Scotland the best
Best town parks
Getaway from the hustle and bustle of modern living in some of our most beautiful oases of calm Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen
Along Queens Road, 3km from the city centre. An extraordinary park where Aberdonians’ gardening skills are magnificently in evidence. Facilities include a maze, pets’ corner, tearoom and there are lawns, memorials and botanical splendours aplenty, especially the azalea garden in spring and roses in summer. Sculpture and serenity! aberdeencity.gov.uk
Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline
Extensive park alongside the Abbey and palace ruins, gifted to the town in 1903 by Andrew Carnegie. Open areas, glasshouses pavilion and café, peacocks, but most notably a deep, verdant glen crisscrossed with pathways. Great kids’ play area. Lush, full of birds, good after rain, the Park and exploration of Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter, ● A beautiful walk in Pittencrieff Park
Garries Park, Gatehouse of Fleet
Notabe for its tiny perfect garden which you enter under an arch from the main street. A wee gem, especially for its flower plantings. Leads to bigger public space (and woody walk 2.5km round the village), but pause in the garden and smell those roses. Galloway Lodge Preserves for lunch, etc.
Camperdown Park, Dundee
Camperdown is a splendid recreational breathing space for the city and hosts a plethora of distractions – a golf course, a wildlife complex with a great kids’ play area, and the neoclassical Victorian mansion, Camperdown House, an ongoing project, and events, especially the Dundee Flower and Food Festival. Situated beyond Kingsway, go via Coupar Angus turn-off. Best walks across the A923 in Templeton Woods. camperdownpark.com