Tillyfourie Quarry

Located in Aberdeenshire in Scotland, is this disused quarry that has turned into a somewhat social media phenomenon after lockdown led to many people discovering it whilst exploring their local areas.

Surrounded by dense woodland, Tillyfourie Quarry was once an active mining site but has since filled with water and become a picturesque place to visit on a sunny day.

In the sunshine, the quarry glistens a somewhat tropical blue/green colour, but it’s not recommended to swim in it although many do. The blue colour is more than likely due to much of what locals say has been dumped in the quarry over the years from vehicles to livestock and who knows what else really. Not sure I’d like to really know what lies at the bottom.

Where to find Tillyfourie Quarry?

Tillyfourie Quarry can be found a short drive from Inverurie near the village of Tillyfourie. Although accessing it can be somewhat difficult to find information for.

How to get to Tillyfourie Quarry?

When visiting Tillyfourie Quarry it is advised that you do not park anywhere that isn’t the designated car parking area for Pitfichie Forest.

If this car park is full, please do not just dump your car anywhere as it blocks main access roads and much of the surrounding area is private land.

So head off somewhere else nearby and try visiting again later or on a different day when it’s maybe not as busy.

Once you’ve parked your car, you want to walk up the path for around ten minutes until you see an unmarked footpath veering off to the left and in to the trees.

Take the unmarked path and follow it until you come to Tillyfourie Quarry.

Now this may not be the best route to find the quarry as you’re actively walking through an unmarked path, but it’s the only way that we currently know of to get there.

If anyone does know of a more suitable path that isn’t as destructive then please do let us know in the comments below and we’ll update the post accordingly.

The walk up the quarry itself can take around 25 minutes from the car park and on a hot day it can get quite tiring so make sure you’re well hydrated and have some water with you.

Tips for visiting Tillyfourie Quarry

This shouldn’t need to be said, but there are no bins at the quarry so make sure that you take any rubbish that you bring to the quarry home with you. Don’t spoil this beautiful location for others.

DO NOT LIGHT ANY FIRES

We cannot emphasise this enough.

When we visited last year during lockdown, it was evident that there had been a very severe bush fire recently that was undoubtedly caused by visitors having a BBQ.

This has caused massive devastation to the surrounding area and is incredibly dangerous. So please leave the BBQ at home and pack some sandwiches instead if you plan on having lunch at the quarry.

There are also no toilet facilities.

Are you planning on visiting Tillyfourie Quarry or have you been? Let us know your thoughts below and if you’re in the Aberdeen area and looking for more things to you, try our useful guide to visiting Aberdeen for some more ideas.