Heading north along the coast, this route from the village of Inverbervie to the larger town of Stonehaven follows Route One of the National Cycle Network. The route from Inverbervie to Stonehaven heads north and is 12 miles long. It has climbing of 853 feet and has been given a difficulty rating of 4.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. Starting on the seawall overlooking Bervie Bay, you head north out of the town, briefly joining the main A92 road (please take care) before leaving it at mile 1.5. The roads rises from the start, and its pretty much uphill until mile 1.8. You then slowly descend for the next few miles, recrossing the A92 at mile 6.7 before hitting the longest hill of the day which begins at mile 5.4 and finishes at the high point of 397 feet after 7.7 miles. There is another small rise before you descend for the final few miles. You will travel on a path next to the A92 at mile 9.4, before joining National Cycle Network route 1, heading in to Stonehaven from the north. The last half mile is through the town and you finish at the market square.You are cycling on Aberdeenshire roads mainly surrounded by lush agricultural land, but the main feature is actually the coast, though sadly you will be a wee bit inland. The names of some of the coastal features on route give a fascinating insight into the history of the area, and the people that helped shape that history: Big Robs Cove; Little Johns Haven; Crooked Haven; Rouen Bay; Braidon Bay (and the Todhead Point Lighthouse); Trelong Bay; Crawton Bay; Hope Cove; Wine Cove; and Tremuda Bay (to name but a few!) You pass very close to the medieval ruins of Dunnottar Castle at mile 10.2, and this site is well worth a visit. The castle, which is open to the public, has a bloody history and played a prominent role in a number of important historical events, including the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. It sits in a spectacular cliff-edge location.Stonehaven lies in a nature harbour, and fishing was the chief commerce of the town into the early 20th century, with marine services and tourism being the dominant industries today. The most notable building in the town is the Tolbooth Museum, which was historically used as both a courthouse and a jail. Stonehaven is renowned for its Hogmanay fireball ceremony. There are lots of food options in town, including award winning fish n chips.
Almost the first two miles of the route are climbing on the A92 out of Inverbervie, its not the busiest A-road in Aberdeenshire but its welcome to be off it. These routes do tend to avoid A roads wherever that is possible but this short section is not easy to miss out. The right turn as you approach the top of the hill is signposted toward Catterline. A very short diversion on the way to Catterline is Kinneff Old Church (below), where the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden after they had been rescued from Dunnottar Castle during Oliver Cromwell’s siege in 1652.You are cycling on Aberdeenshire roads mainly surrounded by lush agricultural land, but the main feature is actually the coast, though sadly you will be a wee bit inland. The names of some of the coastal features on route give a fascinating insight into the history of the area, and the people that helped shape that history: Big Robs Cove; Little Johns Haven; Crooked Haven; Rouen Bay; Braidon Bay (and the Todhead Point Lighthouse); Trelong Bay; Crawton Bay; Hope Cove; Wine Cove; and Tremuda Bay (to name but a few!) You pass very close to the medieval ruins of Dunnottar Castle at mile 10.2, and this site is well worth a visit. The castle, which is open to the public, has a bloody history and played a prominent role in a number of important historical events, including the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. It sits in a spectacular cliff-edge location.Stonehaven lies in a nature harbour, and fishing was the chief commerce of the town into the early 20th century, with marine services and tourism being the dominant industries today. The most notable building in the town is the Tolbooth Museum, which was historically used as both a courthouse and a jail. Stonehaven is renowned for its Hogmanay fireball ceremony. There are lots of food options in town, including award winning fish n chips.T
After reaching Stonehaven, onward rides can be found on the Stonehaven page hereThe interactive map below shows the route (press play if you can’t see it). Once you have clicked into the map it will show an option for MENU on the top right corner. This menu will provide a link to elevation profile (Hills), download of files for use on GPS devices and the opportunity to add photos or comments.
Route map for Inverbervie To Stonehaven by Neil Innes on plotaroute.com
