Attractions and Places To See around Deer - Top 20

Bram Stoker spent a lot of his time around Cruden Bay and New Slain's Castle. He found it an inspiration for his famous book Dracula. 🧛‍♂️ I recommend accessing it from Cruden Bay, as it's a stunning walk along the cliff tops.

The visitor centre is open daily 10am - 4pm. The impressive dune system is always open. 😉

The first building on the site of New Slains Castle was constructed for Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, following the destruction of the original Slains Castle. Named Bowness, it was located on a sea cliff close to what is now the village of Cruden Bay. Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, a convert to Roman Catholicism, had conspired with other Catholic nobles, including the Earl of Huntly, with whom he joined in a brief rebellion in 1589. Erroll was also a signatory of the "Spanish Blanks", documents signed by members of the Catholic nobility of Scotland, and otherwise left to be filled in with the terms of Spanish aid. Erroll was declared a traitor in 1594, and Old Slains Castle was destroyed on the orders of King James VI. After a period abroad Erroll returned to Scotland, and abjured Roman Catholicism in 1597, subsequently returning to royal favour. He abandoned Old Slains and built a courtyard and square tower on the present site, around 1600.

Surprised at how open to the public this is given its proximity to the cliff edge and how perilously perched one of the rooms is over the water below. I'm usually one to scoff/rail at over-eager H&S regs but in this case, I reckon closing off at least part of the castle might be in order. A fence at/around the headland wouldn't go amiss either. Approach at your own risk!

A beautiful little sandy bay. The coastal path goes above it or you can descend into the bay.

Forvie National Nature Reserve is a treasure located north of Newburgh in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland. Owned and managed by NatureScot, the reserve is one of Scotland’s most dramatic stretches of coast3. It covers almost 1,000 hectares of sand dunes and dune heath between the North Sea and the estuary of the River Ythan1. The Sands of Forvie, which are the fifth largest sand dune system in Britain, dominate the southern end of the reserve. These sands are the least disturbed by human activity in the country.

Don't walk there. Specifically, don't walk towards the end of the spit at the north side of the river so as not to disturb the seals and ground nesting birds. There are plenty of signs on the trails from the Forvie Car Park alluding to this. If you want to have a good look at the seals, park at the car park near the Newburgh Golf Club on the south side of the river just as you come into Newburgh from the south, signposted "Seals" Or park in the village and walk along the track as the car park if often busy. Then walk along the beach. Take binoculars and lots of photographs. You won't disturb the main body of seals 100 yards across the river and you will easily see them even without binoculars. And there are always a few curious seals in the water keeping and eye on folks on the beach.

Back open since lockdown and masonry inspections. Check historic Scotland for opening times. I visited again in August 2023. Youll find a surprising amount of castle to see!