Formartine and Buchan Way

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Formatine and Buchan Way
Geograph-331617-John Allan-Formatine and Buchan Way at Logierieve.jpg
Formatine and Buchan Way at Logierieve.
Length64 km (40 mi) to Fraserburgh, plus 21 km (13 mi) spur to Peterhead. [1]
Location Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Designation Scotland's Great Trails
Trailheads
Use Walking, cycling, horseriding [2]
Elevation gain/loss420 metres (1,380 ft) gain [3]
SeasonAll Year
Website https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/paths-and-outdoor-access/long-distance-routes/formartine-and-buchan-way/
Udny Station looking along the footpath. Geograph-331569-John Allan-Udny Station.jpg
Udny Station looking along the footpath.

The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long-distance trail in Scotland, extending from Dyce north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the Buchan and Formartine districts of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It follows the track of a former railway line, the Formartine and Buchan Railway, and is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. [2] The railway closed in 1979 (Fraserburgh) and 1970 (Maud-Peterhead). The walkway opened in the early 1990s, and is managed by Aberdeenshire Council. [4] It is listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. [3] Places of interest along the way include Drinnes Wood Observatory, Strichen Stone Circle, Aden Country Park, Deer Abbey and The White Horse at Strichen.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The total path is around 85 kilometres (53 mi) long if both spurs are travelled and can be accessed relatively easily by public transport or car. [2] An information pack detailing the route has been produced by Aberdeenshire Council: the pack can be purchased from local tourist information centres and is also available to download. [5] The route is also marked on OS maps. The path is well signposted and is easy to follow. The track is relatively flat and undulates only when roads have to be crossed. It is mostly well mowed. The Maud to Strichen section has a detour because of overgrown shrubbery, marshy conditions and impassable fencing.[ citation needed ]

Much of the route is not suitable for those on adapted cycles, due to frequent access barriers, except where the route is shared by National Cycle Network Route 1, between Auchnagatt and Maud.[ citation needed ]

Access barrier at Auchnagatt. Barrier on Formartine and Buchan cycle route at Auchnagatt.jpg
Access barrier at Auchnagatt.

Sections

Start pointEnd pointLength [6] Notes
kmmi
Dyce Udny Station138.1
Udny Station Ellon85.0
Ellon Auchnagatt127.5
Auchnagatt Maud74.3
Maud Strichen95.6
Strichen Fraserburgh17.510.9
DyceFraserburgh6440Total excluding Peterhead branch [1]
MaudLongside11.57.1Peterhead branch
Longside Peterhead10.56.5Peterhead branch
MaudPeterhead2113Total for Peterhead branch [1]
Complete route [1] 8553

History of the route

The 29-mile (47 km) long railway from Dyce to Mintlaw railway station opened on 18 July 1861, with the 13-mile (21 km) section from Maud to Peterhead railway station opening the following year. A 15-mile (24 km) long section north to Fraserburgh railway station opened on 24 April 1865. [7] Passenger services were withdrawn by the Scottish Region of British Railways in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts. Freight trains continued to operate to Peterhead until 1970 and Fraserburgh until 1979. This was in spite of the fact a considerable amount of freight traffic was being generated by the off-shore oil and gas industry.[ citation needed ] Conversion of the line to a footpath and cycleway started in 1987, and was led by the Buchan Countryside Group. [6]

See also

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Maud is a village in the Buchan area of the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire, with a population of 780. Located 13 miles (21 km) west of Peterhead on the South Ugie Water, Maud rose to prosperity after 1863 as a railway junction of the Formartine and Buchan Railway that ran through Maud to Fraserburgh and Peterhead, but has always been the meeting place of six roads. It has had a variety of names:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraserburgh railway station</span> Disused railway station in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire

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The Formartine and Buchan Railway was a railway company operating in the north-east of Scotland. It was built to link the important fishing ports of Fraserburgh and Peterhead with Aberdeen. It had a junction with the main line of the Great North of Scotland Railway (GNoS) at Dyce. Due to shortage of finance, the line was opened in stages as money became available. The section from Dyce to Mintlaw opened in 1861, and from there to Peterhead in 1862. The Fraserburgh line opened in 1865. The Company was never profitable, and it was heavily supported financially by the GNoSR; it was formally absorbed by that company in 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Leeds</span> Human settlement in Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortes, Aberdeenshire</span> Human settlement in Scotland

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Formartine and Buchan Way - Route Cards". Aberdeenshire Council. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Formatine and Buchan Way". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Trails". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "SNH Commissioned Report 380: Developing the network of longer distance routes" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. p. 19. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Formartine and Buchan Way". Aberdeenshire Council. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Formatine and Buchan Way". WalkHighlands. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   1-8526-0049-7. OCLC   19514063. CN 8983., (1990). p.132
Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

57°26′52″N2°06′47″W / 57.4477°N 2.1131°W / 57.4477; -2.1131 (Formartine and Buchan Way)

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