Hazelhead Park

Last updated : October 29, 2024, 6:32 pm

Hazelhead Park was opened to the public in 1920. Prior to that, it was under the private ownership of William Rose. Rose built his wealth from shipbuilding and generously gave the ground to the people of Aberdeen.

There are citations that the park was given to the city by King Robert the Bruce, but this is false.

Set amongst trees and paths, there are three golf courses. The golf course provides a test for golfers of all skill levels. There are two 18-hole courses as well as a shorter nine-hole course. All three are located next to each other within a wooded area. The 18-hole number-one course was designed by Alasdair MacKenzie, a famous course creator who also designed the prestigious Augusta course, which is 1 of golf's 'Majors'. August National is the only major that maintains its location yearly. All other majors have alternating destinations. Hazelhead and the area are proud of the fact that one of the most famous golf course designers applied his magic touch to a local course. As a web designer in the Aberdeen area we considered sponsoring a small tournament there.

The Piper Alpha disaster shocked the local area and reverberated around the world when it happened in 1988. One hundred sixty-seven civilians were tragically killed. There is a large dedicated garden at Hazelhead to these brave men. A lot of them were from the Aberdeen area, as well as Aberdeenshire. This tribute is maintained to a high standard by the Hazelhead groundsmen and families.

Hazelhead has an area size of 180 hectares. That's a large space. There are literally miles and miles of paths you can take. These paths are very well maintained and are in excellent order. These trails are very popular for walkers and mountain bikers. The wide design of these paths makes for enough room for both groups to enjoy together. Horses also occasionally use these paths. Their dung is usually collected speedily by the park's staff. Sometimes it stays on, which does spoil them, a little one keen walker said.

In the middle of the park is a cafe which was a popular spot there. Unfortunately, a deliberate fire in 2020 destroyed it. Locals were furious as for many it was their favourite part of the day, to grab a coffee or some light lunch. A local teenager was charged. Hopefully, it will be back to its former glory soon.

There are six full-size football pitches to the south of the park. The Sunday Welfare leagues play weekly in the winter months. I (John) used to play there. It's a reasonable standard of football and is a competitive league despite some being hungover from the heavy night before. Luckily for the players, Joe Paterson Pavilion was built, replacing a smaller, older structure. It's a fantastic building with changing rooms and showers.