Welcome to Huntly

Huntly, once known as Milton of Strathbogie, is located on a low-lying plain where the River Bogie joins the River Deveron, in the county of Aberdeenshire, approximately 550 miles north of London and 21 miles south-west of Banff.

The town has a population of around 4,000. Administratively it is within the district of Gordon until 1996 when it was incorporated into the Aberdeenshire unitary area which covers approximately 6,313 sq kms and which has a population of around 227,000.

It is an attractive market town, built around a main square, with an ancient heritage and some notable historic buildings, including the impressive ruins of the medieval Huntly Castle which was the chief seat of the Gordon clan during the 14th-century. There is excellent fishing and being on the main route between Aberdeen and Inverness it is an ideal base from which to explore the beautiful countryside of the Grampian region. It is also in close proximity to the popular Whisky Trail.

The town's history dates from around the late 12th century when a settlement became established around the castle, the Peel of Strathbogie, which was built c1180. However, "Huntly" was reborn as a new town by the Duke of Gordon in 1769 and its former name (Milton of Strathbogie) dropped.

Historically the town's economy was based upon farming and textiles, and to a less successful extent distilling. Later, with the arrival of the railways in the mid-19th century, it became a busy freight centre between Aberdeen and Inverness, and today it is still an important transport hub for the region. Service industries also support a developing tourist trade. The town still has strong links with agriculture and maintains a livestock auction mart.

Alexander, the third Earl of Huntly, was granted a charter changing the name of his castle and lands in 1506, although the name 'Milton of Strathbogie' continued to be used long after. The name Huntly was then adopted for the newly planned town in 1769.