Strichen to Maud -Part 1

This marker is alongside the track (right going towards Maud) just before the bridge near Viewbank. We presume it indicates the distance, in miles, to Aberdeen,  the circles representing quarter miles. We have so far been unable to locate further signs.

'The Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 required that the railway companies provide markers at quarter mile intervals along the track side. Section 94 of the Act read:



"The company shall cause the length of the railway to be measured, and milestones, posts, or other conspicuous objects to be set up and maintained along the whole line thereof, at the distance of one quarter of a mile from each other, with numbers or marks inscribed thereon denoting such distances."


One reason for compelling the railway companies to have mileposts installed was that it allowed passengers to verify that they had been charged an appropriate fare for the length of their journey.'  http://www.railsigns.co.uk/

Also on the right along this section of line is this hut constructed, apart from the roof and chimney,  entirely of sleepers. This attractive cast iron bridge parapet carries the line over the road to Strichen Mains.

Just before the bridge there are good views (to the left) of the ruins of Strichen House and the unfortunate corrugated iron agricultural extension.

Botanically this is a rewarding section. Close to Strichen wild strawberries, (Fragaria vesca) (pictured below) and wood avens line the track. there are beautiful bushes of white and pink dog roses, broom and gorse. 

In the same area there is also an abundance of Sweet Cicely (myrrhis odorata). For Grey Granite this plant always evokes Flora Garry's eponymous poem, a great favourite of her friend Eva who spent her childhood in Strichen during the 1920's

' We ca'ad it myrrh. It cam at the bare time

O langblae licht an broon new shaaven ley, 

Skwylin teuchart, reek o  burnin grouth, 

The caal Gab o Mey' 

By the first cutting this vegetation is replaced by predominantly rosebay willow herb, nettles, ferns  and brambles. There is an ivy covered road bridge over the line near ViewBank.

Trees along this section include the occasional Scots pine, beech, ash, mountain ash, sycamore, silver birch, willows and two or three hazels.

Grey Granite was plesaed to see a ringlet butterfly during her walk today.

Foxgloves and dog roses

Grey Granite and Rufus joined the line at Invernoth,  intending to walk towards Strichen to photograph the splendid gowans they had seen when walking with Dr Anne recently. It was  a beautiful evening, Rufus joined the line jauntily emulating his new friend Dr Anne by  jumping over the low 'cyclists dismount'  barrier whilst Grey Granite stepped sedately through the gap.The section of line to Rathen station was beautiful, the dog roses (Rosa canina) and broom (Sarothamus scoparius) are in full bloom and there is honeysuckle about to open.

As they walked Grey Granite noted the doocot at The Gash and the appearance on partially constructed wind turbines towards Memsie.  Alas Grey Granite had forgotten about the spraying which had been carried out on the line between Rathen and Lonmay. This has totally destroyed the willow herb in particular and the effect was so dispiriting that they quickly turned back to retrace their steps and walked on towards Fraserbugh from Invernorth. Here the walk was redeemed by the wonderful spires of foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) and the buttercups flowering in the Mill Haugh. Grey gGanite was particularly pleased to see a pair of roe deer bounding away from the line at this point. Rufus again has aspirations towards being a deer hound when he grows up...

Mormond Halt

 Under the shadow of Mormond Hill, 2.5 miles from Strichen station, Mormond Halt boasts an imposing station house and remarkably long platform for what was exclusively a passenger station serving New Leeds, and the estate of Park. In the mid 1800s Park was dominated by the premises of Messrs Willox, carriers. In the 1820's they had a monopoly of the carrying trade in Buchan and were reputedly the only  Buchan company  to have regular trade with London.

Two lamp brackets survive on the platform, empty posts suggest that there may originally have been at least 5 between the station buildings and the bridge.

The embankment  by the bridge is carpeted with wild hyacinths (Endymion non-scriptus)

Wild Mignonette (Reseda luteola)

Growing in the roadside verge outside the station. Welch  records only one other locality in Buchan.

The White Horse

The White Horse on Mormond Hill with Clayfords Cottages in the foreground.

The White Horse is thought to have been cut into Mormond Hill in 1773, possibly to record the visit of Dr Johnson and Boswell to Strichen.

Grey Granite and Rufus enjoyed an idyllic walk along this one of the most interesting sections of the line, leaving Strichen at the Five Roads junction (mentioned in Dark Star by Lorna Moon) and walking towards Fraserburgh, reaching West Cockmuir. The photograph shows the bridge at Cockmuir with the Fetterangus wind turbines in the background. This is a particularly interesting section of line with two deep cuttings, in one of which the Fraserburgh  Strichen train was famously snowbound (c1947) stranding Grey Granite's father-in -law. There are several embankments giving good views of Mormond Hill and the countryside to the South. This gives  a varied flora, gorse and broom, both in flower almost line most of the track, except in the cuttings where there are trees, ash, sycamore, elms, Scots pines. Close to the Howfords Bridge there are magnificent beech trees lining the road at the top of the embankment. Wild roses are not yet in bloom but are frequent. There are occasional apple trees close to the track, Grey Granite wonders if these have grown from cores thrown from the train. Wild flowers currently in flower include, wood avens and garlic mustard (at the viaduct) pink purslane (under the Clayfords bridge), violets, germander speedwell, comfrey, rough comfrey, common forget-me-not and wall whitlow grass (Strichen Station).

A brief history of time

The Formartine and Buchan Way  was established as  a recreational footpath and cycle way in 1987 and follows the route of the old railway line from Aberdeen to Fraserburgh and Peterhead. It now provides a 'wildlife corridor' and as such is of particular interest to Grey Granite.

Grey Granite first travelled the route in her carry cot in July 1951, the first of her annual rail journeys from England to Buchan for holidays in Rosehearty which continued until Dr Beeching's axe fell in 1965. She has always regarded the line with great affection and now that she has opportunity to follow her own inclinations has resolved to walk the length of the line accompanied by Rufus, her Border Terrier. It is their intention to complete the walk in short stages during the 150th anniversary year of the opening of the first section of the line. This blog will record these expeditions and the  wildlife encountered during the walks with notes on places of interest along the route.

Approval to build a railway line from Dyce to Peterhead with a branch at Mintlaw to Fraserburgh was granted to The Formartine and Buchan Railway Company on the 23rd July 1858 when  the Formartine and Buchan Railway Act was passed. The 29 mile stretch joining Dyce and Mintlaw (Old Deer) was opened 3 years later on 18th July 1861 with the remaining 13 miles to Peterhead following a year later on  3rd July 1862. The 15 mile Fraserburgh branch took a further 3 years before opening on  24th April 1865.

The line was operated by the Great North of Scotland Railway Company (GNSR) which was incorporated into the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923 before becoming part of the nationalised railway system (British Rail) on 1st January 1948.


Lord Beeching's cuts of the early 1960's condemned the line to closure with the last regular passenger trains running to Peterhead in May 1965 and to Fraserburgh in October 1965. Freight trains used the line to Peterhead until September 1970, and to Fraserburgh until October 1979.