Home Report Portlethen

Portlethen is a town in Aberdeenshire of roughly 7,300 residents. It is about 7 miles south of Aberdeen city centre, just along the A92. Situated on the coast, it was originally a small fishing village. The town as we know it today rapidly took shape in the 1970s when it expanded as a residential town for people working in Aberdeen’s oil industry. Today, it is a desirable place to live for people who wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the city yet live close enough to work in and enjoy what it has to offer when the occasion or mood takes them.

Many of the town’s residents do work in Aberdeen today, but also Stonehaven, Cove Bay, Dyce and Westhill. Transport links for commuters are well developed. The A92 runs along the western edges of the town allowing for fast travel north by car to Aberdeen. It also allows for travel south to Stonehaven and further still to Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, and all the way down to where it meets the M90 motorway at Dunfermline. Residents also benefit from Portlethen train station which has regular services into Aberdeen taking about 12 minutes. The station is on the Dundee to Aberdeen line, meaning residents can also take the train all the way south to Dundee where they can connect with services to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Portlethen is also connected by regular direct bus routes to Aberdeen in the north, and Newtonhill and Stonehaven in the south.

As for amenities in the town, a retail park was constructed in 1980s to provide local services and retailing for the growing town. Within the main shopping area there are a variety of take-away and restaurant outlets and four pubs. More interestingly though, there is a small rocky island called May Craig situated off the coast from Porthlethen. Pictish people would first inhabit the area to the west of May Craig and left prehistoric megalithic monuments known as the Causey Mounth. Other examples of these include the Old Bourtreebush stone circle and Aquhorthies stone circle. The town also has a Gala every summer on the last Saturday in August. Being only 7 miles away from Aberdeen means residents are well placed to travel quickly into the city to enjoy the greater number of amenities and attractions the city has to offer.

In terms of local schooling, children in Portlethen are served by Porthlethen Primary, Fishermoss Primary, and Hillside Primary School. When reaching secondary age, pupils attend Portlethen Academy.