Northeast Scotland

A large triangle of land thrusting into the North Sea, northeast Scotland comprises the area east of a line drawn roughly from Perth north to the fringe of the Moray Firth at Forres. The area takes in the county of Angus and the city of Dundee to the south and, beyond the Grampian Mountains, the counties of Aberdeenshire and Moray and the city of Aberdeen. Geographically diverse, the landscape in the south of the region is made up predominantly of undulating farmland, but, as you get further north of the Firth of Tay, this gives way to wooded glens, mountains and increasingly harsh land fringed by a dramatic coast of cliffs and long sandy beaches.

The northeast was the southern kingdom of the Picts, reminders of whom are scattered throughout the region in the form of numerous symbolic and beautifully carved stones found in fields, churchyards and museums (such as the one at Meigle). Remote, self-contained and cut off from the centres of major power in the south, the area never grew particularly prosperous, and a handful of feuding and intermarrying families, such as the Gordons, the Keiths and the Irvines, grew to wield disproportionate influence, building many of the region's castles and religious buildings and developing and planning its towns.

Many of the most appealing settlements are along the coast, but while the fishing industry is but a fondly held memory in many parts, a number of the northeast's ports have been transformed by the discovery of oil in the North Sea in the 1960s - particularly Aberdeen, Scotland's third-largest city. Despite its relative isolation in the Scottish context, Aberdeen remains a sophisticated city which, for the time being, still rides a diminishing wave of oil-based prosperity. At the same time, Dundee, the northeast's next-largest metropolis, is fast losing its depressed post-industrial image with an reinvigorated cultural scene and some heavily marketed tourist attractions, including Discovery, the ship of Captain Scott ("of the Antarctic"). A little way up the Angus coast lie the historically important towns of Arbroath and Montrose, while, inland, the picturesque Angus glens cut into the Grampian mountains, offering a readily accessible taste of wild Highland scenery to both hikers and skiers.

North of the glens and west of Aberdeen, Deeside is a fertile yet ruggedly attractive area made famous by the Royal Family, who have favoured the estate at Balmoral as a summer holiday retreat ever since Queen Victoria fell in love with it back in the 1840s. Beyond, the Don Valley is similarly endowed although less visited, while tranquil Speyside, a little way northwest, is best known as Scotland's premier whisky-producing region, where malt whisky trails, both official and unofficial, can be followed. The northeast coast offers yet another aspect of a diverse region, with rugged cliffs, empty beaches and historic fishing villages tucked into coves and bays.

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