The Gonks of Gardenshillock Storybook Trail Aberdeenshire

18/06/2026

Yesterday we welcomed the fantastic P3 children from Robert Gordon’s College to The Gonks of Gardenshillock.

They explored, imagined, listened and, most importantly of all, had lots of fun.

What a lovely group of children and a real credit to their school.

But the best part of the day? Every child wrote their own story inspired by The Gonks of Gardenshillock.

From Zoobee the Zookeeper Gonk, to Lily Gonk and her best friend Wizzy, to Lammens the Jacket Maker Gonk, each tale had its own unique characters, creative twists and brilliant illustrations.

I’ve spent this evening reading every single one, and it’s been an absolute joy. After all, if a story is worth writing down, it’s certainly worth reading.

Who knows? Perhaps one of these young authors will have a book of their own on the shelves one day.

Robert Gordon's College

18/06/2026

17/06/2026

“This is 1000 times more than anything I expected!” — we hear this so often at The Gonks of Gardenshillock.

It’s hard to put this place into words, and photographs never quite do it justice.

So what does a visit to The Gonks of Gardenshillock look like?

It begins with a wander through our magical meadow, surrounded by lush grasses and beautiful wildflowers. Hidden around every corner is something waiting to be discovered — a cheeky Gonk home, a puzzling task, a peaceful bench, an enchanted mud kitchen, or a little piece of magic you weren’t expecting.

Children lose themselves in old-school play. Parents slow down. Time seems to disappear.

Visitors often tell us they’ve spent far longer here than they planned. Not because one of our mischievous Gonks has cast a spell, but because they’re simply enjoying themselves.

Nothing rushed. Nothing complicated. Just fresh air, imagination, adventure, and memories being made together.

Never too old. Never too young. Everything feels just right.

And that’s exactly how we hope it stays for many years to come.

16/06/2026

WINNER ANNOUCEMENT!

Wow we rather quickly shot past 7,000 followers before I even noticed!!

So as promised the winner of our Gonk Team Assembly Competition is..

Dawn Stark-Proctor

Congratulations Dawn you have won a family pass to The Gonks of Gardenshillock Summer Magical Meadow! Please pop us a message to claim your prize!

15/06/2026

With our last video of our magical, mischievous Gonks conga-ing through the meadow in celebration of Scotland’s result racking up an incredible 64,000 views, we’ve had an influx of new followers and lots and lots of messages asking…

“Who are you?”
“What is this place?”
“How do we visit?!”

So here’s the quick version…

🌿 Who are we?
The Gonks of Gardenshillock!

🌿 What are we?
A magical meadow whose residents include 10 enchanted Gonks straight from the storybook The Gonks of Gardenshillock by Samantha Annal.

🌿 How can you visit?
We ONLY open 4 times a year in line with the Aberdeenshire school holidays. Our Summer Season begins on 3rd July and runs until 16th August for just 6 short weeks of magical Gonk awesomeness!

🌿 Want in on the fun?
Book your tickets at www.thegonksofgardenshillock.co.uk

🌿 Still not sold?
Where else can you spend two hours wandering through a wildflower meadow looking for tiny magical folk who apparently think 2am bagpipe concerts are perfectly acceptable behaviour?

12/06/2026

🌼✨ Just 3 Weeks Until We Open! ✨🌼

One thing lots of visitors asked for last year was better signage to help them find our magical meadow.

We completely agreed and have spent many, many months trying to get brown tourism signs installed. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts (and a fair bit of patience!), we’re still waiting for progress and it’s looking unlikely they’ll be in place for this summer. 😢

Sadly, we can’t just pop up our own signs, so for the easiest route to The Gonks of Gardenshillock we’d recommend using What3Words:

📍 perky.chosen.fearfully

The Gonks are still working hard behind the scenes to make those brown signs happen, but it seems even magical creatures struggle with paperwork! 🧙‍♂️🍄

Thank you for your patience, and don’t worry—we promise the adventure is worth finding! 💚

visitscotland VisitScotland aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire Council

11/06/2026

We’re teaming up with the FANTASTIC Stevie from Sense-a-story for a VERY SPECIAL EVENT indeed.

Join Stevie at The Gonks of Gardenshillock as she brings the story to life using all 5 senses! Hear the tale of The Gonks of Gardenshillock in the most interactive and immersive way!

Followed by a self led trail to find all the homes of the characters from the book! Complete fun tasks, be sure to ring the door bells, get muddy in the mud kitchen, play at the park and round it all off with our delicious strawberries!

This very special event is aimed at children aged 7 years and younger.

📖 ✨️ We're teaming up with The Gonks of Gardenshillock this Summer for a magical storybook adventure!

Step into the story like never before...

First, families can see, hear, smell, touch and taste 'The Gonks of Gardenshillock' by Samantha Annal during a special, immersive Sense-a-Story session. Then, follow the enchanting trail through the meadow to explore the story even further!

Finish with a play at the park, and a visit to the cafe.

📅 Thursday 16th July
⏰️10:30am
📍 The Gonks of Gardenshillock, Hatton of Fintray

This event is for children who are walking up to age 7 and their families. Younger siblings in a baby sling/carrier are more than welcome too.

Who's ready for a magical storytime this Summer?!

Follow the link in our bio to book your space, and we'll see you at The Gonks of Gardenshillock!

✨️📖