The Black Gold of the North Sea

A walk around the old fishing port to discover the tragedy and prosperity that oil has brought to Aberdeen.

Distance 6 miles (9.6km)

Minimum time 2hr 30min

Ascent/gradient Negligible

Level of difficulty Easy

Paths Mainly pavements; along beach (underwater at high tide)

Landscape Old fishing port

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 406 Aberdeen & Banchory

Start/finish NJ 954067

Dog friendliness On lead

Parking Outside Harry Ramsden's on the Esplanade

Public toilets None on route

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Directions
Background
Information

1 From your parking place, head southwards on the promenade, walking beside the shore with the sea on your right. Go down the slipway on to the beach and continue walking for a short distance. Step over the rocks (take care not to slip) to reach the wooden steps on the right and then leave the beach to enter a children's play area.

2 Walk past the Silver Darling restaurant and proceed to walk into the harbour area. Continue past the war memorial, keeping the blue storage tanks on your left, and along Pocra Quay. Turn left into York Street and then at the Neptune bar, turn left into York Place. Then, take the first right, the first left and first right again to emerge on Waterloo Quay.

3 Where Waterloo Quay becomes Commerce Street, turn left into Regent Quay and then at the T-junction cross over the road at the pedestrian lights. Turn left and then first right to reach Aberdeen Maritime Museum and John Ross's House, Provost of Aberdeen between 1710-1711. If you have time the Maritime Museum is worthy of further exploration.

4 From here head along Exchequer Row, turn left into Union Street, continue straight ahead before turning right into Broad Street, where you will find Provost Skene's House and the Tourist Information Office on the left, situated behind the offices.

5 Continue ahead past Marischal College (which houses the Marischal Museum), turn right into Littlejohn Street, and then cross North Street. At the end of Meal Market Street turn right into King Street and then left into Frederick Street. At the junction with Park Street turn left and keep walking ahead until the road crosses the railway.

6 Shortly after the crossing is a roundabout. Head along Park Road, almost straight ahead. Follow the road and walk through the cemetery and towards Pittodrie Park, which is home of Aberdeen Football Club, and its junction with Golf Road.

7 Turn right into Golf Road and walk through the golf links. You can detour to the top of Broad Hill, the mound situated behind the cemetery, for magnificient views to the north and out to sea. After enjoying the views, you will find that the road turns sharply left towards its junction with the Esplanade. Cross over the Esplanade and then turn right on to the shoreline promenade which you can follow all the way back to the start of the walk and your car.

Aberdeen had been a major maritime centre throughout the 19th century, when a group of local entrepreneurs purchased an ageing paddle tug and launched it as the first steam-powered trawler. From small beginnings the steam trawling industry expanded and by 1933 Aberdeen was Scotland's top fishing port, employing nearly 3,000 men with 300 vessels sailing from its harbour. By the time oil was coming on stream, much of the massive trawling fleet had relocated to Peterhead. Although an early morning visit to the fish market will verify that Aberdeen still brings in substantial catches, but the tugs, safety vessels and supply ships for the huge offshore rigs which pack the harbour far outnumber the trawlers.

Geologists had speculated about the existence of oil and gas in the North Sea since the middle of the 20th century, but tapping its deep and inhospitable waters was another story. However, with the Middle Eastern oil sheiks becoming more aware of the political and economic power of their oil reserves and government threats of rationing, the industry began to consider the North Sea as a viable source of oil. Exploration commenced in the 1960s and the first major find in the British sector was in November 1970 in the Forties field, 110 miles (177km) east of Aberdeen.

By late 1975, after years of intense construction, the hundreds of miles of pipes, massive oilshore rigs, supply ships, helicopters and an army of oil workers were finally in place. In Aberdeen, at BP's (British Petroleum) headquarters, the Queen pressed the button that would set the whole thing moving. Oil flowed from the rig directly to the refinery at far-away Grangemouth. While many ports suffered decline, Aberdeen remains busy due to oil trade as the influx of people connected with the industry, and a subsequent rise in property prices has brought prosperity to the area.

The human cost of oil prosperity was brutally brought home on the night of 6 July 1988. A huge fire lit the sky as the Piper Alpha oil platform, 120 miles (193km), exploded. Helicopters flew all night bringing the dead and injured to Aberdeen. In all 167 died; many of the survivors live with the scars of that night and the horrific memories of escaping the burning rig. A memorial to the dead stands in Hazlehead Park. The subsequent inquiry revealed that safety regulations had been ignored. The oil industry learned a bitter lesson, and the rigs are now safer places to work. The industry still supports about 47,000 jobs locally and known reserves are such that oil will continue to flow well into the 21st century.

While you're there

Provost Skene's House located on Broad Street and passed on route of your walk is the oldest private dwelling in Aberdeen, dating from about 1545. It was the home of Provost George Skene from 1676 to 1685, and is preserved almost unchanged as a representation of a comfortable 17th-century burgher's residence.

What to look for

You will see plenty of lichens on this walk, particularly on the last section where they hang from the branches of mature birch trees. Lichens are very sensitive to pollution and don't grow in places where the air is contaminated. This makes them a useful 'indicator species', meaning that their presence or absence tells you something about the environment. The healthy lichens here are a sign that the air is particularly clear and clean.