Scotland Visitor Survey 2012 Aberdeenshire Results Presentation - 11th April 2013
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
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Agenda
Survey findings and suggested actions
03
1 Setting the scene
04
2 Who is the visitor?
08
3 Planning and booking
15
4 Experiencing Scotland
19
5 Overall Visitor Experience
33
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
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Survey findings and suggested actions Survey findings
Suggested actions
Recommendations and connections play a big part in motivating first time visitors to the area. Focus on building connections to encourage repeat visits.
Overseas visitors rely heavily on online sources for booking both accommodation and travel so maintaining online information and providing access to internet booking options is key.
Aberdeenshire attracts a slightly older age profile compared to visitors to Scotland overall. Many were repeat visitors, with 68% feeling a connection to Scotland.
Bookings for accommodation and travel are most likely to be online, although a high proportion of UK visitors do not book travel in advance.
Stays in Aberdeenshire average around 5 nights.
Local people had a huge positive impact on the overall visitor experience with 91% agreeing that they were made to feel welcome by locals.
Highlighting the potential for Aberdeenshire to be the ‘main’ attraction for Overseas visitors could increase the average length of stay.
Provision of information and helpful and friendly people both perform particularly well in terms of satisfaction, while areas for concern include Wi-Fi and mobile phone reception.
The people are a huge strength of the visitor experience within Aberdeenshire and for Scotland overall, and continuing to communicate this message both to visitors and to the local population is important.
Promotional messaging around areas of high satisfaction would be beneficial while opportunities to improve internet access would be welcomed by many visitors.
In order to encourage a wider range of activities, VICs offer a good opportunity to highlight lesser known attractions, which may be particularly beneficial to repeat visitors who are visiting friends and family.
The most popular activities for visitors in Aberdeenshire are visiting historical sites, short walks and visiting country parks. VICs perform well at offering useful information on attractions and places to visit.
Scotland Visitor Survey © TNS January 2013
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1 Setting the Scene
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
Background to the survey Objectives of the survey The main objective for the Scotland Visitor survey was to understand visitors to Scotland through profiling,
analysis of behaviour and an understanding of their satisfaction with the visit. Interviews with visitors were undertaken in 14 regions of Scotland in the summers of 2011 and 2012. Interviews with visitors in Aberdeenshire were conducted in June-September 2012. This report focuses on results relating to visitors to Aberdeenshire only during summer 2012. Further information on the overall Scotland Visitor Survey survey results can be found on www.visitscotland.org
Using and interpreting the Scotland Visitor Survey results
The Scotland Visitor Survey results should not be viewed in isolation. The survey collates views on a wide range of topics to supplement data on tourism in Scotland which is gathered by the annual statistical surveys undertaken at a national level by; The Great Britain Tourism Survey, which provides volume and value estimates of domestic tourism from within Scotland and the rest of Great Britain and; The Office of National Statistics' International Passenger Survey, which provides details of tourism from abroad. The Scotland Visitor Survey gathers information from holidaymakers in Scotland on their experiences of Scotland. The survey captured the views of leisure overnight visitors only (this could include Scots spending an overnight trip away from their normal place of residence, as well as UK and overseas visitors). People on a day trip from home, visitors whose main purpose was a business trip and cruise ship visitors were excluded. The Scotland Visitor Survey is a summer only survey, and due to the scale of the project, it is not carried out for the full year. As such the results reflect the views of the main holiday season visitors who were in Scotland during JuneSeptember.
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Survey Background – Visits to Aberdeenshire
Email collected during visitors’ holidays
392 Face to face short interviews with visitors in Aberdeenshire. Face to face interviews took place between June & September 2012
Online survey
Online survey sent to email addresses between July and October 2012
164 completed surveys
Results analysed & weighted
164 online surveys completed about trips taken in Aberdeenshire. (This included visitors who were interviewed in Aberdeenshire only)
Results weighted to reflect the actual proportion of UK/Overseas visitors to Aberdeenshire*
*Further information available for weighting on the Scotland Visitor Survey overleaf
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Overview of Aberdeenshire survey locations Locations
F2F Interviews 2012
Online Completes 2012
Crathes Castle (including Woodend Barn, Banchory Museum/VIC)
142
52
Castle Fraser, Inverurie (NTS)
53
34
Grampian Transport Museum
37
15
Stonehaven
36
8
The Aquarium at MacDuff
29
7
Fraserburgh (Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and Fraserburgh Heritage Centre)
26
11
Banff/Macduff and Duff House
22
11
Banchory Town Centre
20
8
Mintlaw Aden Country Park/Farming Museum
14
9
Kildrummy Castle / Gardens
8
5
Pitmedden Gardens
5
4
392
164
TOTAL ABERDEENSHIRE
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2 Who is the visitor?
Who we spoke to during the summer
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
Visitors to Aberdeenshire Most visitors to Aberdeenshire were from the UK, rather than overseas. Those aged 35-54 years were the most likely to visit Aberdeenshire Gender %
14% 4% 9% 22%
48%
52% Origin %
58%
42%
Rest of UK
Scotland
32%
26%
Source: Q1 Which country do you live, Q40 Gender, Q41 Age
Š TNS January 2013
Slightly older age profile than Scotland overall (51% over 55 v 43% for all Scotland)
25%
UK
Scotland Visitor Survey
26%
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Overseas
Europe
Rest of world
23%
19% More overseas than Scotland overall (42% v 27%) 9
First time vs. Repeat visitor 30% of visitors to Aberdeenshire were on their first trip to Scotland, 70% were repeat visitors.
%
First time visitor, 30%
UK visitors to Aberdeenshire were more likely to be on their first visit to Scotland (52%).
Repeat visitor, 70%
Similar proportion of first time visitors to Scotland overall (27%)
SOURCE: Q4 Was this your first holiday or short break in Scotland?
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Who are visitors travelling with? Most visitors to Aberdeenshire are only travelling with one other person and this is most likely to a partner or spouse. Those from the UK are most likely to be travelling with children Average party size: 2
76%
Partner/spouse
34%
Your child/children Friend(s)
13%
Other members of your family
12% 10%
Your parents or your partner's parents I was on my own Someone else
5% 1%
Compared to Scotland overall – more likely to be travelling with partner or family – less likely to be with friends or larger groups.
UK visitors are the most likely to be travelling with children (40%).
Scottish and Repeat visitors are the most likely to bring other members of their family (23% and 15%)
Source: Q11 Which best describes who was with you on this trip. Q12 How many people were there in your immediate party.
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Connections with Scotland
In terms of broad connections to Scotland, 68% of visitors to Aberdeenshire feel they have a connection with Scotland. European visitors to Aberdeenshire are the least likely to have a previous connection with Scotland
Do you have a connection with Scotland? 34% Have family in Scotland
Business
5%
University
32%
68%
Have no previous connections with Scotland
of visitors to Aberdeenshire say they have a connection with Scotland
65% of Europeans have no connections with Scotland
20%
14%
8%
8%
No specific connections but have visited many times
13%
Have friends in Scotland
Ancestors lived in Scotland
Similar proportion of visitors with connections as Scotland overall (67%)
Have lived in Scotland previously
Q10 Before your trip, did you have any connections with Scotland?
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Key motivators to visit Aberdeenshire
Scenery was the main reason to visit the area. Family connections were also strong however least for first time visitors. Their main motivation was recommendations from friends or family Scenery/landscape of this area
24%
Family connections in this area
21%
It is an area I know well –been before
14%
To visit a particular attraction
14%
Particular interest in history of this area
13%
It was recommended to me by friends/relatives
10%
Found a good accommodation deal there
7%
Specific activities like golf or walking available
7%
To stay in a particular hotel or other accommodation
10% first time visitors
5%
Special occasion/celebration took place there
4%
Information in a Tourist Board Brochure
4%
24% first time visitors
Scenery and family connections more significant in this area than Scottish ‘average’
Q18 Which of the following prompted you to visit Aberdeen City and Shire?
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Planning & Booking Where can I find information about Scotland? How shall I book my trip?
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
Planning to booking...
Visitors to Aberdeenshire were most likely to start planning and booking their trip to Scotland between 3 and 6 months beforehand.
Didn't book in advance
12% 14%
Less than 2 weeks
2 weeks up to 4 weeks
Average planning time before trip: 17 weeks
14% 12% 11% 20%
1 to 2 months
19% 29%
3 to 6 months
Over 6 months
Average booking time before trip: 12 weeks
32%
First time visitors had a slightly longer average booking period than repeat visitors (14 weeks compared to 12 weeks)
22% 11%
Planning
Booking
Similar planning and booking lead times to Scotland as a whole.
SOURCE: Q13 How far in advance did you start planning this trip? Q14 And how far in advance did you book your trip in Scotland?
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Booking: Accommodation Most visitors booked through online sources for their accommodation, however a high number (23%) did not book in advance at all or were staying with friends or family
Accommodation
60%
34% Accommodation Website Booked
accommodation online
17%
12% Accommodation by email 10% Internet travel agent 2%
booked offline
travel company
2% 11% Accommodation by phone
1% Tourist board
4% Others
Website of tour operator/
VisitScotland.com
23% didn’t book in advance or stayed with friends, holiday home.
Similar results as for Scotland overall (67% booked online)
SOURCE: Q16a How did you book your accommodation.
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Booking: Travel Just over half of visitors to Aberdeenshire booked their travel online, mainly through a travel provider website. Over a third didn’t book their travel in advance 57% UK 2% Overseas
53% booked travel
Travel
online
8%
44% Travel provider website 6% Internet travel agent
booked offline
32% didn’t book in advance
2% VisitScotland.com 1% Website of tour operator
5% Travel agent (High St) 3% Others
25% UK 67% Overseas
Larger proportion booking online than Scottish average (43%) – related to greater proportions flying to destination.
7% Used own transport
12% UK 0% Overseas
SOURCE: Q16b How did you book your travel.
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4
Experiencing Aberdeenshire
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
What type of visit was it? Most visitors to Aberdeenshire were there on a holiday. Nearly 3 in 10 came to visit friends and family
Similar to results for Scotland as a whole.
60% 29% Visiting Friends & Family
Short break
7%
on an other type of leisure visit
Q 2 Which of the following best describes your trip?
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Type of trip Those visiting Aberdeenshire were most likely to be touring around Scotland, staying in a countryside location or visiting friends and family. Overseas and first time visitors were most likely to be on a touring trip.
A higher proportion of Aberdeenshire visitors were on visits to see friends and family compared to Scotland visitors overall (23% v 10%).
Overseas
63% 33
UK
40% 26 23
1
ST visit
First time visitors are more likely to be touring (71%)
8 2 Touring
Based in countryside location
Friends and family
City plus
City only
2
6
Activity break Other (inc. Golf, Events)
Source: Q3 And more specifically, how would you describe your trip?
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Length of stay in Aberdeenshire
79% of visitors to the area stayed 7 nights or less. Scottish visitors were likely to only stay 1-3 nights.
52%
27%
1-3 Nights
Scottish visitors
74%
1-3 nights
4-7 Nights
Rest of UK visitors
24% 51%
3%
10%
1-3 nights 4-7 nights
8-10 Nights
11-13 Nights
Overseas visitors
61% 16%
1-3 nights
3%
4%
14 Nights
15+Nights
5 nights
Average length of stay
4-7 nights
Source: Q9 During your trip, how many nights did you stay overnight in Aberdeen City and Shire?
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Finding information during the trip
Visitors to Aberdeenshire predominantly use Visit Scotland brochures or guidebooks to access information. Asking locals and accessing information on a laptop is also popular. Guidebooks/ Brochures
Brochure provided by VisitScotland/Tourist Board Guide books (e.g. Fodors, Lonely Planet) Tour operator's brochure
Online
People
38%
Asking locals
33%
Asking proprietors/ service staff Asking other travellers
5%
33% 28% 7%
@
A Laptop Smartphone An iPad/tablet PC
Internet in the reception or another public area The VisitScotland Days Out App Visited an internet cafe
32% 29% 12% 8% 4% 1%
At the Scottish level Tablet usage increased from 6% to in 2011 to 15% in 2012 (average 10% over both years) Smartphone increased slightly from 30% to 32% (average 31% over both years)
Source: Q22 And during your trip which of the following other methods, if any, did you use to obtain information about places to visit and things to do?
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Top activities undertaken in Aberdeenshire
The most popular activities in Aberdeenshire were visiting historic houses and taking short walks. Visited a historic house, stately home, castle
58%
Short walk/stroll - up to 2 miles/1 hour
50%
Visited a country park/ garden
46%
Shopping
45%
Sightseeing by car/ coach/on foot
43%
Trying local food
42%
Visited a beach
39%
Visited cities
32%
Visited a cathedral, church, abbey or other religious building
32%
Long walk, hike or ramble (minimum of 2 miles/ 1 hour)
27%
Visited a museum/art gallery
27%
Centre based walking (i.e. around town centre)
27%
Visited a visitor/heritage centre
27%
Visited a scenic/ historic railway/other architecture
26%
Night out /visiting pubs Had a picnic or BBQ Watched wildlife, bird watching Visited a whisky distillery
24% 20%
Visits to historic houses, stately homes and castles, taking short walks and visits to country parks are all slightly more popular amongst visitors to Aberdeenshire than Scotland overall.
17% 14%
Source: Q28a Did you take part in any of the following during this trip in Aberdeenshire.
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Type of Accommodation in Aberdeenshire
Hotels were the most popular type of accommodation in Aberdeenshire, however over a third of UK visitors stayed with friends or family.
33%
Hotel (Net)
27%
Friends / family
15%
B&B / Guest House
16%
Self catering
Caravanning
UK visitors more likely to be staying with friends and family (35%).
Overseas
7%
Hotel star grading 1% 15% 14% 5%
Overseas visitors are more likely to use hotels (37%) and B&Bs (29%)
Stays with friends and relatives were much more popular amongst Aberdeenshire visitors than amongst visitors to Scotland overall.
Source: Q27 What type of accommodation did you stay in during your trip – Aberdeen City and Shire?
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Experiences of Food
Amongst visitors to Aberdeenshire visitors the expectation is slightly lower than the reality of the food. A quarter of visitors rated their experience as excellent
25%
Excellent
9% 57%
Good
56%
Poor
Similar to results for Scotland as a whole.
16%
Neither
22% 2% 9% Experience of food during trip
Very poor
1%
Expectation of food before trip
3%
Source:Q30a&b Expectations and experience of food before and during trip?
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Eating out
Visitors to Aberdeenshire are most likely to eat in a cafe or tea shop. Pubs, bars and hotels are also popular.
56%
Cafes/tea shops
52%
Pubs/bars
49%
Hotel/s
46%
Good quality restaurants
35%
Friends / Relatives home
30%
Budget restaurants Other types of accommodation e.g. B&B/ Guest house
24% 16%
Fast food outlets
15%
Fine dining/premium quality restaurants None of these
Similar to results for Scotland as a whole.
4%
Q29 In which of the following types of places did you eat at whilst on your holiday/short break?
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Getting to Scotland
Visitors from the UK are most likely to drive into Scotland, and for Europeans this was also a popular method of transport. The overseas visitors were most likely to fly into Aberdeen Airport Other UK
Europe
Rest of World
Car own\friend's\firm's
58%
14%
13%
Car - hired
8%
38%
23%
Plane
15%
41%
55%
Train
15%
-
3%
Airports used
35%
Aberdeen airport
25%
Edinburgh airport
8% 8%
Glasgow airport Inverness airport
10% 8%
London Heathrow Manchester Airport London Stansted London Luton Other Airport in UK
Compared to the rest of Scotland, domestic visitors to Aberdeenshire are more likely to fly to Scotland and they are far more likely to arrive in Aberdeen Airport.
3% 3% 3%
Q24 What transport did you use on the longest part of your trip. Base: All Aberdeenshire respondents except Scottish residents Q25. Which airport did you arrive into. Base: All Aberdeenshire respondents except Scottish residents
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Getting around Scotland
Most visitors to Aberdeenshire travelled by car.
62%
Car own\friend's\firm's
34%
Car - hired
29%
Walked\on foot
16%
Train
12%
Regular bus\coach
9%
Boat\ship\ferry
4%
Bicycle Organised coach tour Motorised caravan\camper\dormo‌
3% 2%
Plane
1%
Motor cycle
1%
Other
Compared to Scotland as a whole more use of hire cars but less use of public transport.
3%
Q26 And which types of transport did you use during your visit, while in Scotland?
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Interacting with others during the trip
Visitors to Aberdeenshire were made to feel welcome and around half felt that interaction with locals really added to their experiences.
91% agree I was made to feel very welcome on my holiday by locals
52% agree Interaction with local people really added to my holiday experience
15% agree I made friends with other travellers I met during my holiday
More positive than all Scotland average (80%).
Q23 Thinking about people you met during your holiday, which of the following applies to you?
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Sharing experiences online during the trip
Updating a Facebook status and uploading photos online were the most popular sharing methods for visitors to Aberdeenshire. A large percentage did not share online at all 23% of all visitors in 2012 used any online platform to talk about their trip Uploaded trip photos to the internet, e.g. flickr, facebook
19%
15%
Updated facebook status Left reviews on websites such as tripadvisor
3%
Blogged about your trip 2%
Instant messaging via MSN 1%
Tweeted about your trip 1% Uploaded trip videos to the 1% internet i.e. YouTube
None of these Q22a. During your trip, did you do any of the following?
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
36%
Sharing the experience after the trip
After the trip, 31% of Aberdeenshire visitors shared trip experiences online, particularly through uploading photos.
30%
Uploaded trip photos to the internet, e.g. flickr, facebook
21%
Updated facebook status
12%
Left reviews on websites such as tripadvisor
Blogged about your trip
Instant messaging via MSN
Tweeted about your trip Uploaded trip videos to internet e.g. YouTube
3% 2% 2% 1%
None of these
59%
Q38. After your trip, did you do any of the following? Base: all Aberdeenshire respondents
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5 Overall Visitor experience
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Overall Experience
70% of visitors were satisfied with their visit to Aberdeenshire, with older visitors and those from the UK particularly satisfied. 4%
23%
Who is most satisfied?
2% 2%
(% very satisfied)
70%
Very satisfied
Repeat Visitors 71% 70%
93% Very/fairly satisfied Very satisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
Similar to result for Scotland as a whole (73%)
Fairly satisfied Fairly dissatisfied
Q31 Now thinking about your trip overall, how would you rate your overall experience of Aberdeen City and Shire?
Scotland Visitor Survey Š TNS January 2013
65+ age group 74%
UK visitors 76%
Recommend Scotland 94% would definitely recommend Aberdeenshire to others, with those aged 65+ and UK visitors particularly likely to recommend the area
Who is the most likely to recommend? Definitely
75%
Probably
19%
Fairly likely
5%
Probably not
1%
Definitely not
0%
(% definitely recommend)
65+ years (87%) UK (85%) Repeat visitors (83%)
Lower than result for Scotland as a whole (88% definitely)
94% would definitely/probably recommend
Q32 Based on your experiences during this trip, to what extent would you recommend Aberdeen City and Shire to friends and family?
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Likelihood to Return in next 5 years Half of Aberdeenshire visitors will definitely return in the next 5 years, however 20% say they will probably not
Return to Scotland in the next 5 years
Who is the most likely to return?
Definitely
51%
(% definitely likely to return)
Probably
15%
Fairly likely
13%
Scottish visitors (67%) 65+ (65%) Repeat visitors (63%) UK visitors (63%)
Probably not
20%
Definitely not
1%
Similar to average across all Scottish areas (48% definitely)
66% would definitely/probably intend to return to Scotland
Q33 How likely are you to take another trip in/to Aberdeen City and Shire again in the next 5 years?
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Aspects of the visit with high satisfaction in Aberdeenshire
The best performing aspects of the visit for Aberdeenshire visitors were all related to the VIC’s friendly and efficient service, and the availability of useful information. Friendly and efficient accommodation service also ranked highly Mean Score (out of 5) 4.4
Friendly and efficient service in VICs
54%
4.4
Welcoming feel of VisitScotland Information Centres
52%
38%
4.4
Availability of useful information in VICs
53%
36%
4.4
Overall satisfaction with VisitScotland Information Centres
4.3 4.3 4.3
Friendly and efficient service in accommodation Ease of finding VisitScotland Information Centres The availability of information locally about places you can visit during your trip Opportunities to interact with local people
4.2
Very satisfied (5)
48%
37%
42%
44%
47%
39%
50%
44%
46%
35%
52%
Fairly satisfied (4)
Q35 And thinking about your time in Aberdeen City and Shire, how satisfied were you with each of these aspects?
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Satisfaction with other aspects in Aberdeenshire The greatest areas for concern were Wi-Fi access, value for money when eating out and mobile phone reception. These were similar to concerns in other regions of Scotland. Mean Score (out of 5) 4.2
Value for money of attractions (historic sites, museums, visitor centres, etc.)
32%
4.1
Opportunities to attend local events/ festivals
30%
49%
4.0
Availability of good quality accommodation
31%
45%
3.9
Value for money in accommodation
3.9
Availability of local produce when eating out
21%
3.8
Availability of low cost/budget accommodation
22%
3.8
Availability of mobile phone reception
3.8
Value for money of eating out
3.6
Availability of WiFi and broadband access
24%
31% 18% 22%
50%
48% 51%
43% 41% 54% 41%
Very satisfied (5)
Fairly satisfied (4)
Q35 And thinking about your time in Aberdeen City and Shire, how satisfied were you with each of these aspects?
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Comments from respondents on their trip experience – best aspects of Aberdeenshire The friendliness of the people and how clean and fresh the air is there. It feels very healthy there
Absolutely surprising quality of food in pubs and restaurants, perfect train system (where still available), very friendly locals, lovely volunteers in historic houses and gorgeous nature. A fantastic landscape combined with lovely people. I was surprised to be able to understand Scottish English. It was easier than expected. Seeing family and spending time with them. Other than that, seeing beautiful places (Pitmeddon for example) and visiting stunning beaches - although the weather can be hit and miss. We stayed in Ballater and it was very friendly. The hotel was nice as was the food. The scenery was lovely. We holiday in Scotland a lot. It's amazing to have all this in our own country Loved driving through the countryside and stopping in small towns. Loved walking through some trails and visiting the distilleries and castles.
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Questions?
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