Cruden Bay – Pink Sand, High Dunes and the North Sea
About 4 miles on foot.
The Bay of Cruden is a long, empty beach on the Buchan coast.
Two miles of pale pink sand curve away from the harbour village of Port Erroll, with high dunes behind and the North Sea rolling in beside you. Walk to the rocks at the far end and back, and you'll have had four miles of sea air.
- Time
- About two hours: the bay is a two-mile arc of sand, so about 6.4 km (4 miles) to the far end and back.
- The path
- A footbridge, then sand all the way, soft in places. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- The free car park on Harbour Street, at the Port Erroll end of Cruden Bay.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 12.30pm to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, and best when the tide is out or going out. From November to January, set off by 12.30pm.
- Dogs
- Under close control on the beach.
- Children
- A big, open beach. Four miles there and back is long for small legs, so turn round when you like.
- Before you set out
- Best when the tide is out or going out, when the sand is wide and firm.
The walk
Park in the free car park on Harbour Street, at the Port Erroll end of Cruden Bay. A wooden footbridge crosses the river from the village street to the dunes, and the beach begins on the far side. From there the Bay of Cruden runs south in one unbroken curve, which Aberdeenshire Council measures at two miles of wide, pink sand. Walk it to the rocks at the far end, below the clifftop houses of Whinnyfold, and come back the same way.
That's about four miles in all, so allow two hours. High dunes thick with marram grass back the beach for its whole length. The links of Cruden Bay Golf Club lie behind them, so stay on the sand. From the far end, the village sits small at the river mouth with the headland beyond it.
The beach is at its best when the tide is out or going out, when the sand is wide and firm. It faces the open North Sea and there's no shelter, so bring a windproof. Harbour Dunes Café, by the harbour at the foot of Harbour Street, is open every day from 9am to 4pm and serves breakfast until 11am. From November to January, set off by 12.30pm.
If it rains
There's no shelter on the beach and the wind comes straight off the North Sea. On a wet or wild day, walk as far as you like and turn back, then warm up at Harbour Dunes Café by the harbour.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Harbour Dunes Café, a café in Port Erroll, Cruden Bay.
The Kilmarnock Arms, inn and bar in Cruden Bay.
For further reading, before you go.