So, why should you want live and work in the North of Scotland?
I've spent the last fortnight on leave from work on my first proper Staycation and what a fortnight it's been!
We decided to become tourists in our own back yard and explore all that the North East has to offer,and we've discovered just how much is out there and it's made us fall in love with this area all over again.
Our holiday started on a gorgeous warm summer evening with open air theatre trip at Pitmedden Gardens to see David Walliam's Gangsta Granny. Then we headed into the wilderness for a walk round Loch Muick with a stop for ice creams from Ballater on the way home.
We had walks round Crathes and Drum Castles, made our way up Bennachie visiting three of the peaks, walked to Hackley Bay from the tiny fishing village of Collieston, lit a fire on the beach to cook marshmallow S'mores and braved the North Sea for an evening swim.
We saw seals in the Ythan Estuary and walked from here to the beautiful golden sands at Forvie. We went to the Haddo Estate and round the forest walks at Formartine's and headed north to Aden Country Park to see the ruined Mansion house and try milking cows on the 1950s farm.
Then we made for the Cairngorms stopping at Dufftown en route to see the waterfalls and the Giants Chair before arriving at Badaguish near Aviemore for a couple of nights Glamping in a wig-wam. We walked round Loch Morlich, body boarding and swimming in the Loch to cool off. Our final walk was up to the Green Lochan where the dog enjoyed a swim!
We also crammed in trips to the cinema and circus and another outdoor theatre experience watching Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.
Been back at work for three days now but still inspired to do more exploring round this amazing area and looking forward to revisiting some of these fabulous places and exploring more of what the North has to offer.
Dr Jenny Craig
Associate Adviser, NES, Aberdeen
