This route is short and easy and deserves a difficulty rating of two. Starting in the lovely Hazlehead Park on the west of Aberdeen, you will cycle 4.5 miles to Westhill with 217 feet of climbing on the way. This is essentially a feeder route to get you out of the city and into some fine cycling areas in Aberdeenshire. You will also be forced to stop on a number of occasions to negotiate some very busy junctions, so please use caution.
Using cycle lanes that sit alongside the busy A944, this route cannot be described as picturesque, but it does have some interesting features, including the Den of Maidencraig nature reserve half a mile from the start point. The route gives an interesting snapshot of how Aberdeen has developed since oil was found in the North Sea in the 1970s. The route passes the huge Prime Four business park at 2.3 miles, before reaching the high point of 482 feet at 2.7 miles when you will cross the new (and much needed) Aberdeen ring road. You will then pass the new Aberdeen Football Club training facility at Kingsford, which is also the potential site for a new stadium for the club. Once you enter Westhill you will turn off the main road and finish in the centre of the town.Westhill is a fairly new town, having been founded in 1963. It has grown considerably since then and has a population of around 13,000. Before Covid, the population would swell considerably during the day due to the number of oil and gas and sub-sea companies that call Westhill home.
By clicking on the play symbol on the graphic below you can see route map. The elevation profile of the ride can be seen via the Hills tab with files for use with a GPS a device also available for download. If you take any photos of the route that you’d like to share, please submit to neil@velodays.comOnward rides from Westhill can be found here
Route map for Aberdeen To Westhill by Neil Innes on plotaroute.com
