SC500: part 4 from Fraserburgh to Stonehaven

Along the Aberdeenshire Coast via St Combs, Peterhead, Cruden Bay, Collieston, Balmedie, Aberdeen and Portlethen.

Commissioned by ArtWalkProjects this stretch welcomes you to giant ships, 22km of empty golden beach, 2 ship wrecks, oil/gas plants, enormous seafood platters (fully battered), high security prison, Bram Stokers Dracula castle, seal colony, National Decommissioning agency (oil?), many WW2 defences, offshore wind farm, Trumps golf course, kilometres of sandy beach and petroleum facilitating harbour, as well as a roast chicken made by our great hosts Lesley and Bill. Oil infested harbour, massive cruise ship, empty office estates, big golf courses, booby trapping brambles, pretty harbour, kids sailing school, tourist catching ruined castle and monument to City Sark designer along this cliff endangered way.

Thanks to Norma and Tony for the company between Fraserburgh and St Combs; Hilary and Frank walking with us from Cruden Bay to Collieston and Sibylle on the hardship way from Portlethen to Stonehaven. And our hosts Viv and John in Balmedie, and Lesley and Bill in Aberdeen.

Looking at St Fergus Gas Plant between St Combs and Peterhead

Monday 7 August 2023, Day 33: Fraserburgh. 0 steps

Exhausted, wash trouser, insta, postcard, emails, family phone, pay bils, accounts, Symposium, bagel, sun,  harbour, busy, arguments, with Nick, giant ships, all shellfish, John, the painter, a week, to paint a ship, red blood, on Union Jack, beach, tea, lighthouse museum, the optics, the house, keeper, shift with family, every 4 years, 22 miles, to see, Cheers bar, like Benidorm, French knots, kebab, postcard, emails, website, insta.

Tuesday 8 August 2023, Day 34: Fraserburgh to St Combs, 16646 steps

Symposium, again, waiting, for Norma, harbour, so colourful, crazy, chat-chit, Broch Beach Café, tea, white sand, dog, kite-surfer, ship wreck, sovereign, 2005, Maggie’s Hoosie, closed, sculpture, lives lost at sea, woman, with child, looking oot, unknown artist, St Combs, Dalziel + Scullion, memories, Tony waiting, fish and chips, embroidery, finish tourist attractions, French knot, till now, beer, crazy pub, like Benidorm, I imagine, 3 men die, on Aenoch Aegach, hard to imagine, emails.

Wednesday 9 August 2023, Day 35: St Combs to Peterhead, 33209

Bus, to St Combs, beach, beach, beach, golden sand, no one there, all day, low tide, lucky, crossed loch outlet, good memories, with Matthew + Louise, of loch, bird lovers, baby seal, robbing, to sea, all alone, Rattray Head, lighthouse in sea, how to get there?, lots of seals, lots and lots, St Fergus, gas plants, overwhelming, all the oil, all that money, little to show, in Fraserburgh, in Peterhead, clash of wealth, and poverty, Bruce, retired seaman, had a boat, herring, 300t on each load, that's a million, of herring, the quota, the Brexit, the misery, Peterhad, beer, barbie.

Thursday 10 August, Day 36: Peterhead to Cruden Bay, 30895 steps

Harbour, beach, old prison, new prison, Ann and David, share garden, with prisoners, was there last year, haunting, up, diversion, landslide, so many, Tourquil, lived in London, back to Peterheed, all different, they all reminisce, Boddam, lighthouse, no toilet, good path, zig-zag, zag-zig, bad dream, walk it off, Bullers, of Buchan, the Puffins, in the spring, Slaint Castle, Bram Stoker, ice cream, Cruden Bay.

Friday 11 August, Day 37: Cruden Bay to Collieston, 24,450 steps

Seamans mission, breakfast, call Mutti, in hospital, Hilary and Frank, old ski friends, shop, sandy beach, haar, soon gone, eyebright, tiny flowers, shawl of seals, climbers, scary, but jealous, mine is over, my climbing time, chit-chat, chat-chit, poor path, where is it?, sore lips, too much sun, old Slains Castle, abandoned cottage, weighing scale, in window, flowers, yarrow, for Viv, my host, Collieston, many swimmers.

Saturday 12 August 2023, Day 38: Collieston to Balmedie, 25516 steps

Call Mutti, Müsli, grandparent chat, rowing, got to do, in Portobello, up the hill, post box, dunes, beaches, dunes, step by step, lots of heather, redundant church, Nature Scotland surveyors, as, about daisy-changing paths, not responsible, of course, NewBurgh, good café, for once, dunes, sandy beach, as far, as the eye, can see, seals, Bibby Stockholm, legionnaires disease, oh man, unbelievable, sad to be glad, bypass Trump, nobody here, why not?, family, from Hyderabad, bbq, they love it here, they say, White Horse Inn.

Sunday 13 August 2023, Day 39: Balmedie to Aberdeen, 27768 steps

Hotelier, forgot breakfast, back to beach, antique shop, antique card, you like it?, not sure, tide in, sand hard work, Trump behind us, wind farms in front, offshore, majestic, in their own, very way, avian flu, all the time, MOD again, bäng, bang, sand hard, to walk, slow going, over the dunes, golf course, every place, has a golf course, every one, royal Aberdeen 1765, tired, no food, Bridge of Don, SHELL, tea, icecream, energy, cars, cars, end of a football game, with Celtic, beach, cappuccino, Footdee, quaint, harbour, vastness, women, their trade.

Monday 14 August 2023, Day 40: Aberdeen to Portlethen, 32092 steps

Mutti, intensive care, Herrsching, many phonecalls, Torry bridge, fish merchants, big colourful oil vessels, round Torry battery, WW2, defence, path cut off, annoying, signs still there, new harbour, 400 mio, but no money, to make new signs, crap, must write to access officer, return, past golf course, another one, all those golf courses, 550 in Scotland, lots of public land, good path, not on OS, to Cove, but then, lost, in an office development, all empty, post Covid, shop, macaroons, hot, station.

Tuesday 15 August 2023, Day 41: Portlethen to Stonehaven, 30667 steps

Meet Sibylle, zig-zag to village, Clemens on train, wave, local couple, local knowledge, keep to the east side, of the rail, bloody brambles, thistles, bracken, hard going, perched between rail and sea, this is ridiculous, now way, sorry, path, petered out, walk through a garden, golf course, like always, Highland fault line, dividing Grampians, Stonehaven, at long last, many scars, Boots, antiseptics?

Wednesday 16 August, Day 42: Rest day in Stonehaven, 0 steps

Müsli, wander, swim, pants/bra=bikini, cold, wander, with Sibby, Ship Inn, Cappuccino, love rest days, chit chat, schools, Brexit, husbands, kids, bye at train station, craft shop, needles, black/pink thread, postcards, sleep, emails, insta, FB, phone Mutti, Blumenladen, book accommodation, Ship Inn, shandy, Miep arrives, chanterelles, lots of stitching, smilies, sad stories.