Description:

An easy and accessible walk, mostly on well‑defined paths with no technical difficulties. The trail follows gentle gradients throughout, making it straightforward to navigate for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders alike.

The Formartine & Buchan Way—one of Scotland’s Great Trails—runs along the former trackbed of the Formartine and Buchan Railway. Beginning at Dyce on the edge of Aberdeen, it heads north to the village of Maud, where the route divides: one branch continues east to Peterhead, while the other turns north towards Fraserburgh.

The railway fell victim to the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, closing to passengers in 1965, though freight trains continued into the 1970s. The Buchan Countryside Group reopened the line as a multi‑use path in 1987, preserving it as a valuable green corridor. Today the route supports a rich variety of wildlife, including deer, foxes, weasels, stoats, and badgers.