Sport took me back to Aberdeen in March 2025, only 9 months after my previous visit – also for sport.
This time the attraction was Aberdeen v Queen’s Park in the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup. I could not resist the lure of a trip back to one of my former home towns. The match was a Saturday lunchtime (12.30) kick off to suit whichever TV company has the rights. I opted to travel north on the Friday and stay the night rather than start my Saturday very early.
My preferred hotel in the city (Residence Inn) seemed a bit expensive so I went for a good deal (£69.75 inclusive of breakfast) at the Park Inn. I had stayed there before and had a good idea what to expect.
I travelled there and back by coach with Scottish Citylink – comfortable, quick and on time. I used the local buses (First Aberdeen) to get around the city.
I enjoyed the football in spite of a 1-4 defeat eliminating my team (Queen’s Park) from the competition. They surpassed all exceptions by reaching the quarter final.
Being a Parkrun addict I had to try out the Hazlehead Parkrun on the Saturday morning. Hazlehead Park is one of the places I remember visiting with my grandparents when we stayed with them in the city so it felt a little surreal for me to me lumbering around running a 5k there. It is a lovely course.
My Friday had a couple of highlights too. First, a light workout on the Aberdeen University playing fields at King’s College. I played rugby right there in the 1970s. My dad played football there in the 1940s. A little surreal too…
Then stumbling upon a tiny Georgian restaurant for dinner – kinkhali is the last thing I expected to be eating, but it was excellent.
ⓒ iain taylor, 2025
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