Aberdeen

Aberdeen is the third most populous city in Scotland.

South towards Dundee, Edinburgh or Glasgow
Work your way south of the river to Torry. Walk onto the A956 (Wellington Road). Follow the road A9 south over two roundabouts, the second of which is really big. Just south of the big roundabout is a petrol station. From experience thumbing is not very effective, be willing to approach people as they fill up their cars.

A96 North-West towards Inverness, Elgin or Inverurie
Either take a bus or walk out from the city centre towards the Bucksburn suburb, following the A96 urban dual-carridgeway from the Huidagian Roundabout (from the Huidagian to the Bucksburn roundabout is roughly a 25 min walk). After a while there is a large roundabout with a 'Lidl' supermarket and a MacDonalds above it. Take the road just before the roundabout to the right, called 'Inverurie Road', it rejoins the A96 after a short time. After about ten minutes you will reach a lay-by with a fast food trailer. You have the choice of hitching here or a bus stop just after the lay by. I personally find the bus stop to be better, it is only another 1 or 2 minutes walk further.

A947 North towards Banff
There are no good places to hitch from if you walk all the way to the edge of the Dyce suburb. You are left with rural roads with nowhere safe nor possible for people to stop for a good distance. I would suggest either hitching from within the Dyce suburb or even closer to Aberdeen with a sign for Oldmeldrum. Other options may be either to hitch to Inverurie and then take the backroad to Oldmeldrum (Note: I have not tested this route myself!) or take the bus to Oldmeldrum and hitch onwards from there. Once on the A947 at Oldmeldrum it is quite easy to hitch from town to town.

Buses
Prices:

Adult Singles: Stage 1-2 = £1.20 / Stage 3-5 = £2.00 / Stage 6+ = £2.50. Day Tickets: Adult Day ticket £4.70  (off-Peak £4.10), Student Day ticket £3.50  (ID required)

(Exact fare only, buses do not give change! Prices above accurate as of December 2013)

Maps: Aberdeen City bus routes map pdf  Aberdeen City Centre bus routes map pdf

Sleeping
There are always ample Couchsurfers in Aberdeen, There is also an SOS Couchsurf Group if you get stuck. BeWelcome numbers are picking up.

There are no hostels in Aberdeen and hotels tend to be expensive, However, if you do wish to stay in a hotel, the Railway Hotel and the Jury's Inn are popular hotels immediately outside the train station.

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