boyne Highland Games Commemorative Gates

Two granite gates standing quietly on the roadside near Aboyne mark where the Braemar Gathering's predecessor events once took place. They're modest monuments, really - the kind of thing you might drive past without noticing if you weren't looking - but they commemorate the Highland Games that played out across this stretch of Aberdeenshire before the now-famous gathering moved elsewhere.

There's not much to do here in the traditional sense. You stop, you read the inscriptions, you take a photo, you move on. Ten minutes maximum. But if you're staying at one of the caravan parks nearby - Aboyne Loch or Firbank just a few miles away - and you've got even a passing interest in Scottish sporting history, they're worth a quick detour. The gates have a genuine solidity to them, the kind of local pride carved into stone that tells you something about what mattered to these communities.

Historically minded visitors will find them interesting enough, particularly if you're already exploring the Deeside area. Families might find them a bit underwhelming as a standalone stop - there's nowhere to sit, no interpretation boards, no gift shop. But as part of a broader Highland Games trail or a meander around the local villages, they fit. Aboyne itself has its own games and attractions worth exploring while you're in the area.

Free to visit, obviously. No opening hours to worry about since they're just sitting there by the roadside.