Situated 25 km south of the capital of the region, Aberdeen, the town is a little delight. Day 1ĭay one kicked off in the small fishing town of Stonehaven. The sun can rise as early as 4 am and set after 10 pm, so there are no excuses (apart from your fitness level) for 300 km days with multiple cafe stops. Being so far north, running out of daylight on an epic all-dayer in the summer months isn’t something you need to worry about. Mix in the countryside air that feels wholesomely thick and you have a destination that is prime for long days on the bike which, luckily, is possible. To add to that, most of the time you’re cutting through it all on near-empty roads, and traffic just isn’t a problem. Trees seem taller than they should be, there’s rolling farmland with roads that snake through and up the open land. Greens – oh so many shades of green – pop in 4K resolution, vegetation feels like it’s been somehow doubled up as if the locals have found a way of planting twice as much grass in one area than is naturally possible. Then, to top it off, they whacked the lux up to 100%. You know, the one that “pops” everything. It’s as if someone has put the whole region through the Clarendon filter on Instagram.
Though why she’s not thrown her regal legs over a road bike in all the years she’s been popping up this way is anyone’s guess. You quickly understand why the Queen has her little timeshare cottage in the area. For road cyclists, the place has an abundance of quiet (and I mean outrageously quiet), picturesque, and challenging roads on offer.įirst off, Aberdeenshire is stunning. I quickly found out it wouldn’t be enough time. I’d have three days to take in as much as possible. I’d been invited to the region by North East Adventure Tourism (NEAT), a project set up to help develop and promote the region’s adventure tourism offering, with support from Scottish Cycling, Opportunity North East, Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Enterprise, and VisitAberdeenshire. It ticks all the boxes, and now with the region promoting itself as a sports destination, I’d like to think I won’t be the only one regretting not heading there sooner. It’s not generally the first place that would spring to mind for a road trip when heading over the border, but as I’d find out, the region is ideally suited to us in the lycra-clad clan. In all the years I lived in the English Lake District, why hadn’t I dashed up the M6 on to the M74 then the A9 cutting north east to Aberdeenshire?Īberdeenshire is tucked away in the northeast tip of Scotland. Now, I’m not averse to admitting when I’ve been a fool, and this is one of those times. This time around it was a Scottish tale, an Aberdeenshire adventure. These were the thoughts that quickly formed in the first few kilometres of my latest road trip for CyclingTips. Why have I been so damn blinkered all these years?” “I’m an absolute fool, a complete muppet. Words: Dave Everett | Photos: Harry Talbot
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