Walks
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| The
idylic village of Crovie |
Gardenstown
to Crovie
Time: 1½- 2 hours
Distance: 3 miles
Starting
from Gardenstown Harbour, turn left at Harbour lane, keeping
left along the reclaimed ground to the steps. The beach is
very stony and not advisable at high tide.
The
only road out of Crovie is steep and twisting. There is a
magnificent viewpoint at the top of Crovie Hill which is suitable
for picnics. To return to Gardenstown, follow the road keeping
right at all junctions. The walk back down to Gardenstown
Harbour winds through the village for about 1 mile.
Sometime
before the “Great Storm” of 1953, Crovie was a
traditional fishing village with a population of 300 but many
inhabitants moved to Gardenstown, selling their cottages to
summer visitors. Now there are only a few permanent residents
and Crovie is a Conservation Area
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| The
Old Kirk of St John |
Gardenstown
to the Old Kirk of St John
Time: 2½- 3 hours
Distance: 3 miles
From
Gardenstown Harbour, walk west along Seatown to the beach.
Most of the cottages here have shutters to prevent stones,
flung up by the high tides, from breaking the windows. They
are built gable end to the sea, partly to save space and also
to get shelter from the strong winds and the sweater which
can often rush up the closes between the houses.
At
the burn, at the far end of the beach, turn left and follow
the path up to The Old Kirk of St John. Outside the gate of
the Churchyard, turn right and follow the path to the top
of the hill. This area is overgrown and is only suitable for
the more adventurous. Macduff, Whitehills and Portknocki can
be seen from this vantage point and in the opposite direction
– Troup Head and Rosehearty.
The
Old Kirk of St John the Evangelist was built in 1004. Coffins
were carried by mourners from Gardenstown, along the beach
to the churchyard, on the route described.
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| The
houses of Crovie |
The
Five Farms
Time: 1½ hours
Distance: 3 miles
The
path starts in the middle of Crovie, leading upwards beyond
cottage No 25, which is set back on the left side of the burn.
Pass “Drumohr” on your right and continue up a
steep and stony path to Crovie Farm. Carry on passing Northfield
Farm road end and walk south to Greenley Croft and on to Protston.
From here there is a dog leg road leading to Stonewall Farm.
The path now becomes grass-covered and leads downhill to Drumohr
again. A short walk brings you back to Crovie.
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| The
stunning Cullykhan Bay |
Cullykhan
Bay
Distance: 8 miles return trip from Gardenstown
This
sandy bay, 3 miles east of Gardenstown, can be reached by
turning off the B9031 to the west of Pennan. There is car
parking, footpaths to the beach, remains of the Bronze Age
Fort Fiddes and a rough path to Hell’s Lum. In good
weather, this beach provides a site bathing.
 |
| Troup
Head, 2 miles from Gardenstown |
Troup
Head
Distance: 2 miles east of Gardenstown
This
is best visited by driving to Northfield Farm, leaving the
car in the car park and walking out to the Head. The site
is a “Special Protection Area” due to its internationally
important seabird colonies which can be viewed here in the
summer. Over 100,000 seabirds can
be seen here. These include guillemots, kittiwalkers and razorbills,
together with herring gulls, fulmars and puffins. It has the
only mainland gannet colony in Scotland.
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