The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Banff And Macduff

Whitehills Marina is an award-winning village owned marina on the Moray Firth coast of North-East Scotland. It has great facilities for visiting sailors in a beautiful part of the country. The ideal location presents the opportunity for a one day’s sail to Inverness, Peterhead or Wick.

Inverboyndie is a long, sandy beach to the west of the town of Banff, from where it can easily be reached on the coast path. The beach is popular with walkers and swimmers, and is regarded as one of the best surfing beaches in north-eastern Scotland.

It derives its name from a spring of water which appears from the ground and which leaves a red deposit, possibly with an iron content. The water's healing properties were recognised thousands of years ago by the Romans.

Built as a motte and bailey castle in the 12th century and held by the Comyns, Earl of Buchan. The castle was visited by King Edward I of England in 1296 and also in 1298 after defeating William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The castle was garrisoned with English troops until being captured by the Scots in 1310. It came into the possession of the Sharps, before being sold to Lord Ogilvy of Deskford in 1722. The castle then passed into the hands of the Russells. The old castle was demolished and a mansion house designed by architect John Adam was built in 1750. The remains of the old castle are a scheduled ancient monument.

Although golf is supposed to have been played in Banff for 400 years, it was only in May 1871 that organised golf was conceived when the then Banff Golf Club was formed at the Banff links. The Banff Golf Club continued in existence with varying degrees of success until 1924. The Duff House Golf Club came into existence following a gift of land to the towns of Banff and Macduff by the then Duke of Fife following his concern at "the want of ground for golf and other recreational sports." The original course in its present location was laid out in 1909.

Duff House was intended as the chief seat of William Duff, Lord Braco (later 1st Earl Fife). The astute businessman and politician wanted not only to succeed, but also to be seen to succeed. Architect William Adam rose to the challenge by designing an ambitious baroque mansion. Work began in 1735, with elaborate carved details mostly produced in Adam’s own stoneworks in Queensferry. Work stopped in 1741, long before the interior was finished. Copies of Adam’s original plans for the house hang in the study. These show the grand curved east and west wings that were never built. A bitter five-year court case found in favour of Adam. But he died before he could recoup the debt owed to him. Lord Braco felt so let down by the result that he never slept a night in the house. It was left to his heirs to complete the work.

One of the landmarks in Wrack Woods is the Ice House, built (circa 1790) as the refrigerator for Duff House..

Local legend has it that the room hidden within the spectacular Bridge of Alvah on Duff House estate was in fact a secret “love lair” used by the married Earl.