When I was 13, my family and I moved back to the village we lived in before Qatar. It was nestled in Aberdeenshire near the Cairngorms: Aboyne. Population: just barely 3,000 at the time.
I loved being home; I was closer to family, the climate was cooler, and we reconnected with old friends, but there was so much that Aboyne was missing.
There is only one pub, three cafés, and, like Stirling, maybe too many hairdressers – with even fewer things for young people. If you wanted to go to Aberdeen, the nearest city, you would have to take a bus, which came every hour.
It would usually take an hour and a half to get to the city centre. Of course, you couldn’t drive, not at 13, and your parents would be busy. There simply wasn’t much to do.
Stirling
But, when I moved into campus accommodation, I saw the city of Stirling again for the first time in years. After passing through the sandstone centre, memories came back to me. The cobbled streets, the cosy pubs the clock tower on Kings Street.
After settling in I would regularly go into town and look around. Just to see what I could find.
I was blown away by the abundance of the city. Its extensive selection of cafés, shops, restaurants, and picturesque buildings was exciting for a country bumpkin like me. I had forgotten that a place could have more than one Chinese takeaway. Even seeing something as simple as a chartered accountant surprised me.
It felt like being a tourist in my own city. There’s another tattoo parlour! And a Polish bakery?! I had never seen one before!
Each café had its own enticing aesthetic which drew my eyes as I explored the city. After living here for seven months I still haven’t been to all of them. There was just so much choice.
It made me wonder what it would have been like to transfer from Aboyne to a bigger city like Glasgow or Edinburgh. The windy streets, crowds and skyscrapers would have been intimidating. Not to mention how easy it would have been to get lost.
Stirling quickly felt like home for me. It was liberating to be so close to so much. To access so many new things and experiences. A 90-minute bus ride became 20, and I didn’t care that the buses didn’t always come every eight minutes. I was just happy with the freedom to take them more often.
Rural Life
Walking around Stirling and even Bridge of Allan made me realise further how alienated rural communities are. The nearest hospital with A&E for most people in Aberdeenshire is in Aberdeen. Which also has the nearest train station after Doctor Robert Beeching scrapped the railways extending inland during the 60s.
Outside of the central belt, most of the investment, infrastructure and opportunities are in Aberdeen and Inverness. Which leaves villages like Aboyne and Braemar lagging behind.
Moving back to a village from the suburbs of Doha was refreshing. The different architecture made me think of Scotland’s history. The cradle of the mountains filled me with awe. And driving on the country roads and seeing fog over the forests made me glad I didn’t live in a metal box in a concrete world.
But coming to Stirling has shown me what life is like for people living in cities. With so much at their disposal and being so well-connected. Things that Aboyne did not have are plentiful in Stirling and even Bridge of Allan – despite having a low population of around 5,000 people. And they have a train station!
Here you don’t need to drive nearly an hour to try Nepalese food or buy new curtains. If Aboyne was more like Bridge of Allan, maybe so many young people like me wouldn’t have felt so bored all the time despite being surrounded by natural and historical beauty.
Even though it has less to do than Stirling, coming home to Aboyne would always feel joyful. Being able to see my family again and the familiar sights made me eager to visit home once again.
I love Aboyne, and now Stirling has become my home away from home.
Featured Image Credit: Aberdeenshire Live
Third year journalism student. 2025/2026 Lifestyle and Comment Editor at Brig. Published in The Yucatán Times, Mi Campeche and The Mourning Paper. Host of From the 40s with Air3Radio.
