Ellon Viaduct to Logierieve

The stone viaduct over the Ythan  at Ellon. This bridge which originally had three arches, collapsed following a landslide on 3rd February 1861, delaying the opening of the Line to Maud until it could be rebuilt -this time with four arches. 

This, the last section of our walk, began just beyond the viaduct where the A920 crosses the Line. It was  a beautiful autumnal morning, as can be seen from the photograph of the bridge, many trees are starting to turn and the margins of Line were  bright with scarlet rose hips and russet willow herb leaves, their plumed, feathery seeds drifting gently about. The first part of the walk south took us alongside Gallows Hill of Utlaw from whence, historically, 'pot and gallows law' was dispensed twice yearly.

The ruins of Esslemont Castle beside the A920 to the west of the Line. The original moated castle dated from the 14th century but was destroyed by fire in 1493 during a feud between the Cheynes and the Hays. This tower in the south east angle, dates from 1570-90. Originally built by the Mareschals  the castle passed to the Cheynes then in 1625 to the Errolls but was sold to the Gordons in 1728 and finally abandoned in 1769 in favour of nearby Esslemont House .

Esslemont Station from the north. Both this station and Logierieve are quite isolated. Esslemont was also a single platform station, the station building provided accommodation for the station agent with the bedroom in the roof space.

A geranium, with unusually rounded leaves, probably an escapee from the station garden, growing on the verge by Esslemont Station

Looking west to Bennachie across fields were harvest was going on.

Grey Granite especially liked the look of this ruined cottage close to the Line near  Hillhead of Mosstown,
 imagining  cottar bairnies standing by the house to wave at steam trains on the Line.

Geese filling the sky near the splendidly named Dukes Boots Wood


A highlight not only of this section of the walk, but of the whole journey, was standing on the Line and suddenly being surrounded by thousands of honking, clamorous geese who took to the sky as we approached. The noise was tremendous as they wheeled overhead.

A pheasant, just retreating into the willow herb, one of many on the track opposite Dukes Boots Wood

A late foxglove, these together with bright rosehips, the duller red of haws and the drifting seed plumes of rosebay willowherb characterize long stretches of the Line in autumn.

Rosebay willowherb seed heads

The Prop of Ythsie, a memorial to the forth Earl of Aberdeen, George Hamilton Gordon, Prime Minister 1852-1855 who became involved in the Crimean War.

Logierieve Station, looking north with the clock stopped at 5 to 7. 

The Newburgh to Old Meldrum Road Bridge can be seen on the extreme left. Logierieve was a single platform station with a small goods yard and was originally called Newburgh Road but was renamed about 3 months after opening - the village of Newburgh being about 5 miles to the east.

Passing under the bridge at Logierieve to reach the old platform Rufus and I reached the point on the Line which we had reached walking north from Dyce in 2011 and completed our 108 mile walk along the whole of the Formartine and Buchan Way in both directions. As we turned back to retrace our steps to Ellon the sun came out, bathing the Line north of the bridge in light, this seemed a good omen. 

Rufus

Amicus fedelis protectico fortis

Grey Granite first travelled the railway line from Aberdeen to Fraserburgh by steam train in the summer of 1951 and did so every year until Dr Beeching closed it  to passenger trains in 1965. Associated as this rail journey was with the longed for annual return  home to Buchan the Line has great significance for Grey Granite. Our walk has been a long enjoyable journey of discovery on many levels.

Crosshill Bridge, over the Ellon Viaduct to the A920

Looking south down the Line from Crosshill Bridge, where this walk, probably the penultimate section of our journey, began. The out buildings of Auchterellon Farm and the roofs of the outskirts of Ellon can just be seen on the skyline.

The short section of Line from the bridge to Auchterellon runs through a cutting, the sides of which are thickly covered in vegetation, now 'going over'. There dominant species on the embankments is willow herb,  interspersed with brambles and rasps, marsh thistles and gowans, trefoils and occasionally orpine.

Orpine (Sedum telephinium)

Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Small Lady's-mantle (Alchemillia glaucescens)

Quite suddenly, after we had passed under a bridge by Auchterellon Farm, we found ourselves walking along the back fences of houses, we could hear that it was playtime at Aucterllon School.

Some houses had artificial flowers in the garden, others, like this were well tended and full of riotously colourful carpet bedding 

The MacDonald Golf Course on the western side of the Line opposite the Auchterellon Estate.

The golf course covers about 40 acres within McDonald Park which was gifted to the town of Ellon  by Sir James Gordon McDonald, KCB, OBE. Born in 1867, McDonald progressed from school in Ellon to Gordon's College in Aberdeen and went on to rise to prominence in  Rhodesia where he supervised mines and cattle ranches for  Cecil Rhodes. This land, which he purchased in 1919, had originally been part of the Ellon Castle estate. Sir James used part of the land to build a retirement home for his parents, laying out woodland,  a park   and the 40 acre golf course in the remainder. The 9 hole golf course was designed by Stewart Burns, a golf professional from Cruden Bay and was officially opened on 1 June 1928 and a year later gifted to the council to be held in trust for the people of Ellon.

The remains of the once busy Ellon Station.

The platform on the left, the up (Aberdeen) platform became an island platform  in 1897 when Ellon became a junction for a branch line to Boddam. The south end of this platform now serves as a garden area for a block of flats built hard against the down line.

This substantial granite structure at the north end of the station is the base of a water tank.

Ellon Station was opened in 1861, the railway passed a little to the west of the town centre, shifting the main focus of the community from the Square to the area close to the station. Not only the hotel but also a tannery, two auction marts and the hospital were soon established in the vicinity of the station. Rather grand dwellings, used as summer residences by wealthy Aberdonians were built on Station Road. The former goods yard to the east of the station is now occupied by an industrial development.

Historically Ellon was regarded as the gateway to Buchan: This was the furthest point downstream that the Ythan could be crossed by ford and ferry. The status of burgh granted the right to hold a thriving market which brought trade from the rich agricultural hinterland. The arrival of the railway opened the countryside up, creating relatively rapid transport links with the ports of Fraserburgh and Peterhead,  the city of Aberdeen and intermediate villages. So Ellon became a dormitory town this continued with the arrival of the oil industry in the NE and is still clearly reflected in the pattern of housing expansion seen as one walks the Line across the town.

The wonderfully baronial Station Hotel , built in 1891, overlooked the station and reflects the confidence with which Ellon expanded to the west following the coming  of the railway.

Following his retirement McDonald divided his time between Rhodesia and the Station Hotel which included a wing constructed and retained for his  exclusive use. During WW2 he joined the Ellon Home Guard but also served as an intelligence officer, perishing on 7th December  1942 when SS Ceramic, on which he was sailing to South Africa, was torpedoed by a German U-boat. McDonald left a bequest of £30,000 to be used to establish an art gallery and museum in Salisbury. This, with additional funding, facilitated the establishment of what was eventually to become the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.

The Ellon viaduct carries the line over the Ythan. The remains of one of the original railway telegraph posts can be seen 

The viaduct originally had three arches over the river, the laying of the keystone of the third and final arch by Charles N Gordon of Esslemount took place with great ceremony on October 2nd 1860. However, the foundations of the abutment on the south bank of the river were built into  soft clay  which proved unstable, causing the the bridge to collapse one Sunday afternoon, fortunately before the Line was open  The opening of the railway was delayed until a four arched replacement viaduct  could be built. By the time a statutory Board of Trade inspection of the line was carried out by Col Yolland on 10th and 11th July 1861 the centering had only been removed for three weeks and there was already some evidence of subsidence. Col Yolland approved the bridge but insisted that it should be carefully monitored and train services began on the line on 18th July 1861.There were no further mishaps.

From the crossing with Craigs Road (B9005) the Line is raised on an embankment from which one looks over the rooftops of newer housing developments, bisected by the Ythan, seen here from the viaduct.

Foresters Terrace seen from the railway viaduct, the grand baronial building in the centre  of the picture is Auchtercrag.

Foresters Terrace is thought to have been built by The Ancient Order of Foresters, a friendly society. The site of the new houses behind the terrace was once occupied by a plant nursery and florists.

Auchtercrag was built set back from Commercial Road  in 1894 for William Smith who had a  boot and shoe factory close by. The house has changed hands many times in the intervening years having been unoccupied for some time before being bought by Gordon District Council in 1987. It has been restored and converted into seven flats known as the Auchtercrag Development. The boot factory was taken over by the McLaren Brothers in 1904 and specialised in producing heavy farm boots marketed as 'The Clan' boot. Clan boots were made of waterproof leather and had tackets on the soles and  iron toe and heel plates and were a huge success for the factory until the arrival of the wellington boot drastically reduced demand. Lighter boots were also made for Kingseat and Cornhill Hospitals. There is now a residential home for the elderly on the site of the boot factory.