Peterhead is the largest fishing port by landings in the UK. Seagulls mob a crew winding in their net.
Passing through the residential streets, an amusing sign sits between two houses, mounted on the boundary fence above a mattress and other discarded items: Happy Second Birthday Rubbish Pile! I want to take a photo, but it’s safer not to get too close to neighbour disputes.
The beach north of the River Ugie is gorgeous. I can’t believe I have it all to myself. What a contrast with the gloom of yesterday.
Someone needs a haircut.
One of the joys of beach walking is being free to look around all the time rather than watch where you are stepping. Two birds engage in a dogfight for fishing rights, twisting and turning over the sea. A dog runs down to the water’s edge.
The third sandy bay has a different backdrop. A lone deer bounds up the dunes surrounding the gas terminal.
Rattray Head lighthouse appears on the horizon. Not every ship can be saved.
Gannets plunge into the waves like missiles, sending up plumes of white spray.
The tide has turned, so I’m too late to walk out to the lighthouse.
Is there a longer unbroken stretch of sandy beach anywhere else in Britain? Not one patch of rocks to cross.
The beach finally comes to an end. Tracks and quiet roads run round to Cairnbulg Point, where the fishing boat “Sovereign” was wrecked in 2005.
Fraserburgh is in sight but there’s the small matter of crossing the deep River Philorth.
I try to skirt the river’s edge, but the path vanishes into dense undergrowth. A narrow trail leads into the dunes, sadly back in the direction I’ve come from. A railway cutting is marked on my OS map and I consider cutting directly across the dunes. I’ve tried that more than once on previous hikes, and it’s never ended well so stick to the path, startling a deer only feet away.
The path eventually links up with the railway cutting, which takes me to the road, across the river and back into the dunes.
This would have sent the Germans fleeing back to their ships.
Arriving at Fraserburgh, the dependable Weatherspoons pub serves a nice pint of Northern Blonde. What a perfect day for walking 17 unbroken miles of sandy beach. Gale force winds are forecast tomorrow, blowing directly East, and I’m heading directly West for 26 miles. I’d better stock up on calories — cheesecake is on the menu!
Date of walk: Thursday 27 June 2024.
Walk distance: 22 miles.
Total distance: 4,425 miles.
The ‘cool dude’ pillbox has come out (of the dunes) and embraced a new identity, I see. Well, good for it, I hope it feels much happier in itself!
(Apart from gaining some lipstick, when I passed by it, some fifteen months earlier, it was still half-buried in the dunes – just goes to show how dynamic dune terrain can be!)
Haha! I’ve just read your blog for this section. It’s definitely come out of the shadows. It’s amazing to see how the dunes have receded. A marker for future coast walkers!
Love that pillbox!
The tidal crossing to Rattry Head has a bad reputation amongst Northern Lighthouse Board staff.