With its castle, hotels and shops, Huntly has long served as the focal point for its surrounding rural hinterland. Alan Cooper recalls erstwhile characters such as 'Pig' Murray, the town crier, and tells the story of the tinkers who used to visit the town. There was once a shoemaking factory in the Square that employed 150 people, and a brewery just outside the town that produced Strathbogie Stout. Pictures of Kennethmont and Gartly stations, along with a view of the Gartly picnic and games, draw in some locations just outside the town, although the bulk of the book covers Huntly itself.