The Formartine and Buchan Way is a

long-distance trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, extending from

Dyce Dyce ( gd, Deis) is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated on the River Don about northwest of the city centre. It is best known as the location of Aberdeen Airport. History Dyce is the site of an early medieval church dedicated to the 8 ...

north to

Peterhead Peterhead (; gd, Ceann Phàdraig, sco, Peterheid ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement (the city of Aberdeen itself not being a part of the district), with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. ...

and

Fraserburgh Fraserburgh (; sco, The Broch or ; gd, A' Bhruaich) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2011 Census at 13,100. It lies at the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, about north of Aberdeen, and north of ...

in the

Buchan Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by ...

and Formartine districts of

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

. It follows the track of a former railway line, the Formartine and Buchan Railway, and is open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The railway closed in 1979 (Fraserburgh) and 1970 (Maud-Peterhead). The walkway opened in the early 1990s, and is managed by

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area inclu ...

. It is listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by

NatureScot NatureScot ( gd, NàdarAlba), which was formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for the country's natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and ...

. Places of interest along the way include Drinnes Wood Observatory, Strichen Stone Circle,

Aden Country Park Aden Country Park is located in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, first mentioned in the 10th-century ''Book of Deer''. The park has a caravan area with camping, a small shop, a small cafe near the agricultural museum, a play area, the maintained ...

Deer Abbey Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. It was founded by 1219 under the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, who is also buried there. History There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests, nev ...

and The White Horse at Strichen. The total path is around long if both spurs are travelled and can be accessed relatively easily by public transport or car. An information pack detailing the route has been produced by

: the pack can be purchased from local tourist information centres and is also available to download. 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 well maintained, and few parts are overgrown. However, the Maud to Strichen section has a detour because of overgrown shrubbery, marshy conditions and numerous problems such as gates and fences blocking access. 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 The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Route 1, between Auchnagatt and Maud. Barrier on Formartine and Buchan cycle route at Auchnagatt

Sections

History of the route

The long railway from Dyce to Mintlaw railway station opened on 18 July 1861, with the section from Maud to Peterhead railway station opening the following year. A long section north to Fraserburgh railway station opened on 24 April 1865., (1990). p.132 Passenger services were withdrawn by the

Scottish Region of British Railways The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation o ...

in 1965 as part of the

Beeching cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...

. 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. Conversion of the line to a footpath and cycleway started in 1987, and was led by the Buchan Countryside Group.

References

External links

Official Website
from Aberdeenshire Council
Formartine and Buchan Way
guide and mapping on Walkhighlands

{{coord, 57.4477, -2.1131, dim:50000_region:GB, display=title, name=Formartine and Buchan Way Rail trails in Scotland Footpaths in Aberdeenshire Scotland's Great Trails

Sections

History of the route

See also

References

External links