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Laurencekirk b&b, guesthouse and hotel accommodation

Visit Laurencekirk and the surrounding villages and stay in bed & breakfast accommodation:

Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire, lies in the heart of the Howe of the Mearns; the rich red clay is something that has to be seen to be believed. It is so deep and spongy that it is difficult to find firm foundations for any very ambitious building, apart from the intense reluctance of local landowners to part with some of the best farming land in the world. The little town extends along a ridge within a plain, but it turns its eyes to the hills — to the distant Grampians on the West, and on the East the nearby Hills of Garvock, which separate the Howe from the coastal plain. Overlooking the town on the highest point of the Garvock range (a mere 914 ft) is the Johnston Tower, a splendid viewpoint, built by James Farquhar of Johnston in the early 19^th century when he found he had some stones left over after building his own mansion-house. It bears an indicator placed there by the National Trust for Scotland.

The original Kirkton of St Laurence, whose church was dedicated to St Laurence of Canterbury, stood round the Chapel Knap to the East end of the present town. Modern Laurence-kirk's founder, Francis Garden, the second son of the laird of Troup in Banffshire, was a successful lawyer who became sheriff of the Mearns and, in 1764, a judge of the Court of Session as Lord Gardenstone. When he bought the estate of Johnston, Laurencekirk became his passion. He encouraged settlers, and in 1779 had the place erected into a burgh of barony. The inn, the Gardenstone Arms, which he built and furnished with a library that interested Dr Johnson in 1773, still survives at the East end of the town. At the West end of the main street, which is 1½ miles long, lies Kinnear Square, a pleasant village green.

The most colourful of the trades that Lord Gardenstone brought to the town, hand-loom weaving and snuffbox-making, have now died out. Charles Stiven's snuffboxes, notable because the hinge and pin are concealed, are much sought after by collectors.

Nearby towns: Brechin, Inverbervie, Montrose, Stonehaven

Nearby villages: Arbuthnott, Ardovie, Auchinblae, Benholm, Bridge of Dun, Craigo, Drumlithie, Dunnottar, Edzell, Ferryden, Fettercairn, Fetteresso, Fordoun, Gannochy, Garvock, Glenbervie, Gourdon, Hillside, Hobseat, Inchbare, Johnshaven, Kinneff, Logie, Marykirk, Maryton, Old Aberdeen, Roadside, St. Cyrus, Stracathro

Have you decided to visit Laurencekirk or the surrounding villages? Please look above for somewhere to stay in:

• a Laurencekirk bed and breakfast (a Laurencekirk B&B or Laurencekirk b and b)
• a Laurencekirk guesthouse
• a Laurencekirk hotel (or motel)
• a Laurencekirk self-catering establishment, or
• other Laurencekirk accommodation