Seabirds fly below the train as it crosses the Firth of Forth with late afternoon light sparking the water. A kestrel hovers over hay meadows near Kirkcaldy. The lumpy Lomond Hills are sun-misted and the woods are touched with autumn gold. The final stretch of the seven-hour train journey from London to Aberdeen runs along the rocky Scottish shore past forts and firths. (York-Aberdeen costs from £32.30 one way, London from £68.80, lner.co.uk).
Looking back, near Stonehaven station, I can see Dunnottar Castle. The walk from Stonehaven along the cliffs to this castle on its promontory in the North Sea is one of many exceptional car-free days out from Aberdeen. It’s a city I keep coming back to. I first arrived expecting oil rigs, grey buildings, and bad weather – and I found art galleries, wooded lochs, 91 miles of coast, and surprisingly mild weather in one of the UK’s sunniest cities. Aberdeenshire also has good, reliable public transport. I’m spending a week exploring by bus, from the county’s south-west corner in the Cairngorms to Scotland’s first mainland lighthouse on Aberdeenshire’s north-easterly tip. The scenic journeys I take are cheaper with a countywide Bluebird Explorer 7-Day MegaRider (£51.20/£38.40 full price/student).
