| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Group contact: | |
| When: | Monthly on Tuesdays 3rd Tuesday of the month |
This new group is an opportunity to join other members for a leisurely walk in a local park and also to learn a bit more about the park and its history.
The next walk will be held on Tuesday, 19 May, meeting at the carpark in Seaton Park next to the children’s play area at 10.30 am. The current plan is to walk down the park then up the Don and across the Diamond Bridge and over to the Crombie Mills site to see the artwork in the park area and the mill stream. We will then return via Tillydrone Community Hub which has a very reasonably priced café and back to the park passing the Wallace Tower. If time permits anyone who wants to go further can go to the Cruickshank Garden where there is a new Nuart exhibit.
PLEASE NOTE – attendance at group activities is restricted to Aberdeen u3a members. For joining details, please see our membership page.
Recent walks
The group had an enjoyable April walk, completing a circuit from Persley Walled Garden down the north side of the Don and after crossing the Grandholm Bridge returning up the south side back to the carpark at the garden. The weather was beautiful and we explored the history of the area which had numerous mills in the past, including Crombie Mills which produced high quality cloth and employed over 3000 people at one point, as well as older mills producing cotton. We saw a few relics including old machinery, remnants of buildings and the canals which fed water from the Don to power the mills.
The Don was rich in wild life including mallards and a variety of wild flowers such as primroses and wood anemones beginning to blossom. After the walk the group had an interesting coffee break in a sand café.
March 2026 - this walk took place on a sunny but blustery morning. A group of 10 met at the beach front and walked to Footdee where we enjoyed exploring the quaint and interesting streets as some members had not been there before. We then proceeded down to the harbour mouth where a few were lucky enough to spot a curious seal before it dived out of sight. We looked at the new statue erected last year for North Sea divers then circled round past the small playpark and north pier before returning along the beach front for a welcome cuppa.
In February 2026 there were snow showers before we set off but it turned out a lovely sunny morning and we walked from Duthie Park along the Deeside Way as far as the Auchinyell Bridge then back along the riverside. Everyone enjoyed the walk. Afterwards we had a cuppa in the Duthie Park cafe and as it was Shrove Tuesday some were tempted by a pancake!
January 2026 - the group met at Seaton Park and walked along the edge of the park towards St Machar Cathedral and on past the Wallace Tower to see the new cafe there. They then sauntered down towards the Diamond Bridge and back along the Don to view the community hydro scheme.
Returning to the park they encountered a large area of flooding at the bottom of the walk up to the cathedral.
After we had looked at the historic bridge we continued downstream finishing in the Brig O'Don restaurant for a coffee and a good chat. We shared interesting facts about the park and surrounds including its previous use as a racecourse.
