Ellon trip planner

Ellon is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately 16mi north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine. Its name is believed to derive from the Gaelic term Eilean, an island, on account of the presence of an island in the River Ythan, which offered a convenient fording point.Places of interestPlaces of interest within the town include the ruins of Ellon Castle, surrounded by walls known as the Deer Dyke, and the Auld Brig, a category A listed bridge across the Ythan, built in 1793 and still in use as a pedestrian bridge.The Riverside Park offers walkways alongside the Ythan, from which herons, salmon, trout and otters may be observed.In 2013, a new 5.5 acre eco-brewery, owned and crowdfunded by BrewDog, was opened in a greenfield site just outside of Ellon.EducationThe town has three primary schools: Ellon Primary School Auchterellon Primary School Meiklemill Primary School Each of these schools has some type of greenspace as well as a concrete playground. These schools feed into Ellon Academy, the local secondary school, which currently has a roll of about 1200 students; however, due to ongoing residential development in the area that figure is expected to rise. A new school (Ellon Academy) was opened in July 2015, on the outskirts of Ellon.