Rebecca Buchan: How my trip on new Aberdeen tour bus helped me see city in a whole new light

Press and Journal

23-04-2025

Picture this, you're sitting atop a double decker bus, the roof is down and the wind is in your hair.
You pass golden sands, beautiful blue sea, historic buildings aplenty and row after row of world class architecture.
No ladies and gentlemen, you are not picturing yourself on a Barcelona tour bus, but in fact, the Aberdeen Adventurer – which I had the pleasure of riding for its maiden voyage last week.
So please bear with me while I wax lyrical about all that is good about the Granite City and why you should take the journey, at least once, to change your perspective of Aberdeen.
We hopped aboard on Queen's Road, immediately outside the Chester and Malmaison hotels. Personally I thought this was a fantastic starting point as the full splendour of Aberdeen's granite heritage was on display.
One of the first things I noticed was that an unrestricted view from this height was something I had never experienced before and certainly allows you to see the city from a whole other light.
The intracacies of those impressive buildings, at that level, were honestly not something I had ever noticed before – and they are truly stunning.
As you drive down Albyn Place you do not lose sight of this. The beauty of Aberdeen's west end really catches the eye…
While it would be easy to think this would all fade away as you enter onto Union Street, it honestly doesn't. I can't tell if it's the different vantage point, but things just looked better from the height.
It even refocuses the eye away from the roadworks going on below.
As we cruised down the main thoroughfare and onto Union Terrace, the gardens look simply stunning. It is then you see St Mark's Church, His Majesty's Theatre, The Cowdray Hall and Art Gallery and you remember what it is about this city that makes it so special.
In fact it makes you ashamed for ever having a negative thought about it, because we are really very lucky to live in such a place with such magnificent heritage.
However what it does make you realise is that we have not been the best at taking care of it.
The beauty of the architecture is such that it really is the first thing you are struck by. But while you sit and gaze at it, you start to become aware of where we have let things go.
The foliage growing from between the granite blocks, or the gutters, is just the start.
Wasn't there £11m pledged by Aberdeen City Council to start to try to deal with this? I know our great leaders must be aware of this problem too, as a number of them were aboard this bus too.
As you carry on down towards Marischal Square, Marischal College and Broad Street you start to hear on the audio guide about the many great minds to come from Aberdeen.
Whether that be the statue celebrating our most famous son Denis Law, or taking in the first Brewdog pub to open its doors before James Watt and Martin Dickie's worldwide domination.
Did you know there's a Nobel Prize winner or two to hark from these parts? I didn't but you learn something new every day.
Old Aberdeen and the university campus provided another fabulous picturesque pitstop before we headed off towards the beach, Duthie Park and back round to Queen's Road again.
I am astonished every time we cover the first cruise ship of the season berthing in the South Harbour and I see the reception the city gets from these foreign visitors.
Not because I don't think Aberdeen deserves the warm response, but because sometimes we get so caught up in the negative narrative that is portrayed.
I would say I am one of Aberdeen's biggest supporters. I love the city and try my best to promote it but sometimes even I need to see things with new eyes.
The investment McGill's has made in launching a route here, in partnership with the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, speaks volumes about the confidence they have in the city's tourism sector.
It took long enough to get off the ground from its inception when a group of Vanguard volunteers, who came together in a bid to try to rejuvinate our city centre, saw the potential almost seven years ago!
And now it's finally on the road I would encourage you as locals to hop aboard too. Remove that negativity from your mind and pretend you're seeing the city for the first time with fresh eyes. I can guarantee you, you're in for a pleasant surprise.
Rebecca Buchan is deputy head of news and sport for The Press and Journal and Evening Express.