Newburgh – Seals, Dunes and the Mouth of the Ythan
About 2.2 miles on foot.
The River Ythan meets the North Sea at Newburgh, and a colony of grey and common seals lives on the sandbanks of its far shore.
Aberdeenshire Council's Green Route is a flat loop of 3.6 km from the village, out through the dunes to the beach at the river mouth and back round the edge of the links. Bring binoculars if you have them.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: a flat loop of 3.6 km, with time to watch the seals.
- The path
- Flat all the way: village pavement, a footbridge, sandy paths through the dunes, the beach and the edge of the golf course.
- Where to start
- The council's free Ythan Bridge South car park is at the north end of Newburgh, about a mile from the village hall where the loop starts. The car park at the end of Beach Road, beside the dunes, charges at a machine and has a height bar.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The seals are across the river all year, and most of them are out on the sand around low tide.
- Dogs
- On a lead near the river and the seals.
- Children
- Flat and short. Stay on the Newburgh side of the river and keep back from the water near the seals.
- Before you set out
- The seals are across the river all year, fewest in late summer and early autumn. Watch from the Newburgh side and never walk out over the sand towards them.
The walk
The council starts its Green Route at Newburgh's village hall, in the middle of the village just off Main Street. The council's own car park in Newburgh, Ythan Bridge South, is free, but it's about a mile north of the hall, by the bridge. Closer to the seals, the car park at the end of Beach Road charges at a machine and has a height bar that keeps out vans. The loop is 3.6 km and flat all the way.
It leaves the village by a footbridge, comes to a viewpoint with an information board above the river, and then crosses the dunes to the beach where the Ythan runs out to sea. Grey and common seals rest on the sand across the water, on the Forvie side, and the council counts more than 400 in the colony. You'll see most of them around low tide, so look up the tide times for Newburgh before you come. Watch from this side of the river.
Don't walk out over the wet sand towards them, even at low water, because people coming close send them all into the sea. Keep a dog on a lead anywhere near the river. The way back skirts the golf course, so keep an eye out for golfers. The wind comes straight off the sea here, so bring a warm layer.
If it rains
There's no shelter in the dunes or on the beach, and the wind off the sea makes rain feel colder. In a downpour, go only as far as the viewpoint above the river and save the loop for a drier day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Trellis, restaurant in Newburgh.
For further reading, before you go.