The Old Aberdeen heritage trail walk to the Brig o' Balgownie

A walk · Aberdeen

Old Aberdeen – Cobbles, a Crown Tower and a Bridge on the Don

Old Aberdeen was a town of its own until 1891, and it still feels like one: a cobbled High Street, a college with a stone crown on its tower, a cathedral and a medieval bridge over the Don.

The city council's heritage trail strings them together in a walk of about 2.5 km from south to north. It ends on the Brig o' Balgownie, above a deep pool called the Black Neuk, which Byron put into Don Juan.

Time: About two hours for the trail, 2.5 km one way, and about 35 minutes more to walk back to King's College.
The path: Level streets, cobbled in places. Seaton Park slopes down to the river, and the bridge has a steep cobbled hump.
Where to start: Limited on-street parking near St Machar's Cathedral at the top of the Chanonry. At weekends, the university's car parks on Tillydrone Avenue and Dunbar Street.
When to go: All year. Walk Seaton Park and the riverside in daylight: the park paths are unlit.
Dogs: On a lead in the streets; keep a dog close by the river.
Children: Quiet streets with a little traffic on the High Street. The river runs beside the path at the far end.
Before you set out: The trail ends at the bridge: allow time to walk back. Sunday services at the cathedral are at 11am and 6pm.

The walk

Parking in Old Aberdeen is limited to a few spaces on the street near St Machar's Cathedral, at the top of the Chanonry. At weekends the university opens its car parks on Tillydrone Avenue and Dunbar Street. The number 20 bus runs from Guild Street, beside Aberdeen station, to the High Street, so check its times if you'd sooner leave the car. The trail's first point is St Margaret's Chapel on the Spital, a short walk south of King's College, and from there it runs north all the way. Early on come the Powis Gates, a pair of white towers with minaret tops put up in the 1830s.

King's College is next, founded in the 15th century, with the stone crown on its chapel tower. Then the cobbled High Street runs between granite houses to the old Town House, and the quiet Chanonry leads on to St Machar's Cathedral. The cathedral is open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 4.30pm until 31 October. From 1 November to 31 March it's 10am to 4pm, and Sunday afternoons from 12.30pm to 5pm. Behind it, Seaton Park drops to the River Don, and a riverside path brings you to the Brig o' Balgownie.

The story goes that it was begun about 1300 and finished by Robert the Bruce, though the bridge you cross today was rebuilt in the early 1600s. The council gives the trail as about 2.5 km and two hours with time to look. It ends at the bridge, so allow about 35 minutes more to walk back to King's College. It's cobbles in the old streets, slopes in the park and a steep cobbled hump on the bridge, and the park has no lights, so do it in daylight.

If it rains

The streets are fine in a shower and St Machar's Cathedral is under a roof when it's open. In heavy rain, turn back at the cathedral and leave the park and the bridge for a dry day.