A taste of history

Begin your first morning in the older, quieter quarter that predates the Granite City most visitors know. Old Aberdeen is a step back through five centuries of Scottish life - a cluster of cobbled lanes, medieval university buildings and stonework that feels entirely separate from the city centre just up the road.

King's College Chapel, completed in 1500, is one of the finest pre-Reformation buildings in Scotland; its crown tower rises above grounds that in autumn are carpeted in fallen leaves. It sits at the heart of the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495 and one of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world - worth a wander in its own right. St Machar's Cathedral, dating from the 14th century, stands a short walk away behind a grand avenue of trees at their seasonal best.

Before moving on, follow the path down to Seaton Park, which borders the River Don and offers peaceful riverside walks, colourful gardens and plenty of space for little ones to let off steam. On a clear autumn morning, there is nowhere quite like it in Scotland.

After your morning in Old Aberdeen, make your way down to the coast for a breath of North Sea air. Before crossing to the beachfront, take a short detour to Brig o' Balgownie - one of the oldest surviving medieval bridges in Scotland, arching gracefully over the River Don just minutes from Old Aberdeen.

From there, cross over and make your way down to Aberdeen Beach, two miles of open shoreline stretching from the mouth of the River Don to the harbour, with wide skies and the kind of bracing autumn light that makes the city feel bigger than it is.

Recently named the "greatest city beach in the UK" by travel expert Simon Calder for its unique blend of culture, cuisine and coastline, it's easy to see why this stretch of coast has become one of the city's standout attractions.

For golfers, Aberdeen has one of the finest links courses anywhere in the world right on its doorstep. Royal Aberdeen Golf Club at Balgownie Links has been part of the city's story since 1780 -granted its Royal title in 1903 and now ranked among the most naturally challenging links courses on the planet. When the north-easterly wind comes off the North Sea, even experienced players will feel the test. The course has hosted The Walker Cup, The Scottish Open and The Amateur Championship, and its reputation in global rankings continues to rise.

Visitor tee times are available - check availability and book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Aberdeen Art Gallery is one of the finest galleries in the UK. Its beautifully restored neo-classical building holds over 700 years of art, from Joan Eardley and the Scottish Colourists to Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin and Claude Monet. It's the kind of place that repays a slow, unhurried visit, and on an autumn afternoon in the city, there are few better ways to spend a couple of hours. Entry is available on a pay-what-you-can basis, with donations helping to care for the collections and support the gallery's work.

Head to Marcliffe as the autumn evening closes in and settle in for dinner at Skylark Brasserie - a destination for modern brasserie dining, set beneath a stunning glass dome. The atmosphere is upbeat but never rushed, and the menu is rooted in the very best of local, seasonal Scottish produce.

Head west along Deeside Road to Drum Castle, where 700 years of history unfold through its medieval square tower, Jacobean mansion and Victorian library – a building that grew, room by room, as the centuries passed.

Robert the Bruce granted the Royal Forest and Tower of Drum to the Irvine family in 1323, and you can feel that continuity everywhere you look: in the ancient oak forest that borders the estate, a Site of Special Scientific Interest home to red kites, red squirrels and roe deer, and in the Garden of Historic Roses, divided into quadrants tracing rose cultivation from the 17th century through to the 20th. In autumn, with the woodland glowing in rich shades of gold, amber and copper, and the gardens taking on a softer seasonal beauty, both are at their most quietly beautiful.

After Drum Castle, the Deeside countryside opens up and invites you to move through it rather than just look at it.

The Deeside Way - a 41-mile trail following the line of the Old Royal Deeside Railway - is one of the finest routes in the North-east for both walkers and cyclists, weaving through ancient estates, pine woodland and open hillside with the River Dee never far away. In autumn, the colours along this route are exceptional.

Just outside Banchory on the banks of the River Dee, the Milton Art Gallery sits in a beautifully converted steading filled with natural light. The space showcases original paintings, ceramics, jewellery, glassware and textiles from some of Scotland's finest artists and makers, with a changing exhibition programme that keeps things fresh throughout the year. A lovely way to round off an afternoon in Deeside.

Spend your final morning in the rich, rolling countryside north of Aberdeen. Begin at Fyvie Castle, a masterpiece of Scottish Baronial architecture with over 800 years of history behind its five towers, each built by one of five successive families who owned the estate. Inside, one of the largest private collections of Raeburn portraits in the world shares space with fine furniture, tapestries and armour. Outside, the 18th-century walled garden has been transformed into a garden of Scottish fruits and vegetables, and Fyvie Lake - a wildfowl haven that fills with geese and tufted ducks as winter approaches - is at its most atmospheric in the autumn light.

From Fyvie, head south to Pitmedden Garden: a 17th-century walled garden that stops you in your tracks. Box hedge parterres in immaculate geometric formation, herbaceous borders at their last seasonal flourish, and espalier-trained apple and pear trees bowed with autumn fruit. A hornbeam avenue leads to the Museum of Farming Life, where the story of rural Doric life is told with real warmth.

The award-winning tearoom uses produce straight from the garden - rhubarb, apples, pears - and the homemade traybakes are worthy of writing home about.

No visit to the Garioch is complete without Bennachie. One of the most recognisable hills in the North-east, it rises above the surrounding countryside and rewards walkers of all abilities with moorland paths, ancient woodland and sweeping views that stretch across Aberdeenshire in every direction. The most popular summit, Mither Tap, crowns a prehistoric hill fort and delivers a panorama that earns every step of the climb. In autumn, the hillside blazes with heather, bracken and turning birch.

Multiple approach routes are available from the Bennachie Visitor Centre, ranging from short scenic strolls to longer ridge walks.

Housed in a beautifully converted former industrial building - part of the historic Inverurie Locomotive Works, B-listed for its architectural significance - the Garioch Heritage Centre offers a fully accessible permanent exhibition on North-east life alongside a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions, live theatre, musical events and arts and crafts workshops. Café Loco on site serves home-baked treats and light lunches to round off a morning well spent.

Bring the trip to a close where all the best North-east stories end: over a dram.

Glen Garioch in Oldmeldrum has been producing its distinctive Highland malt since 1797, and a visit here makes it clear why this corner of Aberdeenshire has always been ideal whisky country - rich barley, clean water and the kind of unhurried expertise that two centuries of craft produces.

The Founder's Tour takes you through the full process before a guided tasting.

A perfect autumn send off.