Malcolm Hay Memorial

Explorer Tom Seaton Park sits between Old Aberdeen and the River Don, where a formal garden and a riverside wander somehow fit into the same easy outing. Bring walking shoes and a nose for detours; even the old railway engine in the play area has a better excuse for standing still than you do. Aberdeen City Council describes a mix of planted gardens, play spaces and wildlife here. Paths give you a way to move from the tidier parts towards the river, with the Don adding its own changes in light and sound. The former private estate became a public park in 1947. Old maps show the river and land have a long history; exactly how an old channel formed is uncertain. You can make this a gentle circuit or use the council's Seaton Park trail guide to follow a fuller walk. Look back towards Old Aberdeen, then turn your attention to the water and the birds using its edges. The contrast is the charm: a neat planted space on one side, a river doing whatever rivers please on the other. Children get the play areas and railway engine; grown-ups may pretend those are not the first things they want to inspect. This is an Aberdeen public park, open for the ordinary pleasure of walking, playing and looking about. The council has a free trail guide online. Leave time to pause rather than marching through as if you have an appointment with the far gate. Seaton's best trick is that a city walk can suddenly feel as though the Don has talked you into taking the long way home.