Colony Park

Colony Park sits just outside Inverurie and is essentially Aberdeenshire's answer to proper sports facilities - football pitches, running tracks, the works. It's the sort of place that locals use constantly but visitors often miss entirely, which is a shame if you're staying nearby and fancy a kickabout or watching a match.

The venue itself is functional rather than fancy. You get well-maintained grass pitches, floodlights for evening games, and enough space that it doesn't feel cramped even when there's activity on multiple fields. If you've got kids who want to burn off energy after a few days of castle visits, this beats kicking a ball around a park.

Worth knowing: contact details weren't readily available when I checked, so ring ahead to confirm what's on or whether you can use the facilities. Entry and pricing depend entirely on what event or activity you're after - some days it's free to watch local matches, other times you'll need to book a pitch.

It works well as a break in a broader Aberdeenshire trip, especially if you're based at Hillhead Caravan Park just down the road. Don't come expecting anything scenic or historically interesting - this is functional recreation, nothing more. But if your crew needs an afternoon of actual sport rather than sightseeing, Colony Park does the job quietly and without fuss.