Aboyne
| Aboyne Gaelic: Abèidh[1] Scots: Abyne[2][3] | |
| Aberdeenshire | |
|---|---|
 The Green in Aboyne | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NO527986 |
| Location: | 57°4’36"N, 2°46’46"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,202 |
| Postcode: | AB34 |
| Dialling code: | 013398 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Aberdeenshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
W. Aberdeenshire & Kincardine |
Aboyne is a village on the edge of the Highlands in Aberdeenshire on the River Dee, approximately 30 miles west of Aberdeen. It has a rugby club, which plays on The Green and also has a swimming pool, a golf course with 18 holes, all-weather tennis courts, and a bowling green. Aboyne Castle and the Loch of Aboyne are nearby.
Aboyne has many businesses, including a supermarket,[4] two banks, several hairdressers, a butcher, a newsagent, an Indian restaurant and a post office. Originally, there was a railway station in the village, but it was closed on 18 June 1966. The station now contains some shops and the tunnel running under the village is now home to a firearms club. The market-day in Aboyne was known as Fèill Mhìcheil (Scottish Gaelic for "Michael's Fair").
History
The locale was inhabited since very early times with the west wing of Aboyne Castle dated to 1671.[5] The siting of the castle itself is related to the limited number of the crossings of the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains to the south.[6] In 1715 Aboyne was the scene of a tinchal, or great hunt, organised by John Erskine, sixth Earl of Mar, on 3 September, as a cover for the gathering of Jacobite nobles and lairds to discuss a planned Jacobite uprising. The uprising began three days later in Braemar.[7]
Tourism and culture
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In summer, when tourists visit, the number of people and vehicles increase dramatically. The Highland Games on The Village Green is a notable feature in August and the population of the village doubles. However, Aboyne is unusual in having The Green on which events are held, as the village was modelled by one of the first Marquesses of Huntly (inhabitants of Aboyne Castle) on a traditional English village with a green at the centre. Few Scottish towns have such an asset.
There are many outdoor pursuits available including walking, cycling, and most notably, gliding from the airfield just outside the village. Aboyne has become extremely popular with gliding enthusiasts from all over Britain and Europe due to its uniquely suitable air currents (due to the surrounding terrain). The airfield has a webcam[8] and small weather monitoring centre[9] on its premises. It is the only gliding airfield in Scotland to boast of having a tarmac runway, of which it has two in parallel which run east-west.
The close-by pass of Ballater is a popular rock-climbing area. The village of Dinnet is a few miles west and is the first being located inside the famous Cairngorms National Park. Walkers and cyclists can ascend Mount Keen by cycling as far as they can from Glen Tanar forest before walking to the summit.
There are also many more leisurely activities, such as sitting at local cafes and viewing various attractions. Aboyne is also a good place for younger children, as there is a large green which includes facilities for rugby and football and a play park.
There are two schools, an academy and a primary school. The academy has around 650 pupils, about a third from Aboyne itself, with the remaining two thirds from surrounding villages. The school has access to a full size swimming pool and gym run by the adjacent Deeside Community Centre.
References
- ↑ Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba ~ Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland
- ↑ The Online Scots Dictionary.
- ↑ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
- ↑ Aboyne location map
- ↑ John Mackintosh, History of the Valley of the Dee, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day
- ↑ C. Michael Hogan, Elsick Mounth, Megalithic Portal, ed A. Burnham, 2007
- ↑ J.Baynes, The Jacobite Rising of 1715 (1970), pp. 35-36
- ↑ Aboyne Airfield Webcam
- ↑ Aboyne meteorological data
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aboyne) |
