Balmedie Country Park

What you told us

As part of the Balmedie Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) Project design phase, an online survey was conducted between 27th January and 24th February 2026 to gather the views and opinions of the local community and visitors to Balmedie Country Park.

A total of 250 respondents provided detailed insights into accessibility, travel patterns, facilities, infrastructure, priorities for investment, and overall visitor experience. Overall sentiment toward Balmedie Country Park was positive, with high levels of repeat visitation, strong appreciation for the natural landscape, and clear support for maintaining the park’s character. However, the survey also identifies several critical infrastructure challenges and priorities for enhancement.

Key Findings

Travel & Visitation

  • The park is predominantly accessed by car, though walking and cycling form meaningful secondary modes.
  • Regular use is high, with nearly 60% visiting at least monthly and over one‑third visiting weekly or daily.
  • Most visitors stay 1–2 hours, indicating the park is a significant recreational asset.

Accessibility & Movement

  • While 89% rated access as 'somewhat' or 'very' accessible, comments reveal recurring issues with path erosion, flooding, gradients, and inconsistent surfaces.
  • Walking routes are the top improvement request (48.8%), followed by parking and cycling infrastructure.

Roads, Parking & Entrance

  • The single‑track access road is a major pain point, with strong support for adding passing places and widening sections.
  • Visitors rate parking mostly 'good' or 'fair', but there are clear calls for surface improvements, larger‑vehicle bays, clearer signage, and better management of horsebox areas.
  • The entrance bollards generate significant anxiety; height barriers are strongly preferred over width restrictions.

Signage & Wayfinding

  • Wayfinding is generally rated 'good' or 'fair', but respondents highlight outdated boards, insufficient route guidance, and a need for clearer, more consistent signage, especially toward the beach and accessible routes.

Paths & Cycling

  • Paths are considered functional but fatigued, with drainage issues, surface deterioration, and missing links frequently noted.
  • Cycling provision is rated mostly 'fair' or 'poor'; demand focuses on bike stands, shelters, and safer cycle access.

Toilets & Facilities

  • Toilets are the single weakest‑rated facility in the park. The North block receives moderate but mixed ratings, while long-standing issues with the South block’s closure strongly influence visitor perceptions.
  • There is overwhelming support for:
    1. Full renovation of existing toilets
    2. Re‑establishing a South toilet block
    3. Improved accessibility, baby-changing facilities, showers, and more modern layouts.

Motorhomes

  • Two‑thirds do not want dedicated motorhome facilities, citing concerns about overdevelopment and environmental impact.
  • Among supporters, interest focuses on basic, well‑managed service provision (waste, water, toilets) with strong preference for a South‑side location.

Open Comments Themes

The most frequent concerns relate to:

  1. Toilets – poor condition, insufficient capacity, and lack of provision near the beach.
  2. Bins and waste management – overflowing bins in summer, dog waste issues, and calls for better distribution and servicing.
  3. Path quality and boardwalk condition – flooding, erosion, broken boards, and requests for accessible routes.
  4. Access road and entrance layout – congestion, potholes, bollards, limited passing places.
  5. Desire to preserve the park’s natural, wild character while improving essential infrastructure.

Additional recurring themes include benches, picnic areas, café access, ranger/warden presence, safer dog management, and improved play facilities.

Overall Conclusion

Balmedie Country Park is a valued and much‑loved community asset with high usage and strong emotional connection. The survey results highlight a clear set of priority areas (toilets, paths, signage, parking/road access, and waste management) that require targeted investment. Improvements should enhance safety, accessibility, and visitor experience while preserving the natural, low‑impact feel that defines the park.

What we are doing

The results of the Balmedie Country Park Survey have directly informed the development of a new Balmedie Country Park Masterplan. This document reflects the clearly identified need to improve facilities for both the local community and visitors, ensuring the park remains a high‑quality, accessible, and welcoming coastal destination.

To deliver these improvements, Aberdeenshire Council is working in partnership with our community partners to identify and secure funding that supports key infrastructure enhancements. Most recently, Aberdeenshire Council has submitted a funding application to the VisitScotland Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF). If successful, this funding will help address existing pressures and enhance the overall visitor experience through a coordinated programme of improvements across three areas of the park: the North, the South, and park‑wide interventions.

Park‑wide proposals include the creation of a unified Balmedie Country Park brand and identity, a coordinated suite of signage, and upgrades to key paths to support active travel and improve accessibility throughout the site.

In the North area, proposed improvements include enhancements to the park entrance, refurbishment of the existing toilet block, installation of a new shelter, provision of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points, new bike amenities, increased disabled parking bays, and the creation of dedicated BBQ facilities. Biodiversity enhancements will also be delivered through the removal of invasive species and the planting of native species.

In the South area, the primary focus is the replacement of the existing toilet block with a new modular facility incorporating Changing Places Toilet (CPT) provision. Additional improvements include the development of a purpose‑built motorhome facility offering overnight parking and dedicated toilet and waste‑disposal services for motorhome visitors.

Overall, Aberdeenshire Council aims to deliver high‑quality improvements at Balmedie Country Park that accommodate visitors with diverse access needs, address existing pressures, attract a broader range of tourists, increase visitor spend, and generate positive economic outcomes for Balmedie and the wider Aberdeenshire area.

You can view the original survey page here: Balmedie Country Park | Engage Aberdeenshire

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