Fraserburgh Bay and Waters of Philorth

Walk across the fabulous golden sand of Fraserburgh Bay and then follow the Philorth Water, a rare habitat for many seabirds, inland. Cross the dunes to return along the beach with good views of Fraserburgh and Kinnaird Head lighthouse.

Terrain

Beach and dunes.

Public Transport

Fraserburgh is served by regular buses.

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Start

Fraserburgh Esplanade car park. Map and directions.

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Grade (key)

Bog Factor (key)

Walk Statistics

Distance: 6.5km/4 miles
Time: 2 hours
Ascent: 10m (Profile)
Grid Ref: NJ999661

Maps / GPS

View / Print route map
Explorer 427 - Peterhead
GPS Waypoints - QUO 2
GPS Waypoints - GPX
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Download walk to Google Earth (KMZ file)

Accommodation

Walk Description

Stage 1

Esplanade car park is well signed from the A98 in Fraserburgh. It is just south of the harbour and north of the large Tesco store. There are toilets and a cafe at the car park. Walk down onto the sand and walk to the right towards the large dune system which dominates the horizon.

Stage 2

A small stream has to be crossed early on, this is usually easy on the sand, but if the water is high it is possible to go round at the sea wall. Continue following the beach, at high tide it is possible to walk along the dunes although the going is much harder than on the wet sand.

Stage 3

Eventually the point and harbour at Cairnbulg comes into view, with the wreck of a fishing vessel just a short way off the coast. Cairnbulg is the other side of the River Philorth which is often hidden from view at this point. Continue until the outflow and then head inland next to the water. A short way along, a boardwalk on the right leads to a dune path which follows the river inland. Follow this, or if the tide is low, walk next to the river which is a good place to spot waders such as Sanderling, Dunlin, Herons and Oystercatchers.

Stage 4

Just after a second seat, keep to the right of a fence and soon a boardwalk is reached. Left leads to the car park at the entrance to the Waters of Philorth Nature Reserve, unless you have arranged transport from there, turn right to head through the dunes and back to the beach. There is a bench at the top which is an excellent viewpoint over the bay. Follow the path down onto the shore and turn left to return along the sands to Fraserburgh.

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Route Profile

Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is each walkers' responsibility to check it and navigate using a map and compass.