Home Report Ellon

Ellon is a lovely town surrounded by countryside in Aberdeenshire, with roughly 10,200 residents. It is about 16 miles to the north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan. A former 19th century market town, today, Ellon is primarily an attractive, semirural commuter town for workers in Aberdeen.

Ellon has always had some form of habitation and quite a rich history. Its site on the River Ythan made it a particularly strategic location with it allegedly being completely destroyed in the rivalry between the Comyns and the Bruces around the 14th century. Though the settlement was quickly re-established for the important strategic point on the River Ythan. Numerous castles were erected in the area too, and some ruins of these persist today acting mainly as local tourist attractions.

Ellon, as we know it today really, took root in the middle of the 19th century when the town had a prosperous market, post office, several banks and five churches. In the latter half of the 19th century the railway station was built which linked the town to Aberdeen, Peterhead and Fraserburgh. The train lines in Ellon closed fully in 1969 but prior to that brought much commerce and prosperity to the town.

Present-day Ellon is one of the main dormitory towns for Aberdeen and has benefitted from the North Sea oil sector. Many people saw Ellon as an attractive proposition to escape the city of Aberdeen into a more rural setting, but still be close enough to commute and enjoy the amenities the city offers.

As such transport links are good and the town is bypassed by the A90 road, which offers convenient access to Aberdeen to the south and Peterhead and Fraserburgh to the north. Other major road links are the A920 west to Oldmeldrum and Huntly, and the A948 north to New Deer. As mentioned, there is no dedicated railway station for the town, and no concrete plans in place to establish one soon. Bus services are regular and frequent though, linking Ellon with Aberdeen, Inverurie, Peterhead, Fraserburgh and the surrounding towns and villages. Ellon has a large Park and Ride facility at the eastern edge of the town.

In terms of amenities and things to do, Ellon has the usual array of local independent and chain shops, as well as a number of popular cafes, restaurants, pubs and takeaways. The numerous castle ruins of Tolquhon Castle and Ellon Castle plus the grounds in the area are great for a bit of history and getting into nature. Likewise, Haddo House is an elegant stately home with stunning grounds – forming part of the larger country park area – and art collection, café and shop well worth walking around on a sunny day for the things to do and see. The former railway line was purchased by Grampian Regional Council in 1981 and is now part of the National Cycling Route network. For golfers, the McDonald Golf Club is found within the town to the north. Forvie Nature Reserve is a beautiful part of the country and is just a short drive away to the east of the town, offering some fantastic opportunities to see plenty of birds and even seals on the lovely sandy dunes.

In terms of education for the local population, Ellon has three primary schools, Ellon Primary School, Auchterellon Primary School and Meiklemill Primary School. These schools feed into Ellon Academy, the local secondary school, which currently has a roll of about 1200 students; however, due to ongoing residential development in the area, that figure is expected to rise. A new school (Ellon Academy) was opened in July 2015, on the outskirts of Ellon.