village on the North Sea coast of Scotland, in the council area and historic county of Aberdeenshire. It is situated at the head of Cruden Bay and is overlooked by Slains Castle (1664). The Bullers of Buchan, 2 miles (3 km) to the north, is a famous roofless cave some 200 feet (60 metres) high and 50 feet (15 metres) wide. Cruden Bay is now a pipeline terminal for North Sea oil; it became operational in 1975, when crude oil from the Forties field was pumped ashore. From Cruden Bay the oil is pumped via a land pipeline to a refinery at Grangemouth. Pop. (2001) 1,608.