Rattray Head-Linear Walk

Rattray Head, between Fraserburgh and Peterhead is a fantastic place to be on a stormy day in mid winter! Due to the shape of the coast and the rocky outcrop on which Rattray Head lighthouse is built, the waves can be pretty impressive on a stormy day, as they come together from opposite directions and break up and around the lighthouse. The light house was engineered by David Alan Stevenson in 1895 to protect vessels from this dangerous stretch of coast.

The dunes in the area are some of the most important in the UK and contain dune slacks filled with wild flowers, most notably a diverse array of orchids-but you will have to go back in spring to see that!  On walking south along the shore from the lighthouse towards the gas terminal at St Fergus you may see the four wrecks within one mile of the light house, if you are there on a low tide. The last of the wrecks has been identified as the Excelsior of Laurwig, a 462 tonnage Norwegian barque built in 1869. She ran aground between Scotstown Head and Rattray Head on 22nd November 1881.

To get to Rattray Head go to the villages of Crimmond and St Fergus and between the two you will see signs for Rattray. Follow the road until you get to the hostel at the road end-the tarmac stops part way but carries on a stone track. Parking for the walk is at the car park at Old Rattray just past the hostel and B&B. From here follow the path out of the car park over the dunes and onto the beach. This stretch of coast can be very exposed in the winter so please dress warmly.