During the first lockdown, like many we slowed down.

My kids decided to start spending half their time with me which we still do.

We bonded more.

And much of that was done in our family walks round our local area.

The COVID rules were that we couldn’t leave the house apart from essential reasons at first, then when relaxed we couldn’t go further than 5 miles by foot for exercise.

As a result we did a few nice urban ones into the city from our home and to the beach.

But we also did lots round the woods from our home in the west end of Aberdeen.

And I usually give my son a lift to do his morning paper round.

It’s been pretty baltic lately with many mornings sub zero.

With the car iced inside as well as outside!

During term time it’s a mad rush on morning to get to school.

So during these holidays, it’s been nice to walk round the local woods while he does his papers like during lockdown.

And in this blog I’d like to share a little from our walks this week.

The walk is around the woods between Craigton Road and the lane at the back of the International School and the Marcliff Hotel in Cults.

It is a 5 minute walk from our 4 bedroom self catering house on Airyhall Drive.

It’s part of a longer network of walks but is fine for a quick 20 or 30 minutes blast which you could obviously make longer if you wanted.

One way to start is just past the care home.

Fields just past the care home. Right on the edge of Aberdeen city.

It was just past here where this morning we saw 6 roe deer which were surprisingly tame.

They even let me do a quick live Facebook video of them on our Aberdeen Facebook page! Feel free to give us a like if you’d like to see more of our updates.

Cut in at the derelict building at the side of the road. Building is seen looking back here.

There are loads of paths round and through the woods,

and fields to explore.