HATTON TO CRUDEN BAY

(Updated September 2014) 

The walk began from Hatton Station site after a look around the village area. I was able to walk the trackbed for about a mile and a half (79) where the trackbed was ploughed
in for a half mile where I was able to rejoin the trackbed by the demolished bridge at the road for Auchries (65) and walk the trackbed up to and into Cruden Bay station site.

 
Station Layout. (NSL Maps)

Hatton Station Master's House (left)
 

Left: Trackbed south of the station and on the left of the main road where the railway
bridge stood.

Right: The trackbed south of Hatton station looking towards Cruden Bay.

 
A closer view of the track stub to the north end of Hatton station. The Station Hotel is behind this mound and the station site is on the far right by the buildings.
Right: The trackbed, on the left with telephone posts. The station was on the far (right) in the distance. The main road runs on the right.

 
From the same spot looking towards Cruden Bay. The track bed has been back-filled but can be followed by the telephone poles. The top of a bridge can be seen by the third telephone pole and the line of
bushes running from left to right. Right: The rails are well pitted with weathering. Perhaps they should be in a museum!

 
 I was surprised to find these lengths of original rail lying in the field ahead an so close to the road.

What appears to look like the base of a signal post. Certainly, a permnant fixture of some sort.

   
Short Cutting between Hatton and the Viduct over the Cruden River. Left: Looking towards Cruden Bay. Right: Looking back towards Hatton.

Viaduct over the River Cruden (North Of Hatton) Photo by Silversurfer.

 
Left: The track bed between Hatton & Cruden Bay with the new road to Boddam to the left. Right: The viaduct over the river Cruden still stands and in quite good condition, albeit the track bed has been competely ploughed over and the
              bridge  over the Nethermill Road demolished.

Viaduct over the River Cruden (North of Hatton) From Google Steet View.

 
Remains of the bridge at the road junction from the Cruden Bay to the Boddam-Ellon new road.     Right:  Beyond this bridge the track bed, which has been untouched since closure. Looking back towards Hatton.

 
Looking coast wards from the same spot Cruden Bay Church is in the distance.                   Right: From the same spot, a driver's eye view on the approach to Cruden Bay station. I walked this track bed to where it has been
                                ploughed flat, to save a long detour around the main road. The Down distant signal would have been around this spot.

 
Looking back towards Hatton. The untouched trackbed stops where it has been ploughed towards the next road bridge, or where the bridge once stood. Right: The railway disappears again over the road.
The abutment brought the track bed through the cutting, seen above The station lay within the cutting going into the distance with the north viaduct viaduct just beyond the next valley.

 
Site where the south viaduct crossed the Nethermill road. Only the embuttment of the north side remain.The station was in the cutting just above.

From 23rd September 2014, walks.

 
It was a real pleasure to come upon this fine old photo, showing the girder bridge that span the road and Lade. Interesting too that there was a lade (Weir) branching off the River Cruden and into
the Nethermill. The mill is still going well today but you can no longer see it from this spot due to the heavy overgrowth.

 
As seen in the old photograph, the stone seen at the top of the buttress was higher and formed the sides of the buttress.  

 
The buttress now stands along and forgotten. Right: The two stone posts probably mark where the Lade (Weir) ran. Behind, the station was on the north side of the cutting, above.
 

 
Left: East side of the embuttment.                                                                                                                         Right: In line with the filled-in Lade as it came off the River Cruden, just behind the bridge.

 
The entrance to the cutting towards the station had been fenced off at one time but there is enough space at he right to walk through the cutting.

 
A wire tension post still doing it's job at the mouth of the cutting from the station site and coming onto the embankment before the viaduct.

 
The River Cruden. Viewed from the embankment where the river runs in a short tunnel under the railway.

 
View along the embankment prior to the Viaduct over Gulf Road, towards Hatton.

 
From the remains of the embankment with the gap over the road where the viaduct stood, and the removed embankment running towards Hatton, just seen where the Cows are grazing in the background. You can just
make out the'v' shape between the treeline and the stone dyke running across the center of the scene.

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