Formartine and Buchan Way, Long-distance trail in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long-distance trail in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, running from Dyce northward to both Peterhead and Fraserburgh on the coast. It follows the bed of a former railway line, so the path is mostly flat and wide, passing through farmland, small towns, and open countryside.
The route follows the former Formartine and Buchan Railway, which opened in 1861 to serve fishing communities and farming areas in northeast Scotland. The line closed in stages between the 1960s and 1979, and the walking path was laid out in the 1980s on the cleared trackbed.
Along the route, old station buildings and former platforms are still visible in several villages, giving walkers a sense of what the railway era looked like. Local residents use the path on a daily basis, and on weekends it draws people from nearby towns for longer outings.
The trail can be joined at several points along the route, many of which have parking nearby, so it is easy to walk just one section at a time. Sturdy footwear is a good idea, as parts of the path can become soft and muddy after rain.
At the village of Maud, the path divides into two separate branches, one heading to Peterhead and the other to Fraserburgh, which gives the whole route a Y-shape that is unusual for a long-distance trail. This means a walker who completes both branches will have visited two different coastal towns by the end of the trip.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
