Cults is a suburb on the western edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is known for its historic granite housing, and is a predominantly wealthy area of the city. It sits approximately 10 miles from the coast of the North Sea. The name is a corruption of Coilltean, a Scottish Gaelic word for "Woods".

Cults traditionally maintains a village status, with many of the societial structures found in a country village, despite its proximity to the west of the City of Aberdeen.

Cults lies on the banks of the River Dee and marks the beginning of the area known as Royal Deeside. Originally, Cults had two railway stations on the Royal Deeside Railway Line before it was closed in the middle of the 20th century. The route has since been converted into a cycle path which leads to Duthie Park in Aberdeen in one direction and further into Deeside in the other.

Inhabitants of the area enjoy "best of both" luxury, with the large scale amenities of a city nearby, while also managing to preserve a sense of countryside living. There is a public park (Allan Park) and a riverside walk.

Together with the adjoining village of Bieldside, Cults is known as a largely wealthy area; it has been recognised as the second wealthiest area in Scotland in recent surveys.^* Cults was once home to Sir Alex Ferguson, who was the manager of Aberdeen F.C. at the time.

Cults is served by a variety of small shops, church buildings and hotel/eatery facilities, mostly situated in the village centre. There are three main schools in the village: the state-run Cults Primary School and Cults Academy (one of Scotland's top-performing secondary schools), and the independent Waldorf School. The village is also only a short drive from the International School of Aberdeen in Milltimber and a complex of Waldorf/Steiner schools in Bieldside.

Other key places in Cults are the Kelly of Cults supermarket, a local family-run grocer and bakery which dates back over 100 years, the golf-themed Cults Hotel (alongside the Chip Inn takeaway), the Deeside Golf Club (shared with Bieldside) and the Inchgarth Reservoir.

External links

• Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Neighbourhood Council
• Images of parts of Cults: and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/megalithicmatt/126928004/in/pool-aberdeen/
• CACI Wealth of the Nation Survey 2005 ^*

Areas of Aberdeen