[2] Finzean occupies the upper catchment of the Water of Feugh within the area of the Lower Deeside, the main tributary of the River Dee.

The northern boundary of Finzean follows the watershed separating the Feugh catchment from the Burn of Cattie, although it runs slightly to the north of this ridge in the eastern part of the parish, crossing the B976 at Berrysloch.

Most of the population of the parish lives in this area, with the main clusters of housing being at Finzean village, Drumhead and Percie.

The hills are mostly covered with heather, but along their lower slopes, there are some extensive areas of forestry, most of which is planted with Scots pine and larch.

[8] The stone is alleged to commemorate a mythical Scottish king called Dardanus, who reigned in the 1st century AD according to the writer Hector Boece.

In reality, it is more likely to be a Bronze Age monument left by the Beaker people[9] In the 10th century the lands of Finzean became the personal property of the King of Scots, who used the Forest of Birse as a hunting reserve.

This decline was countered by the growing wealth generated by the advent of the North Sea oil industry in the 1970s, which brought an influx of new people to Aberdeen and other parts of north-east Scotland.

The third meeting of the Rural Development Council, chaired by Richard Lochhead, was held in Finzean village hall in December 2008.