Ellon
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River Ythan at Ellon |
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Ellon shown within Aberdeenshire | |
Population | 9,860 (2006) |
OS grid reference | NJ948306 |
Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ELLON |
Postcode district | AB41 |
Dialling code | 01358 |
Police | Scottish |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
EU Parliament | Scotland |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Ellon (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine. Its name is believed to derive from the Gaelic term Eilean, an island, on account of the presence of an island in the River Ythan, which offered a convenient fording point.
Places of interest within the town include the ruins of Ellon Castle, surrounded by walls known as the Deer Dyke, and the Auld Brig, a category A listed bridge across the Ythan, built in 1793 and still in use as a pedestrian bridge.
The Riverside Park offers walkways alongside the Ythan, from which herons, salmon, trout and otters may be observed.
In 2013, a new 5.5 acre eco-brewery, owned and crowdfunded by BrewDog, was opened in a greenfield site just outside of Ellon.
The town has three primary schools:
Each of these schools has some type of greenspace as well as a concrete playground. These schools feed into Ellon Academy, the local secondary school, which currently has a roll of about 1200 students; however, due to ongoing residential development in the area that figure is expected to rise. A new school (Ellon Academy) was opened in July 2015, on the outskirts of Ellon.
Ellon has a community centre, which includes a swimming pool and café.
The Ythan Centre is a building dedicated to serving the needs of Ellon's teenage population. This facility includes a soundproofed room where amateur bands can practise and a large hall with roof to floor length mirrors, which the dance group Refresh uses for their weekly practice.