ancient ruins
Slains Castle
A gaunt roofless clifftop ruin near Cruden Bay, said to have helped inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula. Unfenced drops — take care.
16 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomScotland
Mintlaw
Scotland, United Kingdom · Europe
About Mintlaw
Mintlaw is worth a stop: 25 minutes from Peterhead, 16km from Slains Castle.
Mintlaw is in Scotland, United Kingdom, with about 2,700 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Peterhead, about 13 km away.
Mintlaw (literally meaning a smooth, flat place) is a large village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies at the intersection of the A950 and A952 roads, west of Peterhead. The 2001 UK census records a population of 2,647 people.
It supports a number of shops and local amenities such as a police station, library, dentalRead more
surgery and group doctors' practice.
Aberdeenshire Museums Service is based in a new purpose-built museum building housing Aberdeenshire's large reserve collections, a conservation laboratory and the Discovery Centre. The service also runs another three museums: the nearby Aberdeenshire Farming Museum at Aden Country Park, home to the service nationally recognised agricultural collection, Arbuthnot Museum in Peterhead and Banchory Museum. Aden Country Park also contains a ruined mansion house, forest walks and a theme park.
Where to Stay in Mintlaw
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Mintlaw?
Within an hour or so of Mintlaw: Slains Castle (16 km), Pennan (23 km), Pennan (Local Hero phone box) (23 km), Grampian Transport Museum (53 km).
Are there any good drives near Mintlaw?
The nearest famous roads are The Lecht (A939 Old Military Road), The Lecht Road (A939) and Cairnwell Pass.
Where is Mintlaw?
Mintlaw is in Scotland, United Kingdom, about 13 km from Peterhead.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,720
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Scotland
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 57.5241, -2.0010
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Mintlaw
6 notable places within an hour's drive.
photogenic
Pennan
A single row of white cottages squeezed between red sandstone cliffs and the sea, reached by a steep hairpin lane off the B9031. Star of the 1983 film Local Hero. Its red phone box is now listed.
23 km · about 25 min drive
film location
Pennan (Local Hero phone box)
The red telephone box on the harbour front of this Aberdeenshire village is Local Hero's most famous prop, now a listed structure.
23 km · about 25 min drive
museum
Grampian Transport Museum
Acclaimed motoring museum in Alford, Aberdeenshire, with everything from steam locomotives to supercars, plus its own outdoor test track used for summer motoring events.
53 km · about 60 min drive
photogenic
Bow Fiddle Rock
Sea arch shaped like the tip of a fiddle bow, a short walk from the village of Portknockie on the Moray coast. At dawn the quartzite arch glows pink and doubles in the still water; dolphins pass close inshore.
55 km · about 65 min drive
castle
Craigievar Castle
A pink harled tower house in Aberdeenshire, its top-heavy turrets often cited as an inspiration for fairytale castle design.
58 km · about 65 min drive
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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