Hi everyone!
Our last update post was way back on 27th July so I think we can officially say that I am the worlds worst spammer, haha!
But I’ve been busy!
After our little trip to Keswick, then South Shields, we explored our local patch to show how AMAZING Aberdeen and the Shire is and help our future guests plan their trips here!
Work wise, we’ve set up a You Tube channel! So please subscribe (we’re currently sitting on 9 followers so help us get into double figures, haha) if you’d like to share our adventures and see the castles, beaches, historic street and hills which I have already uploaded for you to enjoy all from the comfort of your own home!
We’ve also added book direct buttons for each Aberdeen & South Shields property on our website so you can now reserve our places instantly, and more importantly can BOOK DIRECT with us, me, the owner/manager so you get: BEST RATES, REFUND POLICY & BEST CHECK IN / OUT TIMES.
Anyway, back to the exciting stuff. Our adventures in South Shields and most recently Aberdeen!
We had a lovely our day trip an hour or so up the coast to the stunning seaside village of Sandend , then Cullen (note to self – post more photos/a blog of this amazing day out, and all the others!), where we devoured the legendary Linda’s Fish and Chips by the harbour and explored their amazing beaches!
Quaint fishing village of Cullen
Whilst collecting a sofa for our new place from Deeside we stopped off at the Bridge of Feugh, footbridge spanning the Feuch (a stream which is a contributory to the River Dee) to try to spot the salmon leaping up the falls as they make their way up to their spawning grounds.
We also managed the hour or so’s drive to cram in a lovely family walk around Loch Muick (another note to self: get the photos shared!) before Aberdeen was put back into a local lockdown on the 5th August. Boooo!
Loch Muick with the boy child – rare offspring authorised photo useage.
We were only allowed to travel 5 miles from home for leisure; so we did what we do best (apart from self catering homes obvs…) and headed east on a walk to Aberdeen beach!
Then, unbelievably the same day that the devastating storm and associated floods hit Aberdeen, we visited the beautiful Torry beach and harbour which is just over the River Dee from Aberdeen to look at the piers, supply vessels, wind turbines, harbour masters office, the cities amazing skyline, and THISTLES!!
In mid August my kids went back to school to end the summer holiday of all summer holidays and they are still loving being back amongst their mates! So pleased for them
We had a lovely walk around the Brig o Balgownie, and shared a video of 13th Century bridge (one of the oldest in Britain) which arches over the River Don in Aberdeen which then flows into the North Sea a few 100 metres from here!
Then, after our family city lockdown walk, we explored Old Aberdeen, to show you 18th Centrury Powis Gates, 14th Centruy Kings College, Old Aberdeen, 13th Centrury St Marchar’s Cathedral (where Willaim Wallace’s left arm is believed to be buried within the walls), then through Seaton Park and finished at the meandering River Don.
The beautiful Johnston Gardens was where we announced rumours that the Aberdeen local lockdown would be lifted and it was formally at midnight!
In the run up to my birthday I decided to treat myself and tried to ease off from work and explore the castles & beaches surrounding Aberdeen and my aim was to travel no further than 45 minutes from our Aberdeen home.
And it was mission accomplished!
On Thursday we headed North to New Slains Castle (of Dracula fame), Old Slains Castle, the stunning beaches/old fishing villages of Cruden Bay and Collieston, and climbed the stunning cliffs of Bullers Of Buchan in between. Oh, and had a cheeky lunchtime trip to BrewDog DogTap, the amazing Ellon-based craft beer brewers for a tasty Bufallo Chicken Burger!
The quaint fishing village of Stonehaven, Dunnottar Castle and then to the unbelievably beautiful St Cyrus National Nature Reserve to the south were explored on Friday.
The Cairngorm hills west of Aberdeen (intending to go on a hill walk but in usual fashion got distracted) were hit on Saturday; firstly Craigievar Castle (the pink Disney one) for a picnic in their vast grounds, then to the absolutely stunning Castle Fraser.
And on Sunday we headed north west to explore Haddo House a magnificent stately home & grounds, Fyvie Castle and finally Glen Garioch distillery. And squeezed in a lovely lunch in the quaint village of Tarves and also bumped into these colourful characters en route!
I had a lovely little day when my birthday finally arrived; nice lunch and walk along Aberdeen beach, then Fittie (or Foot Dee to give it its proper name, a fishing village thats been occupied since medieval times), then had lovely evening mealwith my kids.
We had a walk around the often forgotten about but beautiful ‘Grumps‘ as it is known by local Aberdonians!
Being the day it was, after dropping my daughter off at school I had a walk round Hazlehead Park to reflect, and took a few nice photos.The park was was originally part of the great hunting forests of Stocket just outside the city. In 1319 the land was gifted to the city by King Robert the Bruce, as part of the ‘Freedom Boundary’, in appreciation for the support that the townspeople gave prior to the King’s victory over the English at Bannockburn in 1314.
My daughter and I headed the 30 minutes or so up to Newburgh beach for a walk, managed a quick live video shoot of the stunning seal colony, then we visited the lovely Tolquhoun Castle
We had a lovely family city walk, and admired the stunning St Mary’s Cathedral, and a house that looks like a castle on Queens Road, Aberdeen!
And quick blast up Clachnaben with my son was just what the doctor ordered.
Having previously uploaded our Aberdeen property photos (taken on my iPhone7!) onto our business Facebook pages, I decided we needed professional support.
So last week we were REALLY BUSY improving our Aberdeen 2 & 3 bed self catering apartments and making some final tweaks ready for our professional photo and video shoot!
We cant wait to share the output of the shoot with you so we can better show off our amazing properties which will be an ideal base for you to visit Aberdeen for either leisure or business!
Last week involved quite an emotional day when we put our lovely South Shields beach apartment onto the market. I bought it to live in when I moved back to Shields a few years back and used to love waking up to this every morning! But I now live back in Aberdeen, we cant be in our lovely home as much as we’d like to. We absolutely LOVED living there and will cherish the memories which we made within those 4 walls. It’s a absolutely fantastic place to live. If you know anyone looking for a lovely place on the coast please let them know about it!
Also last week, it was announced that South Shields, where we have amazing 2, 3, & 4 bed self catering places also was to go into local lockdown.
But we can still host guests from one household or a bubble and you can still explore our amazing coastline!
In case you don’t know South Shields has THE BEST beaches; Littlehaven, Sandhaven, Marsden! And all the parks, coves, cliffs, nooks, crannies and everything else in between
To celebrate/commiserate the local South Shields/North East lock lockdown I am going to give the next 3 people who book direct with me a 15% discount on the third parties prices.
AND I AM NOW EXTENDING THIS OFFER TO OUR ABERDEEN PROPERTIES ALSO.
Booking direct gets you: BEST RATES, REFUND POLICY & BEST CHECK IN / OUT TIMES.
Reminder! You can book using our Book Direct button on our website, message me or just pick up the phone and call me!
We also passed the milestone of 1,000 likes on our Aberdeen Facebook page and are close to that number on our South Shields page and I really appreciate all of your interest, comments and likes on the posts. Especially on the live videos which can often feel dry without the engagement from you all.
Please feel free to support us further by sharing our SS & ABZ Facebook pages on your page, subscribing to our YouTube channel and SS & ABZ Instagram pages, following our blog on our website, and finally subscribing to our VIP mail list!
Thanks for reading, stay safe.
Colin.
