The route from Ellon to Fyvie is 17.8 miles in length with total ascending of 1,112 feet. Like most of Aberdeenshire the roads are rolling, and whilst there are no overly difficult climbs this route has been given a difficulty rating of 6.Ellon, 15 miles north of Aberdeen, sits on the River Ythan and if you have time you could visit the ruins of Ellon Castle as well as the Auld Brig which dates back to 1793. Ellon is also home to the headquarters of Brewdog, which started from a garage in 2007 and has now become a global business with turnover in the hundreds of millions. You can tour the brewery, and enjoy a beer at the tap-room on site.
Heading west out of Ellon, initially alongside the Ythan, you will cycle through lovely farm and woodland. The first 2.3 miles are rolling flat before a short, sharp hill measuring 1.1 miles. The lumps and bumps continue until you hit a fast descent at 7.3 miles, followed by a flat section. Between miles 6 and 8 the road is dead straight and you pass alongside the lovely woods that form part of Haddo House Estate. The building was designed by William Adam in 1732 for the Gordon family (of Gordon Highlanders fame), before receiving an opulent remodelling in 1880, so it combines both Georgian and Victorian features. If you have the time, it is worth taking a tour around the house and garden, or perhaps you could just stop for tea and cake.You re-join the River Ythan at mile 8 and this area is littered with Neolithic remains, including hut circles and field systems. You cross the river at Methlick before hitting the hardest section of the cycle from miles 11.7 to 15.9, which is the high point of the route at 377 feet. This section contains every cyclists worst nightmare a couple of downhills in the middle of a longer uphill! There is then a nice descent of 1.9 miles, arriving in to Fyvie from the east and reaching your finishing point at a picnic area on the south of the town.Fyvie sits on the River Ythan in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire. It is worth seeking out St Peters Church which has Pictish symbols and crosses built in to the east gable. A mile from the village is Fyvie Castle which dates from the early 13th century, though most of the building is newer. The gardens were beautifully landscaped during the 19th century, and the whole estate was passed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1984. The castle is said to be haunted, though this cannot be confirmed or denied by Ride the North.
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 device also available for download. If you take any photos of the route that youd like to share, please submit to neil@velodays.comOnward rides from Fyvie can be found here
Route map for Ellon To Fyvie by Neil Innes on plotaroute.com
