Quarryhead and Egypt Salmon Bothy

Looking East from Quarry Head, Braco Park a distant silage tower on the horizon

In order to avoid a pair of threatening dogs, Grey Granite and Rufus had a much extended Saturday morning walk. What was to be a short walk along the back road towards New Aberdour from Monthooly Doocot turned into a circular walk down to Quarry Head Farm, where the dogs were, then east along the cliff tops towards Rosehearty. There were amazing things to be seen, new born lambs in a field a Stonebriggs, the salmon bothy and ice houses at Egypt and spectacular views along the coast. 

Troup Head from Quarry Head, the RAF helipad in the foreground

The ruined RAF hut at Quarry Head, a relic of Rosehearty bombing range

West of Quarry Head is Egypt shore where there are the ruins of a salmon fishing station. This bay was a favourite haunt of Grey Granite many years ago. It was here that she first found Grass of Parnassus. St Patrick's cabbage is said to grow on the cliffs here but eludes Grey Granite.

The ruined salmon bothy (in use until the 1950's when a replacement was built in Rosehearty) the lowest of 3 ice houses is built in to the cliff on the left.

Entrance to the upper ice house, this can be a bit creepy, making one very aware of the isolation of the bay, but today the presence of Rufus was very reassuring.

Looking across the salmon bothy shore to Paddy's Stone, Cat's Hole and Quarry Head

 

The walk back towards Rosehearty along the cliff tops was exhilarating, a stiff breeze gradually rose, bringing with it the threat of rain. At one point, just above Lord Pitsligo's Cave, Gray Granite was unsure if we were being rained on or by rain or sea spray. Drenched from the knees down by wet grass, we were very glad to be able to cut up cow free fields to the main road just west of Braco Park thus shortening the walk considerably.

New Aberdour to Pennan; the Corpse Road

Today's Sunday afternoon walk was along the corpse road from  New Aberdour to Pennan. The  track from Mill Farm first descends, then climbs the side of the Dour Den, it is steep and twisting at this point. There are alders, willows and the occasional conifer and one has a sense of descending into a secret place. Beneath the trees are bracken and ferns, willow herb, bishop weed and dog's mercury.  Between the trees are glimpses of the kirkyard to which coffins were carried from Pennan.  Once out of the Den the path climbs steeply to Bankhead and after a short distance becomes a narrow path between fields. There are astonishing  panoramic views back towards New Aberdour and along the coast to Rosehearty. After rejoining  the road to Clinterty Farm the road descends to Pouk Howe where there is  a shallow lochan.

The lochan at Pouk Howe is almost choked with pond weed. The green foliage in the middle distance is Bog Bean. The leaves were clearly identifiable with the aid of binoculars as were the few remnants of flowers.


There is  a steady climb along a pleasant  track, this has steep banks on both sides, sections of which are covered in bracken and ferns and occasionally heather and ling. The track arrives at a junction with the path from the main Pennan road at Slack of Towie. Again there are amazing views towards Auchmedden kirk, Mains of Auchmedden, Pennan Head and the bay.Here we turned back and retraced our steps, hurrying to avoid approaching rain.

Edwin Morgan 1920-2010

Grey Granite mourns the death of Edwin Morgan who died on Thursday aged 90. His astonishingly broad range of poetic forms and subject matter reflected his zest for life, his humanity, his erudition, his courage, stoicism and unquenchable optimism. Above all his poems 'demonstrated his joy in the small print of being alive'.

At Eighty

 

Push the boat out, compañeros,

push the boat out, whatever the sea.

Who says we cannot guide ourselves

through the boiling reefs, black as they are,

the enemy of us all makes sure of it!

Mariners, keep good watch always

for that last passage of blue water

we have heard of and long to reach

(no matter if we cannot, no matter!)

in our eighty-year-old timbers

leaky and patched as they are but sweet

well seasoned with the scent of woods

long perished, serviceable still

in unarrested pungency

of salt and blistering sunlight. Out,

push it all out into the unknown!

Unknown is best, it beckons best,

like distant ships in mist, or bells

clanging ruthless from stormy buoys.

Edwin Morgan

Edwin Morgan

An amazing day

Already the countryside is starting to have an Autumnal look

An amazing mass of Spear thistle seed heads  in the grass

An amazingly beautiful warm, sunny day and Grey Granite and Rufus were challenged to have an amazing day, so having the day to themselves, they decided to walk from New Aberdour down to the shore. The followed the track behind the school and then crossed a field to reach the shore between the Boat Shore and New Aberdour Beach.

There are fewer wild flowers in bloom than when we visited at the end of June. We did notice many field scabious flowers, Grass of Parnassus and knapweed. Grey Granite's mum used to say that if field scabious, which she called thunder flooer, was picked it would thunder, mindful of this and the need not to spoil a bonny day we left it well alone

Oyster plant, not yet in flower but it has survived the winter storms

There are amazing views, here looking down on the Boat Shore, Dundarg castle is on the right

After spending some time on the beach and after Rufus had a cooling swim in the Dower we returned  to the village past the  16th century ruins of St Drostan's Kirk . We rested briefly in the kirkyard, an amazing tranquil place, said to be one of the earliest Christian settlements in Scotland. The gravestones have familiar place and family names, there is an interesting doocot in the corner by the manse garden.

There are amazing mortality symbols on the older gravestones

This was an amazingly satisfying walk on a day of rare beauty. Grey Granite and Rufus returned home mid afternoon just as dark clouds began to gather . We wondered if someone had picked  a scabious but felt that we had made the most of an amazing day

Waughton Hill, the Eye Stone

An atmospheric shot of the Eye Stone. What does the S signify? Strichen?

We are intrigued by the corpse road over Mormond Hill and are keen to find it. This track was used to carry coffins over Mormond Hill from Strichen to Rathen before there was a burial ground in Strichen. Yvonne, Rufus and Grey Granite set off from Nether Waughton Farm to try to gain access to the hill. The O.S 1:50 000 series Sheet 30, shows a path, which may well be the corpse road, leading straight up the hill from Waughton Farm. We parked at the end of the farm road by a gleaming white road leading to the new wind turbines. Following the main track we soon entered a wooded area and could see an abandoned quarry ahead of us.  The quartz exposed in the quarry explained why the roads to the turbines are so astonishingly white. Looking back there were panoramic views over the Buchan plain to the sea, unfortunately low cloud and the trees (spruce) quickly blocked the view. We were led to another quarry, this time with several huts and what appeared to be compost tumblers. Later it became clear that this was something to do with  a grouse breeding concern. After abortively following a couple of tracks which petered out in the trees we came out above the tree line on open heather clad moor. There were several small troughs, exactly like miniature cattle troughs, scattered in the trees and heather, presumably for the benefit of game birds. Just as we cleared the trees the mist became very thick making it difficult to see ahead. We did pass two large cages each housing dozens of small game bird chicks which became very alarmed when we passed before deciding to retreat down the hill. To the left of the track we saw the large granite stone pictured above. The S on the side facing the track and roughly North, is the only inscription, this seems to be the Eye Stone marked on OS Explorer sheet 427. If this is the corpse road might this be a lych stone?
The expedition will be continued...

This morning, on a whim, we went to the Waters of Philorth to see if Grass of Parnassus is in flower yet. We found a few of the pristine flowers in the boggy area by the car park. We then walked the length of the beach and back, Rufus had a wonderful time, barking at waves and emulating King Canute, with strictly limited success.

We later had a truly inspirational meeting with Amy who, with support from her brother Andrew, is walking the entire coastline to raise funds for Kidney Research in memory of their brother who died aged 42 from kidney disease. This made me reflect long and hard about motivation, priorities and achievement and was a very humbling experience.

Please check out Amy's blog and offer her your support.



http://www.kidneyresearchukevents.org/amygoescoastal

Hairst August 1st

Sunday 1st August, the first day of Turriff  Show and a sense that the year has turned. The first signs that the hairst has begun, cut barley near Red House.

The lane past Chapelton is now a mass of colour, the gowans are going over to be replaced by ragwort, poppies, willowherb, thistles and vetches.

Happiness is....waterlilies at St Combs

Grey Granite and Rufus set out to repeat the walk from St Combs along the bents to the outflow from Strathbeg, returning along the beach. Grey Granite was astonished to find a magnificent patch of white water lilies growing in what appears to be a wide drainage ditch between the bents and the fields. The water lilies were totally unexpected and very beautiful.

White water lily, Nymphaea alba

The walk behind the bents is along a wide open area of sandy grassland, currently dominated by tansies and eyebrights with small patches of heartsease pansies and by the ditch sweet smelling colonies of meadow sweet and occasionally red bartisia. Just before the out flow from Strathbeg there are small areas of thyme.

Along the landward ridge overlooking the ditch and the flat area behind the bents are the remains of defences from WW2. The bridge over the Strathbeg outflow has cement blocks and, just visible on the right bank one of a line of pill boxes.

Grey Granite and Rufus explored the bank up to the bridge before realising that they were on the wrong side of the fence to cross it. They returned to St Combs along the magnificent sandy beach, deserted today apart from a couple of wind surfers whose kites fascinated Rufus.

Grey Granite and Rufus continued along the bents path beneath the Tufted duck until they came to a graveyard containing the ruins of the medieval St Colm's Church which was abandoned in 1607.

The burial ground was used in to the 20th century, Grey Granite was struck by the simple elegance of this stone and by the sadness of a family which lost 4 children, the eldest only 8 within 4 months of each other in 1863/4. It was also interesting to note the recurrence of certain names notably Stephen, Cardno, Buchan and Duthie.

Yesterday Dr Anne wrote that happiness is a sunny afternoon and a beautiful garden. Grey Granite concurs with this but adds happiness is a satisfying walk with a Rufus, a most companionable dog.