Pitfour Observatory was built in 1845 by Admiral Sir George Ferguson, fifth Laird of Pitfour, so that he and his guests could watch horse racing from an elevated vantage point. The Laird had constructed a four-and-a-half-mile private racecourse on his estate — exactly 50 feet wide and levelled using rock from local quarries — and nicknamed it the “Ascot of the North.” The observatory gave spectators a panoramic view of the whole course.
The estate racecourse is long gone, but the octagonal tower observatory survives. It was purchased and renovated by the local authority in the 1990s and is open free of charge from May to September, 10am to 5pm. Panoramic views from the windows take in much of Buchan. The surrounding woods contain the Louden Wood Stone Circle and a chambered cairn, making a half-day outing of the visit. Pitfour is about 40 miles north of Aberdeen on the A952 between Mintlaw and Fraserburgh.