The Aberdeenshire Canal

Previous: Bucksburn

North of Bucksburn, all trace of the canal vanishes again, although some it survived in a Bankhead park for some years. It follows Waterton Road (the old turnpike, before it was rerouted for the railway) on its eastern side, before the route passes under the railway and the rerouted turnpike, before passing Lock Cottage, which still survives, although I didn't photograph it.

After crossing the third incarnation of the road to Oldmeldrum, the bed of the canal makes its first tangible appearance, appearing as a line of trees running through open land to the east of Stoneywood Terrace and north of Oldmeldrum road.

Looking east along the canal bed from Stoneywood Terrace. There was apparently a basin here for traffic from the nearby paper mills.

This section runs from the Oldmeldrum Road to Stoneywood Terrace. Opposite the crossing of Stoneywood Terrace is a track which follows the western bank of the canal. At the entrance to the track between no.s 55 and 57 Stoneywood Terrace stands more physical evidence of the canal - milestone number 5½. This has presumably been moved at some point, as the route of the canal would appear to pass through no. 57, so the milestone would have been on the now built-on eastern bank.

This track runs along the west bank of the canal; the canal bed is to the left of the wall..

Milestone for 5½ miles.

Milestone no.6 apparently survived for years in a dyke on the track that led to Bents farm. The farm was demolished some years ago, and the whole area has been heavily industrialised. The track and its dykes still exist to the south of the northern half of Stoneywood Park, but my visit failed to turn up the milestone - the old track has been breached in several places by industrial roads.

Next: Dyce