The A975 forms a loop off the A90 between Aberdeen and Peterhead, providing a slower but more scenic coastal alternative to the trunk road. It is on a largely SW/NE alignment, wholly within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and passes through only two places of any size.
Route
The southern end of the A975 is a limited access junction on the A90 with south facing slips only approximately 11 miles north of Aberdeen. North facing slips are provided a couple of miles to the north via the B9000. The two parts of the junction are connected via the now unclassified former A90 through Foveran. Both of these junction are new, having been built as part of the dualling of this section of the A90 in 2017. Heading east at first, the A975 quickly crosses the old A90 at a crossroads, where the old road to the north has been closed up, and then swings round to the north east onto its original line. The road winds gently down to the coast and in a couple of miles the large village of Newburgh is reached. The A975 passes through on Main Street, and meets the B9000 in the middle of the village which turns off to the left for Pitmedden and also provides access to the northern A90.
On the far side of Newburgh, the road finds the west bank of the River Ythan and the town quay, now a housing development. After a short run along the riverbank, the road crosses at Waterside Bridge, and continues north on the east bank, with the expansive dunes of Forvie National Nature Reserve lying between the road and the coast. The road then turns away from the river and climbs through the dunes to meet the B9003 at a crossroads. This route forms the northern edge of the nature reserve as it runs out to the coast at Collieston, a spectacularly sited harbour village. The road continues to wind north east through an agricultural landscape of gently rolling hills, with occasional glimpses of the North Sea away to the east.
Approaching Nether Brownhill
Though it is on the whole a fairly twisty route, there is a noteworthy straight nearly two miles long past Nether Brownhill as the road climbs up to its summit of around 85m. From there a gentle descent leads to a sharp double bend at Chapel Hill followed by a steeper descent into Cruden Bay, the other large village on the route. The Great North of Scotland Railway branch from Ellon to Boddam reached the coast here, where the company built a large and luxurious hotel. As this was about half a mile from the station, the two were linked by an electric tramway to ferry guests. Tramway, hotel and railway have long since gone, and the most notable thing about Cruden Bay now is the ruined Slains Castle on the cliff-top just northeast of the village, once visited by Bram Stoker and possibly the inspiration for his Dracula story.
Aulton Road leads into the centre of the village, with the A975 then following Bridge Street and Errollston Road as it winds northwards with a sharp U bend leading out of the village once more. A couple of short straights follow before the Bullers of Buchan car park is reached, offering walks out to the spectacular cliffs and rock formations along this stretch of the coastline. A mile later, after passing a handful of farms and houses scattered along the roadside, the A975 comes to an end, meeting the A90 once more 5 miles south of Peterhead.
History
Originally numbered B9005 (whose western end was about a mile further north), the A975 came into existence in the mid-1920s. Since then, the route has seen a number of improvements, most of them minor and the old road has often been retained as laybys or parking areas. One such layby remains south of Newburgh, and to the north, a large car park survives on the west bank of the River Ythan where the old bridge formerly spanned. On the east bank, two riverside laybys are the old road, and then a farm track makes a loop to the east of the road. North of Cruden Bay, the Slains Castle car park marks the next realignment, and then the Buller car park occupies the former road line where it used to zig-zag under the old railway line.
