Aberdeenshire sits on Scotland’s north-east coast, stretching from the edge of the Cairngorms to the North Sea. Rivers including the Dee and the Don run through the area; Royal Deeside and the Balmoral estate lie along the upper Dee. Hills such as Bennachie rise from agricultural lowland, the Mither Tap on Bennachie a local landmark. The landscape moves quickly from upland tracks and forestry to arable plains and a long, indented shoreline with working harbours and fishing piers.
Towns and villages spread along roads and rail corridors, with Stonehaven, Peterhead and Fraserburgh among the larger coastal centres. Agriculture, fishing and energy services shape the local economy, alongside visitor routes like the Formartine and Buchan Way and historic trackways such as the Causey Mounth. The county contains more than 200 castles, estate houses and ruined towers that mark settlement and land use over centuries. Coastal cliffs, inland burns and estate policies create a pattern of land parcels that supports farms, forestry and coastal communities.
