Kemnay on the River Don combines riverside and countryside walks with routes to special destinations. Four routes offer different highlights: the riverbank, a viewpoint, a historic palace and two ponds. There is also local art, stories from farming life and a nearby tower house.

Walking Routes with Different Destinations

The Riverside Purple Route starts at the Village Hall and leads to the riverbank along partly paved paths and high-quality gravel tracks. The Bishop’s Palace Orange Route also starts at the Village Hall and crosses the Fetternear Estate to the historic Bishop’s Palace. On the Place of Origin Green Route, the climb to Place of Origin is optional; from there, you can look out over the quarry, the village and the surrounding countryside. The Dalmadilly Ponds Dark Red Route follows paths around two Dalmadilly Ponds.

The descriptions give you specific destinations for walks in and around Kemnay: a riverbank, a viewpoint, a historic site or two ponds. On the Green Route, the climb is explicitly optional; the other three routes are described in terms of their course and destination.

Landscape Art and Local History

Place of Origin is a landscape art project. Work began in 1996; the project was completed in 2006 and officially opened by the Duke of Kent on 30 October of that year. The Green Route leads to Place of Origin, combining a walk with a visit to the site described as offering views of the quarry, village and countryside.

In Birley Bush Community Garden, the Birley Bush Steen features carvings depicting the old farming year, the changing seasons and the relationship between Clyack and Cailleach. On the west side is a depiction of a Clyack sheaf: the last sheaf cut during the harvest. The motif makes a specific harvest custom part of the design.

The Kemnay Steens are a series of nine waymarker stones. They reflect aspects of local history and were created for the local network of paths in and around Kemnay. Another trace of local history can be found in the granite: granite from Kemnay was used for Tower Bridge, the Forth Rail Bridge and the new Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Cultural Sites and Planning Your Visit

Castle Fraser is in the vicinity of Kemnay and is one of Scotland’s largest tower houses. The estate includes a traditional walled garden and extensive parkland. Castle Fraser thus adds another historic destination in the area to the walking routes and local artworks.

Kemnay House offers tours with tea in the drawing room from 1 pm to 5 pm. Check the arrangements before your trip. This lets you plan the visit as a separate activity alongside the walks and the various art and history themes.

Discover more destinations: Huntly, Aberdeen, Inverbervie, Kirkton Of Skene, Macduff, Milltimber, Balmedie, Newmachar.

For the main travel guide: Aberdeenshire.