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Portlethen
Portlethen shown within Scotland
Population	6,748 (2004) [1]
Council area	Aberdeenshire
Lieutenancy area	Kincardine and Mearns
Constituent country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ABERDEEN
Postcode district	AB12 4xx
Dialling code	01224 78xxxx
Police	Grampian
Fire	Grampian
Ambulance	Scottish
Scottish Parliament	West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine
UK Parliament	West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine
European Parliament	Scotland
List of places: UK • Scotland

Coordinates: 57°03′N 2°06′W / 57.05, -2.1

Portlethen is a town situated seven miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland along the A90. It has expanded rapidly over the last thirty years. Portlethen has a population of about seven thousand, and more than eight hundred houses are currently being built on nearby farmland. To the east of Portlethen lie three fishing villages: Findon, Downies and Old Portlethen (now often referred to as Portlethen Village). Although Portlethen is a town in terms of population (and it has been granted official town status); it resembles a residential suburb without a clear 'town centre' or focal point.

Portlethen was originally a small fishing village. The harbour is located in what is now Old Portlethen, the original village on the coast about a half a mile east from Portlethen Parish Church.

Portlethen lies about two kilometers east of the ancient Causey Mounth road, which was built on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route across the Mounth from coastal points south to Aberdeen. This ancient passage specifically connected the Bridge of Dee with Muchalls Castle and Stonehaven to the south^[1]. The route was that taken by the William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose when they led a Covenanter army of 9000 men in the first battle of the Civil War in 1639^[2].

There has been a school in Portlethen since the nineteenth century. The first school building was very small, and is now used as the police station. The school was then moved to the old community centre on Cookston Road, built in 1860. In 1962, a new school block was opened on Cookston Road, across from the old community centre. This is now Portlethen Primary School. There are currently campaigns to replace this building. In 1987, the brand new Portlethen Academy was opened. Until this, pupils had been bused to Mackie Academy in Stonehaven.

An inlet on the North Sea at Portlethen. Historically Used as Portlethen Harbour. Photo credit: Richard Slessor

The Webb chicken was first bred on a farm to the west of Portlethen in the 1920's. The Webb and its related breeds are popular choices with free range farmers due to their natural disinclination to roost in trees and shrubs.

Much of Modern Day Portlethen has been built over the Portlethen Moss Nature Reserve, formerly home to the Great Crested Newt and the Red-spotted newt. The remainder of Portlethen Moss is approximately one quarter of the size it was twenty years ago.

Portlethen has two all-weather concrete tennis courts, a bowling green with public and private sessions, a swimming pool, a community centre (within Portlethen Academy), an internet cafe, a public library and a private members golf club. A new Youth Drop-In Centre is now open, and there are plans for it to be opened for longer hours. The drop-in-centre had been planned for over five years and will hopefully be completed in late 2007, in the old library.

There are four pubs in Portlethen. The Lethan Arms, The Paddock, Brewers Fayre and The Nuek (in Portlethen Village). There are four main shopping areas, Portlethen Retail Park, The Green, Muirend Retail Court and Rowanbank Court.

There are two parks in Portlethen: Bourtree Park and Nicol Park. Nicol Park has a toddlers park, a skate park and two basketball courts. Bourtree Park has a football pitch and a few swings and climbing frames. Their are currently plans to create a new "green area"/park in the north end of Portlethen.

There are two primary schools and one secondary school in Portlethen. Portlethen Primary School, the larger of the two primaries and Fishermoss Primary School. Both primary schools have nursery units, and are too small for the current population, which has resulted in the adding of Portacabins to both schools.

Portlethen Academy caters for Portlethen, the surrounding villages and Newtonhill, a village to the south of Portlethen. The new Portlethen Academy opened in August 2006, next to the site of the original building which was demolished less than twenty years after being constructed. The new building was built as part of the government's controversial PPI scheme, and purports to be one of the most technologically advanced schools in Scotland. Portlethen Academy celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 20th 2007.

Portlethen Golf Club is a private members club founded in 1981, designed by Donald Steel. The Club Professional is Muriel Thomson who, when she was appointed in 1990, was the first female golf professional in Scotland.

Destinations from PORTLETHEN
Findon	Aberdeen	Portlethen Village
Banchory	N W E S	Downies
	Newtonhill, Stonehaven

1. ^ C.Michael Hogan, Causey Mounth, Megalithic Portal, ed. by Andy Burnham, 2007
2. ^ Archibald Watt, Highways and Biways around Kincardineshire, Stonehaven Heritage Society (1985)

• Bishops' Wars
• Mounth
• Portlethen Moss

v • d • e Settlements and Places of Interest in Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire
Primary Settlements	Cammachmore · Drumoak · Fettercairn · Gourdoun · Inverbervie · Johnshaven · Laurencekirk · Newtonhill · Portlethen · St. Cyrus · Stonehaven
Other Settlements	Arbuthnott · Banchory-Devenick · Bridge of Muchalls · Catterline · Cookney · Drumlithie · Findon · Fordoun · Maryculter · Muchalls · Netherley
Places of Interest	Causey Mounth · Crawton · Drum Castle · Dunnottar Castle · Fetteresso Castle · Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve · Monboddo House · Muchalls Castle · Normandykes · Portlethen Moss · Raedykes · Stonehaven Tolbooth

v • d • e Areas and Primary Settlements in Aberdeenshire (see also: Aberdeen City)
in Banff and Buchan	Aberchirder · Banff and Macduff · Fraserburgh · Gardenstown · Inverallochy and Cairnbulg · Portsoy · Rosehearty · Sandhaven · Whitehills
in Buchan	Boddam · Crimond · Cruden Bay · Fetterangus · Hatton · Longside · Maud · Mintlaw · New Deer · New Pitsligo · Peterhead · St. Combs · St. Fergus · Strichen · Stuartfield
in Formartine	Balmedie · Cuminestown · Ellon · Fyvie · Newburgh · Oldmeldrum · Pitmedden · Potterton · Rothienorman · Tarves · Turriff
in Garioch	Blackburn · Insch · Inverurie · Kemnay · Kintore · Newmachar · Westhill
in Kincardine and Mearns	Drumoak · Fettercairn · Gourdoun · Inverbervie · Johnshaven · Laurencekirk · Newtonhill · Portlethen · St. Cyrus · Stonehaven
in Marr	Aboyne · Alford · Ballater · Banchory · Braemar · Huntly · Lumphanan · Tarland · Torphins