At the Balmoral Castle, in the city of Aberdeenshire, Scotland

 "There's a lot of fantasy about what Scotland is, and the shortbread tins and that sort of thing." -- Sean Connery

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(in Scotland's Enchanted Northeast Kingdom) Spreading north and west of the North Sea city of Aberdeen, in Aberdeenshire encompasses some of the most spectacular landscapes, coastline, and history in Scotland. Since medieval times Aberdeenshire and its northwestern neighbor Moray have been the richest and most fertile regions of the Highlands. Aberdeenshire is famed for its Aberdeen Angus beef cattle, its fine castles and the "granite city" of Aberdeen. North of Aberdeen, the Grampian Mountains fall away to agricultural plains pocked with craggy volcanic hills. This fertile lowland corner of northeastern Scotland is known as Buchan, where the old Scots dialect, the Doric, is in everyday use. The Buchan coast alternates between rugged cliffs and long stretches of sand, dotted with pretty little fishing villages such as Pennan, where parts of the film Local Hero were shot. 

+ Experience the richness of Aberdeen’s history and culture -- from the sound of residents’ traditional Doric accent to the sights of glittering granite buildings lining the city’s streets. Explore the cobbled roads and historic university buildings of Old Aberdeen, then take a stroll along the nearby sandy beach and watch for dolphins in the busy harbor. Afterward, find your way to the quaint fishing quarter of Footdee, and lose yourself among its tiny cottages and colorful gardens.

+ Aberdeenshire, also called Aberdeen, the historic county of eastern Scotland, projects shoulderlike eastward into the North Sea and encompasses coastal lowlands in the north and east and part of the Grampian Mountains in the west. The city of Aberdeen, part of the historic county of Aberdeenshire, now constitutes an independent council area that forms an enclave within the council area of Aberdeenshire, which also incorporates the entire historic county of Kincardineshire and the northeastern portion of the historic county of Banffshire.

+ Although Aberdeenshire lies north of the Highland boundary fault, it mainly comprises an agricultural lowland drained by rivers that generally flow east. The land is in the rain shadow of the Grampians, resulting in a generally dry climate with parts of the coast receiving less than 25 inches (640 mm) of precipitation annually. Temperatures are warm for the latitude, but exposure to cold winds from the north and east produces winters that are harsh by British standards.

+ Aberdeen is one of Scotland's most attractive towns, with famous granite structures that gleam in the sunlight and a golden coastline overlooking the North Sea. This ancient coastal city has fantastic shopping, a thriving nightlife, and hundreds of award-winning parks and gardens, making it a perfect city break destination.

+ Pictured here is Balmoral Castle, the Scottish Highland residence of the British royal family, which stands amid the Grampians in western Aberdeenshire.