Auchnagatt is a village and rural area in Buchan

Buchan

Buchan is one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by the council in 1996, when the Aberdeenshire unitary council area was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994...

, Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, situated on the Ebrie Burn and on the A948 road between Ellon

Ellon, Aberdeenshire

Ellon is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north of Aberdeen, lying on the River Ythan which has one of the few undeveloped river estuaries on the Eastern coast of Scotland. It is in the ancient region of Formartine...

 and New Deer

New Deer

New Deer is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland that lies in the valley of Deer. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, Old Deer built a chapel at Auchreddie, which translates as "field of the bog myrtle". Around 1507 the register of Deer Abbey lists its lands in the "new...

.

Schools

Auchnagatt Primary School is situated in the village. The rural areas once supported several primary schools, with those at Clochan, Knaven and Savoch merging to form Braeside School in 1957. Braeside School in turn was closed in 2005. Arnage School to the south remains open.

Secondary education is provided at Mintlaw Academy

Mintlaw Academy

-History:The school opened in 1981 with about 600 enrolled students and a capacity of 1,000. By August 2003, it had about 920 enrolled students. The rector is Linda Evans...

, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the village of Auchnagatt.

Transport

Regular public transport is limited to infrequent bus services to Ellon, New Deer and surrounding villages, though an on-demand Dial-a-bus service is also available. The railway station

Auchnagatt railway station

Auchnagatt railway station was a railway station in Auchnagatt, Aberdeenshire. Before its closure, services ran to Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Aberdeen.-History:...

 closed in 1979, and now offers an access point to the Formartine and Buchan Way

Formartine and Buchan Way

The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long-distance footpath in Scotland, extending from Dyce north to Peterhead and Fraserburgh. It follows the track of a former railway line, the Formartine and Buchan Railway, and is open to walkers and cyclists. Horse riders are also welcome on parts of the track...

, the long-distance path that follows the route of the former railway.

Other facilities

Facilities in the village include a village hall, post office, general store ("Taylor's Emporium") and hotel ("Ebrie House").

History

There is evidence of prehistoric settlement in the area. The remains of two earth houses

Souterrain

Souterrain is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the Atlantic Iron Age. These structures appear to have been brought northwards from Gaul during the late Iron Age. Regional names include earth houses, fogous and Pictish houses...

 were found at Windy Hill, south-east of the village, in 1850.

More recent history centred around agriculture until the coming of the railway in the 1860s, when sidings and goods sheds were constructed in the village.

Nowadays Auchnagatt serves largely as a dormitory village for Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

.

Name

Sources dispute the origin of the name Auchnagatt, claiming either "field of the wild cats

Wildcat

Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...

" (Gaelic achadh na' cat) or "field of withies

Withy

Withy or withe is a strong flexible willow stem that is typically used in thatching and for gardening. An advantage of using this type of material is said to be a greater resistance to woodworm....

" (willows), in reference to the currachs or wickerwork creels

Creel (basket)

Creel is a type of small wicker basket mainly used by anglers to hold fish or other prey. A creel is designed to function as an evaporative cooler when lined with moss and dipped into the creek in order to keep the catch chilled...

traditionally produced in the area.