The Aberdeenshire Canal

Previous: Dyce

Pitmedden is not a village, it is a house, although confusingly, there is a Pitmedden village (with another, better known Pitmedden House) some fifteen miles to the north. There was however a Pitmedden railway station here until 1964, and there is no other name to refer to the area by.

The canal emerges from the aforementioned gravel pits running on the north side of the railway. It takes the form of an embankment, upon which the railway seems to partially stand on. apparently on the north side it is held up by a stone wall, but I wasn't able to explore this further. The remains can be seen by looking north over the railway as it emerges from a cutting however.

With the River Don in the background, trees grow on the towpath of the Aberdeenshire Canal. The railway runs on the bed.

The railway here runs directly over the old line of the canal, which is well illustrated in the photo above - the railway is carried on a low embankment, on top of the embankment of the canal.

Shortly after this point, the canal crosses the road that runs adjacent, and the course passes through the old lodge of Pitmedden House. The line of the Canal can clearly be seem from the entrance to Pitmedden Home Farm, curving away from the railway at the foot of the slope.

With the railway now running behind the wall (and the road behind it) in the background left, the canal bed, now wooded, runs along the base of a slope.

Loooking directly down the bed of the canal, facing Aberdeen.

The line of the canal then passes under the lane to Pitmedden house, as is used as a track. Part way along this is a surviving culvert, which warrants a special mention in some of the dew other writings about the canal. Sadly, on my day of visit, it was almost indiscernible under plant growth, although the artificial ravine built to run the burn through is still evident, and the culvert seems wider than the track requires.

Crossing the burn by Pitmedden House, and heavily overgrown.

The canal then curves back towards the road (although little is evident), crossing it which was done by a bridge which survived for some years after the canal's closure. The lost route carries on running between Beidleston Farm and the railway, and then a stretch emerges of some length, which is clearly visible, particularly from a passing train. Again, this was another part which I was unable to explore. Next: Kinaldie