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 track bed for about a mile and a half (79) where the track bed was ploughed
in for a half mile where I was able to rejoin the track bed by the demolished bridge at the road for Auchries (65) and walk the track bed up to and into Cruden Bay station site.

Station Layout. (NSL Maps)

Hatton Station Master's House (left)
 

The map showing the track bed that I walked between the station site and Cruden Bay via Nethermill.

Track bed south of the station and on the left of the main road where the railway
bridge stood.

 
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 track bed, on the left with telephone posts. The station was on the far (right) in the distance. The main road runs on the right.

The track bed south of Hatton station looking towards Cruden Bay.

 
Two views from where a bridge had stood and is back-filled. Towards the short cutting by the Cruden Viaduct.

 
  I was surprised to find these lengths of original rail lying in the field ahead an so close to the road. The rails are well pitted with years of lying in the open. They really should be in a museum.

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

 
The short Cutting between Hatton and the Viaduct over the Cruden River.   Left: Looking towards Cruden Bay.   Right: Looking back towards Hatton.

 
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.

   
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 completely ploughed over and the
              bridge  over the Nethermill Road demolished.

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

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

 
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.

The river Cruden from the old viaduct.

 
Looking back towards Hatton. The untouched track bed 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.

   
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.

Dropping down the field where the embankment to the bridge has been removed. With the stub end of the bridge abuttment where the
branch then run into a short cutting and into Cruden Bay Station and Goods Yard.

 
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.

  
The empty space between the abuttment and the removed viaduct. I'm standing on what was the Lade to Eithermill. Right: The entrance to thew cutting towards the station site had been fenced off at one time but
                                                                                                                                                                         there is enough space on the 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.
 
From the remains of the embankment with the gap over Golf Road 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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