A north-east community group last night started work to keep locals safe while trying to reach a nearby cemetery.
Residents from Stuartfield and Old Deer who want to walk to their communities’ shared burial ground have to navigate the bends of the rural B9030 road.
Cyclists also have to contend with the route which was last night branded “dangerous” by a local councillor.
Old Deer’s community association wants to change that.
And yesterday they broke ground on a scheme to create a dedicated walking and cycling path through farmland donated to them by landowners Ian Mowatt and Geordie Stewart.
Local councillor Norman Smith said the new footpath would “complete” a footpath network which linked all of Buchan’s villages.
“It’s a link between Stuartfield and Old Deer,” he said.
“There’s already paths to other villages and this was really the missing one.
“It will provide a safe passage for people going to Old Deer cemetery or Stuartfield.
“It’ll be a huge asset for the communities. It’s a win-win for everybody.
“The road to Old Deer cemetery is a busy one and is quite a dangerous one. Getting people off of it will be a boost.”
Sandy Thom, a member of the Old Deer community association, praised Mr Mowatt and Mr Stewart for their help to keep people off the main road.
“They’ve provided the land for this pathway,” he said.
“It will allow safe travel from Old Deer to Stuartfield and avoid the set of dangerous bends we have on the road.”
Funding for the scheme has come from outside bodies including the Buchan Development Partnership and Aberdeenshire Council’s area initiatives fund.
