Aberdeenshire is known for its tourist trails: malt whisky; castle; and Victorian heritage. But there’s a new kid on the trail block, and he’s beefy. Spring 2017 will see the official launch of the world’s first Aberdeen-Angus Trail which covers rural Aberdeenshire and dips into the Angus countryside.

The trail is the brain child of farmer Ken Howie, himself a proud breeder of Aberdeen-Angus stock, who also runs the Deeside Activity Park and Cairnton Farm Cottages. He’s no stranger to farm diversification and saw the tourism potential of the Aberdeen-Angus name, a globally recognised product with its roots in Scotland.

Ken says: “Quality Aberdeen-Angus beef can be bought around the world, but nowhere else offers the history and the heritage of the breed in the way that we can in the north east of Scotland. Food tourism has really taken off in the past thirty years and Scotland’s improved its offering dramatically. From fine dining in country houses to affordable accommodation, whatever the budget, more and more customers are interested in the quality and provenance of their food. It became clear it would benefit tourists and local producers if we tied the Aberdeen-Angus brand and the rise in food tourism together.”

Ken personally approached establishments that had a strong modern connection to the breed, shops or cafes that served or sold the beef, or venues with a historical link to the famous cattle. Each trail venue is a destination in itself and offers visitors something to see and do in the vicinity.

Two castles grace the trail. Glamis Castle, in Forfar, has exceptionally strong links with the breed. Glamis is the Queen Mother’s childhood home, and she went on to be the patron of the Aberdeen-Angus Association. The castle reared cattle for centuries, but the keen interest of 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in the Aberdeen-Angus breed in particular, led to a prizewinning herd from the late 19th century into the early 1900s. Today you can visit the castle as a tourist destination in its own right and visitors are able to find out more about Glamis’ Aberdeen-Angus connections on a newly installed storyboard.

Down the road, in Forfar itself, the second stop on the trail is quite a contrast to a royal castle, as here visitors discover Saddler’s Bakery. It’s one of two bakeries famous for the Forfar Bridie, currently under consideration by the EU for PGI status (Protected Geographic Indication). Saddler’s is an old family firm on the town’s high street, established in 1897. Each bridie is made from Aberdeen-Angus beef supplied from Rennie’s butcher, just a few doors down. Thanks to its tearoom Saddler’s is a potential lunch stop for those on pursuit of quality meat at affordable prices.

The region of Angus is key to the Aberdeen-Angus story as it was also the stomping ground of Hugh Watson. In1808 he acquired the tenancy of Keillor Farm and brought together stock to produce cattle of renowned quality and character; a real trailblazer in establishing the Aberdeen-Angus gene pool.

The second part of the story rests in Tillyfour, near Alford in Aberdeenshire where, in 1824, William McCombie founded a herd of Aberdeen-Angus cattle from predominantly Keillor bloodlines. His well archived breeding projects produced remarkable cattle that he showed internationally, hence the Alford links on the trail and the bronze statue of a proud bull on the eastern entrance of the town.

The final thrust of Aberdeen-Angus’ catapult to global renown is linked with Ballindalloch Castle in Banffshire; historically it’s one of the most essential links in the chain. Here, Sir George Macpherson-Grant took up the mantle from the McCombies of Tillyfour, and from the early 1860s dedicated almost fifty years to refining the breed. Balllindalloch is now home to the oldest surviving bloodlines of Aberdeen-Angus in the world, so a vital stop for anyone interested in rural history. Today visitors can still see the herd grazing in close proximity to the castle, visit the castle and take refreshments in its tearoom. With a grass labyrinth and a playground it’s a destination for youngsters too.

For those who want to work in situ with the animals then a stay at Ken Howie’s self-catering Cairnton Farm Cottages may be the most appealing site on the trail. Here, his 75 Aberdeen-Angus cattle reside, and cottage guests are welcome to wash and groom the animals before a show, feed them or help move the animals from field to field to get a taste of farming life. The Howies run two hour ‘Down on the Farm’ sessions where, for £16.50, visitors meet the cattle, learn about the herd and its history, before taking afternoon tea: a very civilised end to a day with cattle.

Ken admits that he set up the trail by contacting people he knew to be as passionate about the breed as he is, but other independent establishments are already asking to be added to it. The next step is to set up a foolproof criteria to decide who can get added to the trail and why. Ken says, “Next on my list is the town of Banff, it was the original home of the Aberdeen-Angus Society when it was established back in 1879, before it moved to Aberdeen and then to Perth where it resides today. The Society works hard to promote the cattle so it’s time to celebrate its origins.”

The Trail’s launch will complement the World Angus Forum which is returning to Scotland after it was last held here in 1977. The Forum will be held in Edinburgh from Thursday 15th June – Monday 3rd July 2017. And with delegates from as far afield as Uruguay and Australia, the new Aberdeen-Angus trail may tempt guests to extend their stay in Scotland and experience the more tourist-friendly side of meat production and cattle rearing.

www.aberdeenangustrail.com

www.aberdeen-angus.co.uk