Next year is going to be a rather special one for us at Grampian Escapes & Tours. In 2027, we celebrate our 10th anniversary.
Over the years, we’ve welcomed visitors from around the world and introduced them to castles, coastlines, ancient landscapes, fishing villages and plenty of places that rarely make it into the guidebooks.
There have been thousands of miles travelled, countless questions answered and more stories shared than we could possibly remember. But there is one thing we have learned. The places people remember most aren’t always the famous ones. Very often, it’s the story that stays with them.
So, for our anniversary year, we wanted to create a tour that celebrates exactly that.
Introducing 10 Stories of Aberdeen
Ten places. Ten stories. One city you probably weren’t expecting.
Aberdeen is known around the world as the Granite City, and more recently for its connection with the North Sea energy industry. But there is so much more to discover.
Our new 10 Stories of Aberdeen experience takes you from medieval Old Aberdeen to the North Sea coastline, through the historic fishing village of Fittie and into the heart of the Granite City.
Rather than simply visiting ten attractions, we’ve chosen ten stories that help explain Aberdeen. And, as you might expect from us, some are a little unexpected.
It’s the people who make the stories
At St Machar’s Cathedral and King’s College, we’ll discover saints, scholars and students and explore the fascinating story of a time when there wasn’t actually just one Aberdeen.
We’ll encourage you to look a little closer too. Look up at a carving. Notice an unusual doorway. Look at a beautiful building and then discover where the money that created it actually came from.
Sometimes hearing the story completely changes what you see. And that is something we want to do throughout this tour.
From medieval Aberdeen to the North Sea
The sea has shaped Aberdeen for generations. Fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, international trade and, eventually, offshore energy have all played their part in the city’s story.
But behind those industries were real people and families whose lives depended upon the North Sea. We’ll share some of their stories before heading somewhere that often comes as a complete surprise to first-time visitors.
Discover Fittie
Tucked beside Aberdeen’s enormous modern harbour is the historic fishing community of Fittie.
Step inside its little squares and suddenly you feel remarkably removed from the city around you.
There are colourful sheds, tiny gardens and cottages to discover, but it’s the stories of the people who lived here that make Fittie special.
Fisherwomen carried extraordinary loads and travelled miles to sell their catch. Families lived according to the weather and the sea. Superstitions became part of everyday life, and mischievous local children occasionally found themselves on the wrong side of some rather formidable fisherwomen.
That’s exactly the sort of discovery we love.
The people behind the Granite City
Of course, no Aberdeen tour would be complete without granite.
But rather than simply admiring the buildings, we’ll meet some of the people behind them. Quarrymen, stonecutters and masons spent their working lives extracting and shaping an incredibly hard local stone. Their skill transformed Aberdeen and helped create the distinctive city we see today.
And if the Scottish weather is feeling cooperative, you may discover why Aberdeen has another nickname. When sunlight catches the mica within clean granite, apparently grey buildings begin to sparkle.
Welcome to the Silver City.
Aberdeen has a darker side too
Not all our stories are comfortable ones. Around the Castlegate and Mercat Cross, we’ll explore an Aberdeen of markets, gossip, justice, punishment and fear. Instead of simply telling you that witch trials happened here, we’ll introduce you to one Aberdeen woman whose story survives in the historical records.
Her story involves neighbours, family arguments, accusations and fear. It gives us a glimpse into what life could be like when communities were trying to explain events they simply didn’t understand. We think that is far more interesting than dates on a timeline.
History becomes much more powerful when you meet the people who lived through it.
And we’re not telling you everything…
There are ten main stories on the tour. But there will be a few extras. We’ll share some local tastes, introduce a little Doric and add a few surprises along the way. What are they? We’re not telling you. After ten years of guiding, we’ve learned that sometimes the unexpected moments are the ones people remember most.
Visiting Aberdeen on a cruise?
We have created 10 Stories of Aberdeen particularly with cruise visitors in mind. When your ship arrives into Aberdeen, you only have a limited amount of time ashore. While heading into Aberdeenshire to discover castles and countryside is always tempting, we think Aberdeen itself deserves some of that precious time too.
The beauty of this experience is the variety we can explore without spending hours travelling. We combine comfortable small-group transport with short walks, taking you from medieval streets to the North Sea, a historic fishing community and the grand architecture of the city centre. It’s a chance to experience Aberdeen rather than simply drive through it.
And because our groups are small, there’s time to get out, explore, ask questions and have a conversation with your guide.
Come and discover your Aberdeen
If your cruise ship is calling at Aberdeen in 2027, or you’re planning a few days in the North East of Scotland, come and discover a different side of our city.
Meet saints and scholars, fisherwomen and granite workers. Hear darker stories and local legends. Discover hidden corners, taste something local and perhaps learn a word or two of Doric along the way. After ten years of exploring Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, we’re still finding new stories.
We’d love to share some of our favourites with you.
Prefer a private tour?
You certainly don’t need to arrive on a cruise ship to join us. 10 Stories of Aberdeen is also available as a private experience, ideal for couples, families, friends or anyone spending a few days in the city.
A private tour gives us even more flexibility. If something catches your interest, we can spend a little longer there. Perhaps it’s fishing heritage. Architecture. University history. Photography. Doric. Or Aberdeen’s darker stories. Some of our best tour moments happen when the conversation takes us somewhere we weren’t expecting.
Celebrating 10 Years of Discovery
Our anniversary gives us a chance to look back at how far Grampian Escapes & Tours has come, but we don’t want 2027 to be entirely about us. The past ten years have really been about people, places and connections.
The local businesses and communities we work with. The guides who share their knowledge and enthusiasm. And, of course, the visitors from around the world who have trusted us with part of their time in Scotland.
You’ve asked questions that sent us home to do more research. You’ve laughed with us, shared your own stories and sometimes introduced us to things about our own region that we didn’t know.
And we’ve watched people fall in love with places they hadn’t even heard of before arriving. That’s what 10 Stories of Aberdeen is really celebrating.
10 Stories of Aberdeen
Ten places. Ten stories. One city you probably weren’t expecting.
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