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Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain) is Scotland 's third largest city, with a population of about 202,000. Aberdeen is the county town of Aberdeenshire , and the chief seaport in the north-east of Scotland.
Aberdeen is commonly referred to variously as "the Granite City", or the "Silver City" on account of the grey, occasionally sparkling building stone used in older buildings in the city; and the "Flower of Scotland", Aberdeen long having been famous for outstanding parks, gardens and floral displays. These days, Aberdeen also boasts the title of Oil Capital of Europe thanks to the supply of crude oil in the North Sea, and stands on a bay of the North Sea, between the mouths of the rivers Don and Dee.
Aberdeen is a relatively small city - much smaller than Glasgow or Edinburgh. It has a harbour and pleasant beach. It has a distinct identity from other Scottish cities, especially the two largest in the Central Belt . It has some of the oldest university buildings in Europe (King's College was founded in 1495), and its citizens were fond of boasting in centuries gone by that Aberdeen had as many universities (Marischal and King's) as all of England ( Oxford and Cambridge ). After the discovery of oil in the North Sea, the city expanded greatly and several new suburbs were formed. The city has seen continued growth ever since, and a range of new developments are planned over the next few years. The district of Bridge of Don has become, in just thirty years, one of the largest suburbs in Europe, and is one of many areas of the city which retain the feel of a village in parts. Perhaps the best examples of this are the line of suburbs stretching towards Royal Deeside, including Cults and Peterculter.
The local Aberdeen dialect is Doric, very different what is heard in other parts of Scotland. At first hearing it (and the distinctive accent) may seem utterly impenetrable, even to other Scots. It has its origins in the farming communities nearby and is not as spoken as widely as it used to be. However, there is still a good chance you will encounter the dialect on your travels, so here are a few commonly used words with translations:
- "Fit like?" - A greeting, essentially, "How are you doing?".
- "Nae bad yersel?" - A reply, essentially, "Not bad, how about you?".
- "Fit?" - "What?".
- "Fa?" - "Who?".
- "Far?" - "Where?".
- "Fan?"- "When?".
- "Aye" - "Yes".
- "Na'" - "No" (usually, an n sound followed by a vowel constitutes "no".
- "Wee" - "Little", though this famous Doric word has become common in other areas worldwide nowadays.
- "Dinnae ken" - "Don't know".
- "H'min" - "Excuse me good sir?"
- "far aboot ye fae?" where are you from?
- "ben a/eh hoose" - "Through the house/in the other room"
- "gie" - "give"
- "guy" - "very"
- "Here, will ye trap ma mate?" - "Excuse me, will you kiss my friend?"
If you politely suggest you don't understand, almost all Doric speakers will be able to regulate their dialect and adopt more standard English to converse with you. It should be noted that only a small minority actually talk in broad Doric (which is almost unintelligible, even to most Scots), however the accent and dialect will influence the language of a good deal more local people to some degree or another. A good number will have no traces of it whatsoever in their speech, particularly in the middle and upper social classes.
In most of the north east, meals are named differently from other areas. First meal of the day- Breakfast. Second meal of the day- Dinner, sometimes pronounced "daenner" but however it is said, it is usually very easy to recognise.
Aberdeen-Dyce Airport is situated 7 miles from the city centre. The airport offers a wide range of domestic and short haul European international flights. Buses run from the airport to the city centre throughout the day. The nearest railway station is Dyce (which is now connected via an Airlink bus 06:45 - 19:00 Mon-Fri, £1.50 each way), and connects to stations in Aberdeen and Inverness. Taxis are available outside the terminal and will cost around £20 to Aberdeen City Centre.
Major hub destinations include London-Heathrow (10 daily), Paris-CDG (3 daily) and Amsterdam (3 daily). Domestic destinations include Birmingham, Norwich, London-Luton (2-3 daily), London-Gatwick (3 daily), Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle. Other routes heavily cater to the oil industry including Scatsta-Shetland (12 charter flights daily), Stavanger (10 daily), Oslo (6 weekly). Occasional longer distance holiday flights also operate by the likes of flyglobespan.
The list of destinations can be found on the airport's website http://www.aberdeenairport.com
By train
Aberdeen Station is located right in the middle of town, next to the Harbour and Bus Station, slightly down from Union Street, the main thoroughfare. Services come from the South via Perth and the North to Elgin , Inverness and similar places.
The three main operators serving Aberdeen are:
- East Coast, http://www.eastcoast.co.uk . Three direct trains a day serve the major east coast cities ( Edinburgh , Newcastle , York and terminate in London (King's Cross).)
- ScotRail, http://www.firstgroup.com . Serves all the major Scottish hubs, including Glasgow , Edinburgh , Dundee and Inverness . The Caledonian Sleeper to London (Euston) leaves every night except Saturdays at around 20.30.
- Virgin Trains, http://www.virgin.com . Serves a range of destinations on the Cross-Country route, including Carlisle , Manchester and Birmingham . Some services stretch all the way down to Penzance in South West England - the UK's longest train journey.
By boat
Ferries operated by NorthLink http://www.northlinkferries.co.uk arrive at Aberdeen harbour from Lerwick and Kirkwall .
By car
Aberdeen lies halfway along the long A90 arterial road that hugs the eastern, North Sea coast of Scotland between Dundee and Peterhead . With relative ease this permits access by car from points across Britain.
From Aberdeen, the A96 runs roughly north-west over the Gordon Highlands to Elgin and Inverness .
It is also possible to rent a car in Aberdeen from well known companies such as Avis and Hertz and other local companies such as Logan Car Hire http://www.logancarhire.com
On Foot
Pedestrian Maps
There are quite a few of these located around the city centre, mainly in points of interest. They are very useful for navigating the rather random layout of the city centre and also give details of where to go to catch a particular bus.
Aberdeen walking directions http://www.walkit.com can be planned online with the walkit.com http://www.walkit.com walking route planner.
By train
Aberdeen does not have a particularly good rail service to the local outlying areas, but it does exist (there's talk of a Crossrail but that's years off). The station is on Guild Street next to the bus station (just south of Union Street). The local services run to:
Dyce - On the north west of the city along the Inverness line. This is an option for travelling to the airport, but you have to catch a taxi (these are generally easily available but a bit pricey). Believe it or not, but the cheap day return (£2.60) is slightly cheaper than catching the bus (£2.70 for a day pass). This is certainly a preferable way to travel in rush hour too as the journey time is 10 minutes as opposed to the hour+ it takes on the bus. There are plenty of trains, though the frequency is quite scattered. The station is located just off the main street.
Inverurie - The next stop up the line from Dyce. Trains are less frequent than to Dyce, but the service has benefitted recently from the addition of some extra journeys. The station is located a short walk from the town centre.
Portlethen - The first stop south on the Dundee/Glasgow/Edinburgh line. There are extremely few services stopping here outwith rush hour. The station is on the east of the town on the road to the old village. A walk from here to the main shopping area will take you around 10-15 minutes, there are buses that run every 20 minutes just outside the station if you need to use them.
Stonehaven - The next stop down from Portlethen. Trains are fairly frequent (at least once an hour). Buses to Stonehaven centre depart from the hotel across from the station, or you can walk. (takes 10-20 minutes depending on your speed)
By bus
Aberdeen has a fairly decent bus network, though it is expensive to use (there are no multi-operator tickets either). The city is served by 2 operators First http://www.firstgroup.com and Stagecoach http://www.stagecoachbus.com . On the whole, buses are modern and fairly comfortable with a few dinosaurs still doing the rounds. If you are connecting buses, it should be noted that you'll probably have to change in the city centre as that's where the majority of services run through/terminate.
First's services are entirely within the city boundary, although they do serve the suburbs of Dyce, Cults & Culter and Kingswells. The network "branded as The Overground" is based on a colour coded system with all the main lines having a colour while the "less important" lines are left grey on the map, which is in the style of that of the London Underground. This makes it fairly easy to find your way around. Services begin around 5AM and end close to midnight with night services run at weekends (currently run at a flat fare of £2.20 single).
Fares are based on a fare-stage system and cost from 70p for a short journey to £1.60 for a longer one. Day passes are available for £3 (£2.70 after 9AM). Show a valid student ID for a discount on the day pass (£2).
First also run the popular (and rightly so) Park & Ride http://www.parkandride.net (National Park and Ride Directory) from Kingswells (just off A944) and Bridge of Don (off A90). The Bridge of Don service runs from the Exhibition and Conference Centre, which is easy to spot on the main northbound road. Parking is free, and the service costs £1.80 (per person) for a return journey to anywhere along the route. Up to two under 16s go free when accompanied. Day passes are available for purchase if you are planning to change buses.
Stagecoach run the services to outside the city boundary. Locations closer to Aberdeen generally have more frequent services (for example, a 15 minute frequency to the suburb of Westhill) than those further out. In addition to this, they run 1 service wholly within the city boundary (the 59). For single fares, Stagecoach are generally a cheaper option within the city than First, but they lack the frequency and network of First. Fares are based on destination, however there is a day pass called the Explorer which, for £11, allows you unlimited use of the entire Stagecoach network in the area (as far out as Montrose or Peterhead for example).
By taxi
Taxis are widely available from a number of ranks dotted around the city centre. The main ranks are located on Back Wynd, Market Street and the railway station. There are more located further up Union Street, they're easy enough to spot. Taxis can be difficult to come by at night due to a shortage of them (ranks are patrolled by marshals at night on special nights) and can actually be difficult to flag down on the street as many drivers do not give any indication if they're available for hire and will not pick up groups of males. To call for a taxi, phone ComCab at 01224-35 35 35. Fares are metered and regulated by the Aberdeen City Council and last revised in November 2008.
By bicycle
Due to the many narrow roads and inadequate lane provisions, this can be rather treacherous at times. Cycle lanes are appearing as are cycle "boxes" at traffic lights so the situation is getting better for those who cycle. It's getting easier to park a cycle too, the council are beginning to provide loops for chaining bikes to within the city centre streets and within the municipal multi-storey car parks.
It is possible to cycle from Aberdeen city centre to Peterculter along the Old Deeside Railway line. The line begins just outside Duthie Park and passes through Garthdee, Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber before ending at Station Road. It is mostly paved with very few breaks where it is necessary to cross the road. It is very scenic and relaxing, and is also used by people walking dogs, riding horses, other cyclists, and other people just enjoying a stroll so being courteous is a must. There are signs placed along the line with bits of history about the line and how it came to be.
