Day 5 - Beach or prom
I’ve kept my favourite walk for the final one 😊 Today we’re heading for the beach although there is another option for anyone who doesn’t like sand or has a pram, bike, scooter etc. The recommended walk will take around 30 -40 minutes but it’s up to you if you want to make it longer yourself. You’ll be rewarded with some wonderful views and hopefully lots of fun along the way.
The walk starts and ends at the golf course car park which you can get to off of Ugie Road/Blackhouse Terrace. There is a swing park beside the car park which will be a good ending to our Walktober walks.
To start the walk head across to beside the bridge and prom.
Here’s your first option of the day: if you don’t like sand or have a bike or just want an easier walk then you should turn right along the seafront prom. You’ll still get good views and won’t have to clean sandy feet at the end. You can go as far as you want along the prom then head back to the car park and swing park.
If you are up for the whole beach adventure you should head across the bridge, taking time to enjoy the fine view as you cross.
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​As soon as you cross the bridge you will have the choice to take the track to your right or continue up the path towards the golf clubhouse. There’s no correct answer, it really is up to you as we’ll join up on the same track soon anyway.
Taking the path up to the golf clubhouse you’ll see this sign at the top of the path.
It tells you that Peterhead Golf Club is the 18th oldest golf club in the world. That’s pretty impressive as there are around 40,000 golf courses around the world now but only 17 of them are older than Peterhead’s. It shows that old things can still be fun and important. That’s like the Bible – it may be an old book but it is still important.
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​Follow the path at the side of the clubhouse then turn right, heading toward the beach.
You’ll come to long grass which you can carefully walk through and go down to join up with the track that some of you may have taken from the start.
Everyone will now be following the track in what feels a bit like a valley. On Wednesday’s walk Psalm 23 was mentioned as we walked beside a stream. That Psalm also has a verse in it about walking through a valley. Sometimes valleys can be dark as the sunlight may not get to them but even when things seem dark or difficult the Bible let us know that God still cares for us.
Continue along the track and you’ll start to climb out of the valley and see an amazing view out across the beach towards the sea.
If you can avoid the temptation to head straight on to the beach you can keep going on the track and start to climb up to the top of the sand dunes. Try to stay on the track and look out in case anyone plays golf like I do and hits the ball towards the beach.
This extra walk is worth the effort and if you listen carefully you’ll hear the sound of the waves crashing into the rocks below. Maybe you’ll remember about the story where a house was built on sand and another house was built on rock. When the storm came it was the house that was built on rock that survived.
When Jesus told that story he explained that the man who built on the rock was wise. He also compared this to someone who hears Jesus words and obeys them. When the storms of life arrive it is good to have the solid foundation of faith in God.
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As you walk up the hill hopefully you won’t be finding it too difficult but you can maybe think about how difficult it would have been for Jesus to carry his cross up the hill at Calvary. It’s great to know that he loved us so much that he was willing to go there so that we can be saved. Once you reach the top follow the path round to the right.
You’ll now start to see another breath-taking view and maybe you'll be beginning to understand why I think this is my favourite walk of the week.
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Before you get to see that view better you’ll pass a big sandy bunker which can be a fun place to run and jump around if you aren’t going to the beach later. You might remember some of the stories about Moses adventures as he led the Children of Israel through the desert in the Old Testament.
Just a little bit past this you can now look all the way along along the beach with waves flowing in and the sand seems to go on forever. It makes me wonder how good Heaven must be as it will be even better than living in Peterhead. Another word for forever is everlasting or eternal and John 3v16 says that when we believe in Jesus we will have everlasting life.
Take time to enjoy the view, the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea air. If you have the time and energy to keep going along the path on top of the dunes you can or you could go down onto the beach. We turned back here but it is up to you if you want to spend longer before turning back. Once you do head back just follow the same path as you came along.
On the way back you can go down onto the beach or follow the same route as you came. You’ll see an old small building from World War 2 on the beach. This is where soldiers would have watched to see if any enemies were trying to invade!
The Bible tells us that we need to be on the look out as one day Jesus is going to come again to take every Christian to be with him in Heaven. In John chapter 14 Jesus told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place and that he would come again so that they could be with him forever.
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​If you’ve taken the beach way back then have fun and maybe even try to make some sandcastles. If you follow the track back into the valley try to remember which Psalm has a verse about going through a valley. Whichever route you take on your way back take a moment to look up at the top of the sand dunes and see if you can see the life ring.
This could be used if someone was in danger and needed to be rescued. Does that remind you of someone?
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​Our Walktober walks are almost finished now. Head back across the bridge before I tell you about one final thing.
Once you’ve crossed the bridge (or after you have been along the prom), before you head to the swing park, take a moment to look at the plaque on the stone table beside the bridge.
The plaque tells you about the original bridge that was built here in 1924. That bridge was given to the people of Peterhead as a gift by a man called Alexander Birnie. That might sound like a strange gift but it made a way for people to get across the river.
In the Bible we read that God offers us an even better gift, it may sound strange but God gave us his son Jesus. As you look across the river to the life saver on the top of the hill, think about Jesus when he was on a cross on top of a hill. He was there so that we could be rescued from our sins. As you look at the Birnie Bridge think about what Jesus has done; he has made a way for us to get to Heaven forever.
As you finish off your walk at the play park we hope you have enjoyed these walks but it would be even better if you made the choice to believe in Jesus and have him as your saviour in your heart!
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If you have any questions about anything you have seen or read during Walktober feel free to get in touch with us either through our Facebook page or by using any of these contact option:
