The River Don is a river in the North-East 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.

Bill’s forbears can be traced back over 200 years to Caircoullie in upper Donside and more recently to the Bridge of Alford.

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. In 1750 the Don's lower reaches were channelled towards the sea, moving its confluence with the sea northwards.

The Don rises in the peat flats beneath Druim na Feithe, and in the shadow of Glen Avon, before flowing quietly past the ice-age Morain and down to Cock Bridge, below the picturesque site of the recently demolished Delnadamph Lodge. Several streams, the Dhiver, Feith Bhait, Meoir Veannaich, Cock Burn and the Allt nan Aighean merge to form the embryonic Don. Water from the west end of Brown Cow Hill 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 follows a circuitous route eastwards past Corgarff Castle, through Strathdon and the Howe of Alford before entering the North Sea just north of Old Aberdeen.

Acknowledgements

Header image, Bridge of Don, supplied by Chris Nixon of www.photografr.com. Company background image, Monymusk Fishings on the River Don, supplied by Michael Barrio of www.fishingthefly.co.uk.