Westhill

Westhill is approximately 6.5 miles west of Aberdeen and was the brainchild of Aberdeen solicitor Ronald Fraser Dean in 1963. Built originally as a Garden Suburb, the town sits on the A944, connecting Westhill with Kingswells and Aberdeen to the east, as well as Mossat to the west. Additionally, there is also a regular bus service to and from Aberdeen run by Stagecoach, including a night service running up to 11 o’clock most evenings, and a park and ride service available in nearby Kingswells.  On top of these connections to other towns and villages in the area, the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) puts Westhill within a 10-minute drive of the Airport and within easy reach of the north east coast.

Westhill’s most famous resident, Tim Ballie, the acclaimed Olympic Canoeist, has won the town a golden post box on Westhill Drive in commemoration of his gold medal in the canoe slalom C-2 event at the 2012 Olympics. The town is also home to the set of popular BBC gardening program, the Beechgrove Garden, with the 2.5-acre plot located at the nearby Brotherfield nursery.

History of Westhill

The town was built with the backing of the former Aberdeen District Council, now Aberdeen City Council, the Secretary of State for Scotland and Ashdale Land and Property Company Ltd. Since the construction of the first houses in 1968, it has continued to grow over the years, closely tied to the North East’s oil and gas economy, to become a popular satellite town. In the early 1960s, Westhill was still the village of Skene, with fewer than 100 residents. Since then, the population of Westhill has grown over the years to over 11,000 residents making it one of the largest towns in Aberdeenshire.

The name Westhill was created much earlier than the town itself. In 1859, John Anderson from Strichen bought the attached small estates of Wester Kinmundy and Blackhills. Anderson favoured neither name, so he combined both to create Westhill.

Schools in Westhill

Westhill has three main primary schools that each have a nursery unit, Crombie Primary, Elrick Primary and Westhill Primary. All three schools are situated close to the centre of Westhill and provide a 7-year curriculum. For residents of the nearby village, Kirkton of Skene, there is also Skene Primary school, a smaller facility made up of three main teaching groups: younger years (P1/2), middle school (P3,4,5) and seniors (P6,7). Both Westhill and Kirkton are in the catchment area for Skene primary, giving parents in the area even more options when it comes to primary education.

Westhill also has a secondary school, Westhill Academy. The academy services Westhill, Skene and pupils in the surrounding rural areas. It was opened in the autumn of 1979, and since then has undergone several renovations to increase the capacity and capabilities of the facility. The school was initially designed to accommodate 500 pupils, however since the expansion, school enrolments fluctuate between 900-1,200 pupils.

Every school in Westhill is run by Aberdeenshire Council, who provide free local transport to all children who live over two miles walking distance from their primary school, and over three miles in case of secondary schools.

Things to do in Westhill

There is an excellent choice of local shops, pubs and restaurants in the town, with a mix of independent businesses and larger retail chains. Other facilities include a golf course, tennis club, leisure centre & swimming pool. There is also a local residents association, which affords residents the opportunity to become more actively involved in town projects.

The local golf course has a challenging par 69/70 for gents and 73 for ladies and sweeps around the hill to the north side of the town. While the ‘hill’ adds to the golfing difficulty, it means that there are stunning views of the surrounding countryside on all 18 holes.

Our site contains a comprehensive listing of flats and houses for sale and for lease/rent in Westhill, ranging from one bedroom properties to substantial family homes. If you’re looking for Westhill accommodation to rent or a property for sale, let ASPC help. Begin your search with our property finder tool here.