St Ethernan's Kirkyard Rathen



An extraordinarily warm day temperatures reaching 22.5c by 11.00 and Grey Granite and Rufus were pleased to make the most of the morning by joining their friends Jennifer and Brogan by St Ethernan's Kirkyard in Rathen for a walk.

Surrounded by trees, the kirkyard is an extremely tranquil and secluded place

We followed Sandy Lane out of the village, over Gallows Hill and the Hill of Ardglassie to Rathen Station then followed the Formartine Buchan Way past Concraigs to Craigellie Lodge where we rejoined the road.



We returned to Rathen over the Hill of Forest. The spire of the new Rathen kirk can be seen above the trees. There are banks of rosebay willow herb on the left, seeded they shed plumes of seeds over the road. There are still a few late flowers chiefly bluebells, campion, knapweed and hawkweeds along the Line and at the roadsides.

Rufus is always pleased to walk with his big American friend, Brogan

It was very difficult to decipher the worn inscription but we think that the flat stone in the foreground is the Grieg gravestone

Dappled sunlight and fallen leaves on the lane outside St Ethernan's Kirkyard, the new kirkyard can just be seen in the distance