Huntly (Scotland)

Huntly is a town in Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland; in bygone times it was more snappily known as "Milton of Strathbogie". With a population of 4600 in 2022, Huntly is nowadays a commuter town for Aberdeen, as it's on the railway. The main reason to visit is the ruined castle.

Rhynie, also described here, is sometimes the butt of comedy for its rural obscurity, yet was once the seat of Pictish kings.

The nearest airport is Aberdeen (ABZ ^IATA). You could take a taxi from there to Dyce railway station to avoid doubling back through the city.

Huntly has trains every two hours from Aberdeen, taking 55 min via Dyce (for airport) and Inverurie, and continuing west to Keith, Elgin, Forres, Nairn and Inverness (another 75 min).

57.4445-2.77581 Huntly railway station is east side of town. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets and a waiting room. There's step-free access to both platforms.

Stagecoach North Bus 10 runs hourly from Aberdeen Union Square, taking almost two hours via Inverurie, and continuing to Keith, Elgin, Forres, Nairn and Inverness.

You can easily walk between Huntly village and castle but you need wheels for outlying sights.

KEF Taxis are on +44 1466 700316.

• 57.454881-2.7811691 Huntly Castle, Castle St, Huntly AB54 4SH, ☏ +44 1466 793191. Apr-Sep daily 10AM-3:30PM. Impressive shell of a five-story L-plan tower-house embellished by the Marquess of Huntly in 1602. It's about the third or fourth structure built on this site. Adult £7.50, conc £6, child £4.50.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 57.4622-2.8612 Huntly Falconry Centre is west of the river loop, take A920 west then turn up the lane. They put on flying displays Apr-Oct three times a day.
• 57.3563-2.764753 Leith Hall, Kennethmont AB54 4NQ (7 miles south of Huntly), ☏ +44 1464 831216. Hall Jun-Sep Thu-Sun 10AM-3:30PM, Oct Fri-Sun 10AM-3:30PM. Fine country house built in 1650. Sumptuously furnished with tapestries, china, artwork and furniture, visit by guided tour. Adult £17, conc £13.50, NTS / NT free.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 57.351-2.8594 Tap o' Noth 8 km south of Huntly was long thought to be a volcanic crater. But it turned out to be a prehistoric fortified settlement of 800 huts, which at some stage burned so fiercely that the hillfort walls became vitrified. Some artifacts date to 2000 BC, but its heyday was later in Pictish times. Access is from the car park south on A941.
• Rhynie is the small village south of the hillfort. Druminor Castle is an impressive tower house but it's a private residence, no tours. The Craw Stane is a granite slab with Pictish inscriptions: go south half a mile from the village and look east. Another, the "Rhynie Man", now graces the Aberdeenshire Council offices in the city. Other findings include a post-Roman amphora, and evidence of wine drinking, from 500-700 AD when the village may have been the seat of Pictish kings. But in the 1990s comedy review Scotland the What?, which mocked Aberdeenshire's lumpen agricultural ways, Rhynie was a frequent target. "How does it have a Station Hotel yet no railway or station?" - "Aw, but they were aye hopin' for one."
• St Mary's Kirk 2 miles south of Rhynie is the substantial ruin of a 13th-century church. It remained in use to 1810 with its original Romanesque features little altered.
• See Strathdon for sights further south, such as Kildrummy Castle.
• 57.445-3.1285 Dufftown is across the boundary in Moray, but easiest explored from Huntly. It has the ruined Balvenie Castle, lots of distilleries (Glenfiddich and Balvenie offer tours), and the Keith & Dufftown Heritage Railway.

• Football: Huntly FC play soccer in Highland League, the fifth tier, at Christie Park.
• Huntly Swimming Pool is on The Avenue next to the football pitch.
• Huntly Nordic & Outdoor Centre is north side of town in Deveron Park.
• Golf: Huntly GC is north side of town. It's 5359 yards, par 67.
• Horse-riding: centres within a few miles are Glenside Stables and Wardhaugh Farm.
• Dufftown Highland Games are held there on the last Saturday in July, with the next on Sa 25 July 2026.

Asda at the A96 / A97 junction south edge of Huntly is open M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 7AM-10PM and has a filling station.

Farmers Market is held in Huntly first Saturday of the month 9AM-1PM in Market Square.

• The Bank on The Square is open M Tu 10AM-3PM, W-Sa 10AM-3PM, 5-10PM, Su noon-7PM.
• Cafe India at 109 Gordon St is open daily noon-2PM, 5-10:30PM.

• Pubs in Huntly are Royal Oak and Crown Bar.
• Black Bull Distillery in Huntly produces blended whiskies, they don't issue a single malt. No tours.
• Glendronach Distillery makes whisky in Forgue to the east, tours available.
• Classic Speyside distillery country starts to the west at Dufftown, where Glenfiddich and Balvenie are among the famous names.
• Cabrach Distillery at Inverharroch Farm is expected to release its first whisky for sale in 2027. Tours available.

• Huntly Castle Caravan Park, Riverside Drive, Huntly AB54 4UJ, ☏ +44 1466 794999. Clean friendly caravan site open Apr-Oct. Tent £23, caravan £40. (updated Jul 2026)

As of July 2026, Huntly and its approach roads have 4G from O2, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from EE.

• Dufftown to the west has a formidable collection of big-name whisky distilleries.
• Elgin to the north has a much-assaulted cathedral.
• Attractive fishing villages along the north coast are Buckie, Portsoy, Banff and Gardenstown.
• Methlick, Fyvie and Oldmeldrum are quiet villages to the east.
• Aberdeen is the bustling city to the south.