📌 Nature reserve near Crovie, Aberdeenshire
★★★
Troup Head is Scotland’s only mainland gannetry: a spectacular seabird city where thousands of gannets spend the spring and summer courting, nestbuilding, sitting on eggs and finally raising their young (called gugas). Other seabirds are also present in smaller numbers, including a few puffins if you’re lucky. Those uncomfortable with heights should perhaps give this one a miss – views from the guano-stained cliffs down to waves crashing on rocks 100 metres below are pretty dizzying.
🌍 Location
📌 Minor road end 2 mi north of the B9031 between Gardenstown & Pennan
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NJ 825672
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.694065,-2.295930
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park at 🧭 NJ 822665 / 🛰️ 57.687565,-2.299409 – accessed via rough track beyond Northfield Farm
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the gannetry (⬤ Easy). There are two route options: a direct path along tracks & field boundaries, or a slightly longer clifftop path further east overlooking Downie Bay. Many unprotected drops – care required.
