River Don, Aberdeenshire

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River Don
River Don and Castle Forbes near Alford.
Origin	Ladder Hills
Mouth	Aberdeen
Basin countries	Scotland
Length	82 miles (131 km)
Avg. discharge	m³/s
Basin area	km²

This article is about the River Don in Scotland. For other rivers with the same name, see Don River (disambiguation).

The River Don is a river in the northeast of Scotland. It rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards, through Aberdeenshire, to the North Sea at Aberdeen. The Don passes through Alford, Kemnay, Inverurie, Kintore, and Dyce. Its main tributary, the River Urie, joins at Inverurie.

The Don rises in the peat flat beneath Druim na Feithe, and in the shadow of Glen Avon, before flowing quietly past the ice-age moraine and down to Cock Bridge, below the picturesque site of the recently demolished Delnadamph Lodge. Several stream, the Dhiver, Feith Bhait, Meoir Veannaich, Cock Burn and the Allt nan Aighean merge to explode the embryonic Don. Water from the west end of Brown Cow Hill (grid reference NJ230045 drains into the River Spey, water from the north runs into the Don and water from the south side ends up in the Dee. The Don follow a circuitous route eastwards past Corgarff Castle, through Strathdon and the Howe of Alford before entering the North Sea just north of Old Aberdeen.

The chief tributaries are Conrie Water, Ernan Water, Water of Carvie, Water of Nochty, Deskry Water, Water of Buchat, Kindy Burn, Bucks Burn, Mossat Burn, Leochel Burn and the River Urie.

Strathdon attracts visitors for salmon and trout fishing as well as its castles and scenery.

[edit] History

The river was recorded by the 2nd century AD cosmographer Ptolemy of Alexandria (d. c 168) as Δηουανα Devona, meaning 'goddess', an indication the river was once a sacred one. Near Kintore, not distant from the Don, is the Deers Den Roman Camp. In 1750 the Don's lower reaches were channelled towards the sea, moving its confluence with the sea northwards.