Aboyne

Aboyne (Scottish Gaelic: Abèidh) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee approximately 48 km (30 miles) west of Aberdeen. It has a rugby club which plays on The Green. It also has a swimming pool, a golf course with 18 and 9 holes, all-weather tennis courts and a bowling green. Aboyne Castle and the Loch of Aboyne are nearby.

Aboyne has a population of about 4000 people. It has many businesses, including a supermarket, banks, five hairdressers, a butchers and a post office. There used to be a railway running through the village, but it was dismantled in the 1960s. 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 Mhìcheill (Scottish Gaelic for "Michael's Fair").

It is a popular tourist town and in summer the number of people and amount of traffic increases dramatically. The Highland Games is a feature in August, with the population of the village doubling for it. The royals live just up the road in the summer, so they drive through sometimes.

There are many outdoor pursuits available including walking, cycling and gliding in nearby Dinnet. For cycling, nearby Glen Tanar forest is open. There is also a lot of climbing nearby at the pass of Ballater. Walkers and cyclers can try to traverse Mount Keen by cycling to the base of Mount Keen from Glen Tanar forest, locking the bike, and then walking the rest of the way.

There are also many not-so-active things to do, such as local cafes and attractions. Aboyne is also a place for children as there is a large green which includes facilities for rugby and football as well as accommodating a playpark. There are two schools, an academy and a primary school. The academy has a full size swimming pool and gym.