Kincardine O'Neill - Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms, Scotland

Just 25 miles west of Aberdeen on the banks of the River Dee is the quaint village of Kincardine O’Neil, known locally as Kinker. Nestled between the larger settlements of Banchory and Aboyne, this village is thought to be the oldest in Deeside.

Since ancient times there was a crossing of the River Dee at Kincardine O'Neil. As one of the main crossing points over the river, this made the village a busy location. And it was this volume of passing traffic on middle age trackways which led to the development of nearby settlements and early castles such as Aboyne Castle.

In the 19th century, the Deeside Railway was built. However it bypassed the Kincardine O’Neil and therefore, unlike many neighbouring villages and towns, impeded its expansion. This is evident by the architecture of the buildings in the village. The houses that line the main street were not heavily modified by later development and thus the architecture reflects that of the late 18th and early 19th Century. This led to Kincardine O’Neil being declared a conservation area in 1978.

Earth-house specimens were found to have existed near the ancient village of Kincardine O'Neil. These houses were all under ground and had narrow, low entrances so they would not be visible. There is an earth-house a few miles from Kincardine O'Neil, which has been preserved and can be visited.