Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/02/201012:00 am
Walk Details
Pub Stop?: No O/S Map Sheet No.: 30 Grid Ref. Start: Grid Ref. Finish Walk (Miles): 10 Walk Hours: Bus Time to Walk: Bus Time from Walk: Departure time from walk:Walk Notes
Our walk today follows a stretch of the Buchan coastline from the Loch of Strathbeg to Fraserburgh passing the villages of St Combs and Onverallochy
The walk commences at Old Rattray (NGR.088.578) on a secondary road leading from the A.952 near Crimond village towards the lighthouse at Rattray Head. Continue along this road past the site of a castle to a fork where we take the left hand track which leads to the Coastguard Station. Leave this track on the left at a convenient point and head westwards across the fields towards the eastern end of the Loch of Strathbeg. Pick up a path which skirts the north eastern end of the loch between it and the sand dunes of the Back Bar and follow it north westwards towards a clump of trees beyond which the outlet of the loch to the sea crosses our route. The stream is crossed at NGR.065.603 by a footbridge and a path heading northwards for a mile to cross another burn and reach a junction of tracks near Boatlee Cottage. The track to the right then leads round the shore to reach the outskirts of St Combs near the ruin if St Columba’s Church. A zigzag route through the lanes and narrow streets of the village is then followed to the northern fringe at Charlestown where the trackbed of the disused railway line is picked up and followed towards Inverallochy. From there we continue on the railway track past Cairnbulg to reach the Water of Philorth. From there the road takes over from the old railway track and heads towards Fraserburgh alongside the Golf Links. When the outskirts of Fraserburgh is reached head for the end of the esplanade where the bus will be parked at NGR.000.662