside London in terms of GDP per capita.

The other sights are the Grampian's distinctive Renaissance castles, with their small windows and tiny turrets. The most famous among them is Balmoral Castle, purchased by Queen Victoria as a summer residence, and still one of the Royal Family's most popular castles. In a different style, Duff House is one of Scotland's great Georgian mansions.




Attractions

Aberdeen
Aberdeen (photo by Martyn Gorman - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
outstanding Aberdeen
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle (photo by Ejdzej - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
outstanding Balmoral Castle

Duff House
Duff House (photo by Stanley Bruce - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license)
outstanding Duff House
Ballindalloch Castle
Ballindalloch Castle (photo by Mike Searle - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Ballindalloch Castle

Brodie Castle
Brodie Castle (photo by JThomas - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Brodie Castle

Castle Fraser
Castle Fraser (photo by Richard Slessor - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Castle Fraser

Craigievar Castle
Craigievar Castle (photo by MichaelMaggs - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license)
very good Craigievar Castle
Crathes Castle & Garden
Crathes Castle (photo by Christine Jewell - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate

Dunnottar Castle
Dunnottar Castle (© Terry Kettlewell - iStockphoto.com)
very good Dunnottar Castle
Drum Castle & Garden
Drum Castle (photo by Alan Findlay - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Drum Castle, Garden & Estate

Fyvie Castle
Fyvie Castle (photo by Ikiwaner - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)
very good Fyvie Castle
Haddo House
Haddo House (photo by Martyn Gorman - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Haddo House

Leith Hall
Leith Hall (photo by Martyn Gorman - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Leith Hall, Garden & Estate
Pitmedden Garden
Pitmedden Garden (photo by Martyn Gorman - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license)
very good Pitmedden Garden

Other attractions

good Delgatie Castle
good Huntly Castle (ruins)
very good Mar Lodge Estate
Eupedia's Rating System

Cities, towns, villages & historic buildings

  • : Local interest
  • : Moderately interesting
  • : Outstanding place
  • : Best of the country - shouldn't be missed
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Natural attractions

  • : Local interest
  • : Moderately interesting
  • : Highly recommended
  • : World-class natural attraction
  • ※ : UNESCO World Heritage site


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