Drum Castle

Drumoak (, Scottish Gaelic: Druim M'Aodhaig, lit. 'the ridge of St Aodhag') is a village situated between Peterculter and Banchory in North Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Drumoak is proximate to the River Dee, with Park Bridge, named for the local Park Estate, being a local crossing; Park Estate, was formerly owned by the railway engineer Sir Robert Williams; Sir Robert is interred at Drumoak. There is a church, small shop (located in Park), bowling green and the, now demolished, Irvine Arms restaurant pub (aptly named after the family that owned the 13th century Drum Castle). Drum Castle is run by the National Trust for Scotland and is open to visitors. Relics and portraits of the Irvine family are kept here, and it was conferred by Robert the Bruce onto William de Irvine. There are a number of housing developments progressing; a new primary school and nursery with over 100 pupils serves Drumoak. The Dee River gravels also attract gravel extraction on both sides of the river. Drumoak Manse in 1638 was the birthplace of James Gregory, discoverer of diffraction gratings a year after Newton's prism experiments, and inventor of the Gregorian telescope design in 1663. The design is still used today in telescopes such as the Arecibo Radio Telescope upgraded to a Gregorian design in 1997 giving Arecibo a flexibility it had not previously possessed. His older brother David was also born there in 1620.Between Drumoak and Peterculter is the site of a Roman encampment Normandykes

Park railway station was opened in September 1853 by the Deeside Railway and served the rural area around the Park estate, Nether Sunnyside, West Redford and the hamlet of Park. The Deeside Railway was taken over by the GNoSR and in 1894 nearby Culter became the terminus for the majority of Aberdeen suburban services with only a few trains continuing through Park to Banchory. Despite the 1937 closure of many other stations on the Aberdeen suburban service, Park remained open until 1966 as an intermediate station on the Deeside Railway that ran from Aberdeen (Joint) to Ballater. Park station was located in Drumoak Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Drum railway station was opened in January 1854 by the Deeside Railway and served the rural area around Drum Castle estate. The Deeside Railway was taken over by the GNoSR and in 1894 nearby Culter became the terminus for the majority of Aberdeen suburban services with only a few trains continuing through Drum to Banchory. Despite the 1937 closure of many other stations on the Aberdeen suburban service, Drum remained open until 1951 as an intermediate station on the Deeside Railway that ran from Aberdeen (Joint) to Ballater. Drum station was located in Drumoak Parish, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Park Bridge is a road bridge in Aberdeenshire, Scotland which crosses the River Dee. It is currently open to pedestrians and cyclists, and it also carried vehicular traffic until February 2019.

Cullerlie stone circle, also known as the Standing Stones of Echt, is a small stone circle situated near Echt, Aberdeenshire. It consists of eight irregular stones of red granite arranged at approximately equal intervals to form a circle of 10.2 m (33 ft) diameter, enclosing the same number of small cairns. The cairns are characterised by outer kerbs or rings of stones, with a double ring surrounding the central cairn and a single ring in the others. All but one of the cairns have eleven ringstones, with the last having nine. The whole circle sits on a patch of gravel which forms the end of a low gravel ridge linking the site with Leuchar Moss. It is regarded as "a later development from the recumbent stone circle", though its layout with kerbed cairns within the circle makes it unique. At the time that the circle was built in the second millennium BC, the surrounding landscape was characterised by wet bogs, and the stones were transported to the site from higher ground some distance away. The tallest of the stones marks the north side of the circle. They vary in height from 1.09 m (3.6 ft) to 1.80 m (5.9 ft). A 2004 survey of the site discovered that several of the stones had been carved with previously unnoticed cup marks.Excavations carried out in 1934 by H. E. Kilbride-Jones on behalf of the Ministry of Works, showed that the circle was built in stages. The entire site had first been cleared, leveled and burned by setting fire to piles of willow twigs. Then came the outer stones, with their bases shaped into points to make them more stable in their gravel bed. They have been somewhat eroded over time by acidic peat eating away the lower portions of the stones. Oak and hazel were burned within the stone rings, leaving charcoal behind, and cremated human bones were deposited in the ashes within five of the rings. They were then filled with smaller stones to create the cairns visible today.The circle may once have had several companions. In 1820 James Logan wrote: "The small Circles contained in the larger present a curious singularity; and it is also remarkable that, at a short distance to the southwest, are nine others of similar dimensions." However, when the site was excavated in 1934, no trace of these satellite circles could be found.

Balfour (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Phùir), Aberdeenshire is a settlement on Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Balfour lies south of the River Dee.

Garlogie (Scottish Gaelic: Geàrr Lagaidh) is a roadside hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was, during the 19th century, the site of a textile milling settlement using water from Loch of Skene. The mill is now a museum. Garlogie also has an inn. To the southwest, there is a gas compression and odourisation station which forms part of the National Gas Network.

Durris Castle or the House of Dores was an early royal residence on the southern bank of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The castle controlled the northern end of the Crynes Corse Mounth trackway. Dating from at least the 13th century, the castle, a motte and bailey, was occupied by Alexander III and is mentioned in the Chamberlain Rolls of the time as the subject of repairs. King Edward I of England stayed one night in 1296 at the castle, during his invasion of Scotland. Durris was granted to the Fraser family by King Robert I of Scotland and created into a barony by King David II of Scotland.It was burned by the Marquis of Montrose in 1645 and not rebuilt. No remains of the castle exist today, but the 7-metre-high conical knoll on which it stood retains the name Castle Hill. The hill has a flattened summit measuring 41 metres by 30 metres, and its sides may have been artificially steepened. Evidence remains on the western side of the site of a 2.6 metre ditch, possibly a moat.

Coalford is a village in Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is slightly north of the River Dee and about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Peterculter. The population is around 100. Nearby prehistoric sites along the Deeside include Balbridie and Bucharn. Also nearby is the Roman Camp of Normandykes, which was accessed from Raedykes via the Elsick Mounth trackway.Historical structures in the vicinity include Crathes Castle, Muchalls Castle, Maryculter House and the Lairhillock Inn. Nearby is a statue of Rob Roy MacGregor. Along the River Dee is a church ruin commonly known as "Dalmaik Church" or the "Coalford Church". A plaque at the entrance that it served as the "Kirk of Drumoak" from 1062 to 1836. Graves there date back to the 18th century.

Leuchar Burn is a stream that rises in the Loch of Skene, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland Initially near the headwaters Leuchar Burn flows in a southerly course; as it approaches the Royal Deeside, the watercourse rotates to the southeast, ultimately forming a boundary between Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City. The stream then veers southerly once again before merging to the Culter Burn, which joins the River Dee at the village of Peterculter.

Kirkton of Durris is a hamlet in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historic structures in the vicinity include Maryculter House, Durris House and Muchalls Castle. A short history of the parish of Durris was written in 2019: The Parish of Durris: some historical sketches. 239pp. ISBN 978-1-5272-3732-2. The author was Robin Jackson. The book contains the following chapters: 1. Early history; 2. Religious history of Durris; 3. Statistical accounts; 4. Life in a rural parish: Part one; 5. Life in a rural parish: Part two; 6. A Durris kirk mystery; 7. Durris House; 8. Lairds and proprietors of Durris; 9. The Milne family of Durris; 10. Conclusion.