The route from Inverbervie to Fettercairn is 15.1 miles long and has climbing of 994 feet. It has been given a difficulty rating of 5.Inverbervie is an ancient town and was mentioned in literature relating to Arbroath Abbey in the 12th century. Initially a fishing town, this industry slowly stopped being of importance, despite improvements made to the harbour by the engineer Thomas Telford in 1819. Hallgreen Castle to the south is worth a visit (originally built in 1376, it is now a hotel), and the walk south along the cliffs to Gourdon is wonderful. This is the most southerly route in the RTN153. Starting at the seawall overlooking Bervie Bay, you head west out of town, reaching open countryside at mile 0.6. You are heading uphill from the start point to 1.5 mile, this whole section is quite exposed and will feel tougher if a west wind is blowing. You then have a fast descent towards Fourdon. 
This is not a route with many tourist attractions. The cycle takes place entirely in The Mearns, one of the bread-baskets of Scotland and made famous by Lewis Grassic Gibbon in his classic novel Sunset Song. You can visit the Grassic Gibbon centre at Arbuthnott, three miles northwest of Inverbervie, which celebrates the life, work and times of the author (it’s a little off the route). The route is also divided by the A90 which we go underneath thanks to a pedestrian tunnel at Fourdon. The tunnel also marks a change in the terrain, it pretty lumpy from Inverbervie to Fourdon and pretty flat from Fordoun to Fettercairn.Fettercairn, from the Scottish Gaelic meaning slope by a thicket, is a small village in the Mearns area of Aberdeenshire. It is an ancient place that was granted free burgh status in 1504. The Church of St Martins is worth a visit, and you could take in a tour of Fettercairn Distillery. There are limited options for food and drink in the village so you may want to pack extra provisions.
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.com
Route map for Inverbervie To Fettercairn (via Fourdon) by Neil Innes on plotaroute.com
