(062) Aden Country Park Circuit (Aberdeenshire)

Route Summary
This is a short walk around the attractive landscaped grounds of Aden Country Park. The route passes the striking remains of an old mansion house before diverting to the ruins of a medieval church in Old Deer. We also recommend a trip to nearby Aikey Brae Stone Circle.

Duration: 1.5 hours.

Route Overview
Duration: 1.5 hours.
Transport/Parking: Stagecoach services to Mintlaw (e.g. #60, Aberdeen to Ellon, then #67/#68, Ellon to Mintlaw). Check timetables. It is approx. 2.4 km to walk from the roundabout in Mintlaw to the walk start-point near the Farming Museum complex. There is ample parking near the start of the walk and the Farming Museum complex.
Length: 4.460 km / 2.79 mi
Height Gain: 63 meter
Height Loss: 63 meter
Max Height: 45 meter
Min Height: 69 meter
Surface: Smooth. Good paths and country park roads. Sections may be muddy after wet weather. Suitable for off-road mobility scooters.
Child Friendly: Yes, if used to walks of this distance.
Difficulty: Easy.
Dog Friendly: Yes, on lead on public roads and near farm animals.
Refreshments: Country Park Inn, Simpsons Garden Centre, Macbi Community Hub.

Description
This route facilitates a gentle stroll around the periphery of Aden Country Park. The Park occupies 230 acres of mixed woodland and parkland near Mintlaw. The Park is home to the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum, a ruined country house, numerous forest walks, a large pond, and a meandering section of the South Ugie Water. The Museum occupies part of a beautifully restored early 19thC semi-circular farm steading, and features the “Weel Vrocht Grun” (well worked ground) collection, with displays and implements relating to the region’s farming history, and developments in agriculture over the last two centuries. The Hareshowe farmhouse was moved to Aden Country Park in the early 1990s. The interior of the farmhouse has been restored to a 1950s appearance. The now roofless, but still striking, grey granite Aden mansion house formerly belonged to the Russell family who acquired the Aden estate in 1758. Close by, the walk passes through an attractive Victorian arboretum, where the route makes a short diversion to the village of Old Deer to check out the interesting ruins of the 15thC Old Kirk. In the online album of photos for this walk we have also included images we recorded at the nearby Aikey Brae Stone Circle which can be accessed up a signposted minor road about 1 km west of Old Deer on the B9029 road to Maud. It is the most complete recumbent stone circle in northern Aberdeenshire and is located on a lonely hilltop with an open southerly aspect. The circle comprises ten stones and covers an area of 14.4m in diameter. The large recumbent stone weighs over 21 tonnes and is made of whinstone that must have been transported, by means unknown, from some distance away. It is well worth a visit! Some useful links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086914704551
https://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Grampian/churches/old-deer.htm
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/deer/aikeybrae/index.html