📌 Collapsed sea cave near Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire
★★★★
Bullers of Buchan is one of the must-see sights of the Aberdeenshire coastline: an enormous collapsed sea cave or pot (to use the local term) connected to the often turbulent North Sea by a tunnel or natural arch. If all this weren’t already enough, the cliffs are a notable seabird colony, hosting species such as kittiwakes, guillemots, shags, gulls and a few puffins each spring and summer. We’ve also watched seals in the bowels of the bowl, and the luckiest visitors might even catch sight of a dolphin or two when looking out to sea. The natural spectacle has deservedly been a popular tourist destination for many decades – it even boasted its own railway station for a period in the early 1900s – but today lacks any facilities besides rough paths and a car park. Several nearby headlands, stacks and inlets are almost as spectacular, so exploring the vicinity (with care, given the terrain) is recommended. Alternatively, why not try a longer coast walk from Cruden Bay or towards Boddam?
🌍 Location
📌 Off the A975 2 mi northeast of Cruden Bay
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NK 110381
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.433064,-1.819158
🚌 Bus stops at car park
🚗 Car park at 🧭 NK 107381 / 🛰️ 57.432430,-1.823422
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 5 to 10-min walk (each way) to Bullers of Buchan (⬤ Easy). Walk down the tarmac lane past the houses to the coast, then turn left on the cliff path a short distance to the collapsed cave. Paths are narrow and close to large drops; the “path” around the seaward side of Bullers of Buchan is clearly very dangerous and shouldn’t be attempted.
