Ellon () is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan, which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine. Its name is believed to derive from the Gaelic term Eilean, an island, on account of the presence of an island in the River Ythan, which offered a convenient fording point. In 1707 it was made a burgh of barony for the Earl of Buchan. Places of interest Places of interest within the town include Ellon Castle Gardens, recently brought back to life by volunteers and open to the public (see website for latest opening times). They include a walled garden of historical importance, yew trees dating back 500 years and the ruins of old Ellon Castle, and the surrounding walls known as the Deer Dyke. Ellon also has Auld Brig, a category A listed bridge across the Ythan, built in 1793 and still in use as a pedestrian bridge. The Riverside Park offers walkways alongside the Ythan, from which herons, salmon, trout and otters may be observed. In 2013, BrewDog built a brewery at a cost of £7.8 million in a greenfield site just outside of Ellon. The brewery is designed to minimise carbon emissions with the use of treatment plants, biogas technology and since 2021, an anerobic digestion plant. In 2016, the brewery was expanded at a cost of £5 million including the addition of a new 300-hectolitre (hL) brew house. Education The town has three primary schools: Ellon Primary School Auchterellon Primary School Meiklemill Primary School Each of these schools has some type of greenspace as well as a concrete playground. These schools feed into Ellon Academy, the local secondary school, which currently has a roll of about 1200 students; however, due to ongoing residential development in the area that figure is expected to rise. A new school (Ellon Academy) was opened in July 2015, on the outskirts of Ellon. Leisure Ellon has a community centre, which includes a swimming pool and café. The Ythan Centre was a building dedicated to serving the needs of Ellon's teenage population. It is currently being used by Ellon Baptist Church who, from January 2019, began a five-year lease on the property which had been unoccupied since February 2016. The Meadows sports centre, located on the outskirts of Ellon, has many