Rathen trees

Grey Granite and Rufus spent part of the morning in Rathen pottering round Rathen kirkyard, The light on the trees, particularly the beeches was beautiful. Grey Granite concludes that one of the reasons that she is attracted to Rathen is the number of mature trees which cluster round the village. 

Morning light on a lichen crusted Victorian gravestone

We walked up Sandy Lane and along the road to Rathen Station. From the top of Ardglassie Hill we saw that the heavy rain of the last two days has flooded the fields by Cairnbulg Castle. When we got to the Station we found that the Line was extremely wet and dubby. Rufus was concerned that the rabbits along Sandy Lane might have been flooded out, Grey Granite was pleased to that there are still a few heartsease pansies in flower along the lane.

Last rose of Summer.

A morning of gradually gathering clouds and rising blustery winds, Grey Granite and Rufus walked through Philorth woods, along the Line and over the Esplanade.

The pond in Philorth woods currently home to a large flock of mallards was blown into ripples by the wind. Rufus enjoyed chasing fallen leaves in the wood.

Mixed messages; a late flowering dog rose and scarlet hips on the line near Philorth Halt

Unusually, there were dozens of gannets plunge diving, in great white splashes  just out from the Kessock Burn outlet.

Oyster catchers roosting in the shelter of the rocks by the caravan site

Round the Horn: a cold walk

This morning was the first day this week when the weather has made  a real walk possible. The wind and rain of the last few days having departed, Grey Granite and Rufus walked 'Round the Horn' from Rosehearty. In contrast to the high temperatures of last week (17c in Rathen on Sunday) this morning was  a distinctly chilly 5.5c. As we walked there was the  constant sound of geese flying overhead, hundreds rose from the field behind Monthooly dookit as we passed, spooking dozens of ducks who rose from the seasonal, temporary lochan in the field and flew out to sea.


Relative calm after the storm, the 'white horses' in the bay the reminder of the gale force winds which have blown across Buchan for the past two days.



A bright splash of late flowering gorse at the dyke side, almost  a natural topiary peacock.

Rathen: autumnal afternoon sunlight

Twice recently Grey Granite and Rufus have  visited Rathen on sunny afternoons, the first visit was in the company of their friend, Dr Anne, who has family connections with the area. On both visits the afternoon light was superb, creating a subtly different ambience in St Ethernan's kirkyard from that of Grey Granite's more usual morning visits. Grey Granite and Dr. Anne spent some time in the kirkyard before walking over Gallows Hill to Rathen Station then looping round to re-enter the village by the school.

Dr Anne and Rufus by the graves of Dr. Anne's Hay relatives who farmed at nearby Lootingstone and Concraig in the 19th century.

The deserted grave yard is a remarkably tranquil place, the peace only disturbed by geese flying overhead.

The afternoon sunshine transformed the wall of the south aisle, highlighting the inscriptions. That above the door reads, 'Alexander Fraser of Philorth, patron.



A sandstone effigy of a human face on the gable of the aisle, the features are hardly visible when the sun is not casting shadows.  There is what appears to be a ram's head on the opposite gable.                      

The copper weather vane on the old church caught the sunlight and seemed to glow. Grey Granite has applied a glowing filter in this image.

The new Parish Church, designed by William Smith, replaced St Ethernan's in1868. The patterned stone Gothic church has a tower capped by a broach spire which forms a conspicuous landmark easily seen from the roads leading down into the village.

Golden bracken in the lane leading out of the village by the school; a reminder that despite the temperature of 17c on Grey Granite's second visit we are in mid October.

Both Grey Granite and Dr Anne were struck by the number of houses in the vicinity which fly saltires.

Grey Granite particularly like the light on this row of leafless beech trees close by the new kirk and the wide open aspect of the countryside beyond them.

Swans at Berrybrae



Inspired by 'Great Crowns of Stone' by Adam Welfare, and determined to make the most of an exceptionally beautiful morning, Grey Granite decided to visit Berrybrae  recumbent stone circle. This late example of a recumbent stone circle originally consisted of 10 stones, all local granite  but now much diminished. They are now rather overgrown and several are difficult to see clearly under the brambles and willow herb.
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Aptly named Berrybrae, the hedge round the field was heavy with ripe hawthorn berries which in turn were heavy with assorted gorging tits and finches



Typical of stone circles in the improved Buchan landscape, Berrybrae is situated in a roundel of trees protected by a low dyke. The 19th century dyke, alas, is likely to have been constructed from stones robbed from the central cairn. Aubrey Burl, who excavated the site in 1975, suggests that, even in the 2nd millennium BC, there were fertile patches of ground in Buchan and stone circles were erected close to them.



The massive boat shaped recumbent and flankers



Rufus considering the circle and attentively listening to the loud trumpeting of approaching swans

Suddenly and quite magically a whiteness of swans, wave after wave of them,  filled the sky over the circle, trumpeting loudly as they appeared to heading towards nearby Strathbeg. Grey granite has never seen such a large group of swans in flight.

The 'circle' is actually an oval about 23 metres by 19 metres. There is now no trace of the central cairn which contained fragments of burnt bone, indicating a funeral pyre dated to the 2nd millennium BC.

After leaving the circle Grey Granite and Rufus enjoyed a walk round the lanes linking Blackhills Farm, Belfatton and Cairnlob. This area was very quiet and peaceful, when ever the clamour of the geese and swans flying overhead ceased there was almost total silence. We saw a huge herd of swans grazing on a field of stubble, sentries poised with up stretched necks as the majority fed.

Burl postulates that around 1750 BC the ring was visited by folk who altered it by destroying the inner cairn and using the stones to create a continuous barrier linking the orthostats. Rufus is standing on the ring they created.

Pittendrum: Thistle and Rose

Grey Granite and Rufus enjoyed  a late afternoon walk from Phingask to Pittulie. The last of the sun was catching Mains of Pittendrum as they walked down Smiddy Brae.

Several years ago Mains of Pittendrum was inhabited by a lady known locally as the 'Indian Princess' and was in poor condition. It has since been sold and restored to its former glory as a befitted a laird's house, currently work is being carried out on the steading. Pittendrum was one of the 'Three Pits of Hell' (along with Pitullie and Pitsligo) against which the Aberdour minister ranted, so infuriating Lord Pitsligo that in 1630 he built Peathill KIrk and was responsible for the creation of Pitsligo Parish.

Mains of Pittendrum , dating from 1734, is an excellent example of an 18th century laird's house. Seen here in late afternoon sunshine from the Smiddy Brae

The steep 3 storey house was built for the Cumine family, there is a single storey wing on each side of the main central block.

The architraved doorway has a round headed pediment containing a thistle and Jacobite rose. The Cumine coat of arms is in the centre. The Cumines were Jacobite,supporters, William Cumine of Pittulie Castle joined Pitsligo's Horse and took part in the '45, surviving Culloden but being forced to live in hiding in Edinburgh for many years afterwards.

Culsh Monument

Grey Granite and Rufus recently had time to kill in New Deer and decided to visit the Culsh Monument. Unfortunately, it was an extraordinary hot day, the temperature was 22.5c in mid afternoon and the heat haze reduced what would otherwise have been spectacular views over the Howe of Buchan from the monument.

Grey Granite thought that the monument to William Dingwall Fordyce was actually in the burial ground. From the approach to the burial ground gates high above the village the monument looks exactly like a kirk spire at the top of the graveyard. The graveyard has a disused lodge, dated 1841, and several yew trees.The almost leafless beech trees created a welcome dappled shade in the kirkyard. Grey Granite couldn't help wondering if, despite the grandeur of the monument, William Dingwall Fordyce is any better remembered today than any of his humbler contemporaries in the kirkyard. The monument seems to be universally known as simply 'The Culsh Monument'. However, three street names in Rosehearty celebrate Sir Dingwall Fordyce of Brucklay Castle, the laird to whom the fishermen famously applied for permission to build their hall in Fordyce Street.

The 1876 monument to William Dingwall Fordyce on the summit of Culsh Hill directly above the graveyard.

 The 80' high monument is constructed of dressed ashlar, a spiral staircase leads to the viewing platform directly below the spire but can no longer be entered. William Dingwall Fordyce  was the first MP for Aberdeenshire. A Liberal, he was a benevolent, improving conditions for his tenants by introducing insurance for their cottages and increasing their mobility by running weekly carriages to Banff, Aberdeen and Peterhead. He was also largely influential in ensuring that the  Buchan Railway was extended north beyond Ellon.

During the construction of the monument the remains of a prehistoric stone circle were removed and used in the foundations of the New Deer Manse. The strange construction seen in above supports an information board describing the view over the Howe of Buchan

Looking over New Deer from the monument. St Kame's Church Tower can just be seen above the trees.



Mormond Hill in the distance, the ruins of Fedderate Castle can just be made out marooned in a barley field just behind the tree branch. The castle dates from 1474 was one of the last places to hold out for James V11 after the Battle of Cromdale and suffered a siege as a result. Later attempts were made to blow the castle up in the cause of agricultural improvement.



Rufus admiring the view from the steps of the monument