The Courier’s Referendum Roadshow bus visited the Mearns in the warm sun on Thursday.
Residents of Fettercairn and Laurencekirk were canvassed to find out how some will vote come September’s vote on the Union.
The day began in Fettercairn, and we found a clear preference for keeping the Union.
“Sleepy? I’ll have you know they were shooting a Hollywood film here the other week,” said an assistant at the Fettery Shoppe.
To be fair, a man was outside shooting footage for a London news agency as pollsters hailed passers-by in The Square.
Lesley Stewart, 70, was one of the few people to have mixed feelings on the subject.
“The thing about the referendum is that the opposing parties can’t agree on any issue,” he said.
“Yes are saying this about the likes of pensions and oil and so on, No are saying something completely different.
“And there are no facts to back it up it’s hard to know who to believe.”
Mr Stewart said that if there was one issue to decide his vote, it would be a confirmation of whom the “purse strings” would be best held by.
“I want to know who is going to bring more money into the country,” he added. “Not for me, but for the future. That’s when I’ll know.”
One German couple were in the village to visit its distinguished distillery, having ridden on motorcycle from Aboyne.
Inge, from Hamburg, said the debate was often covered on their national television.
“In our country there are as many saying yes as there are saying no,” she said. “No one knows what will happen.”
In the afternoon, the rapidly-expanding Mearns hub of Laurencekirk recorded a 70/30 split in favour of No in our informal poll.
Gwen Steven, 39, is a relative newcomer to the area and commutes to Aberdeen, where she works in administration.
“A lot of people don’t like the SNP because of Alex Salmond or the cabinet, but for me there’s a bigger picture,” she said.
“It’s never too early to say it these days, but the pension issue is a really big one for me, and I don’t think the Westminster Government can deliver on its promises.”
The roadshow visits Almondbank and Methven in Perthshire on Friday. Follow the whole tour at www.thecourier.co.uk/indy-roadshow.