A popular walking and cycling route, that stretches 40 miles between Dyce and Fraserburgh, will be upgraded next week.
The Formartine and Buchan Way passes close to a number of popular attractions along its route including Aden Country Park, Deer Abbey, Drinnie’s Wood Observatory and several historic stone circles.
Aberdeenshire Council will be undertaking an improvement programme starting on February 3 which will involve dismantling and rebuilding two structures along the route to safeguard the integrity of the route for years to come.
A section of the route at the South Ugie Water, near Maud, will be temporarily closed to enable works to proceed safely, with completion expected by mid-April.
During construction, machinery will be working at various locations between the access points near the sewage works at Maud and Abbey Bridge at Old Deer.
Similar works at Chapelton, south of Ellon will involve construction works at various locations between the access point at Ellon and the construction site, but are expected to be completed by March 14.
A diversion to bypass the Chapelton works will be provided, but due to the nature of the site, the diversion may be unsuitable for some users including horse riders.
Katherine Low of the council’s environment team said: “The safety of the public and that of the construction team is paramount and we request that everyone observes all safety signs and avoids entering the construction site areas.”