Fordyce Kirkyard

Grey Granite and Dr. Anne passed through gently undulating countryside to reach Fordyce. This attractive, secluded village, was created a Burgh of Barony by Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen in 1499.  The higgledy-piggledy streets and 18th century architecture have a charm which is very different from the grid iron streets and austere  buildings of most North East settlements.

St Tarquin's, or Talorgan's Church, dedicated to a Pictish  saint who was made bishop in about 500 and is thought to have founded a church in the area. The belltower is dated 1661. The church was in use until 1804 by which time a new larger church had been built to accommodate the expanding congregation. 

 The rather dank and spooky Abercromby Aisle contains this very  grand classical memorial to James Abercromby of Glassheugh who died in 1781. It also houses many pigeons.

 
This magnificent ogee-arched altar tomb, known as the Findlater and Boyne Tomb, is set into the wall of would would originally have been the chancel. The chancel is now open to the sky and the tomb is  prettily set about with ferns and ivy-leaved toad flax. The inscription on the front of the tomb translates as; 'Here rest  two honourable men, James Ogilvy of Deskford, and James Ogilvy his son and heir presumptive. The former died 13 February 1509 and the latter 1 February 1505. Pray for their souls'.

A wonderful recumbent effigy of a knight rests on the tomb, his feet supported by  a dog which Dr Anne thought looked rather like a Chinese animal.

The Birkenbog Tomb in the more westerly burial aisle within the former chancel dates from 1505.

Feverfew or Bachelor's Buttons (Tanacetum parthenium) growing on the kirkyard dyke.
As the name suggests this plant, introduced from the Balkans in the Middle Ages, was grown as folk remedy for colds and fevers and headaches. Recent experiments have proved that it really does help to relieve  migraines.

Deskford kirkyard

Grey Granite and Dr. Anne went on to visit the tranquil Kirkton of Deskford, a small hamlet clustered round Deskford Church.

The ruins of Deskford Church  in the corner of the kirkyard. The kirk, originally dedicated to St John the Evangelist, is thought to have been erected about 1541 as  a chapel serving the Ogilvy family whose 4 storey tower house stood nearby. By 1545 it was referred to as a church and the wondrous sacrament house was added in 1551.The Ogilvy's castle was demolished around 1830 when the family  moved to Cullen House by which time the family had risen to be Lords Deskford and eventually Earls of Findlater and Seafield. A replacement church was built nearby in 1872 at which point St John's was abandoned. Despite the great age of the church most of the gravestones in the kirkyard date from the 19th century.

A rare example of a Victorian cast iron grave-marker. Behind it  is the iron urn pictured below.

Another fascinating Victorian funerary relic, an immortelle. These grave decorations were popular in the Victorian era but, due to their fragility, few remain. This example probably owes its survival to the protective wire cage. The glass dome contains plaster ornaments including flowers and doves.

Looking out across the kirkyard from the shell of the kirk. Note the aumbry  on the right .

The astonishing Deskford Sacrament House, recently restored and protected from the elements, is inside the ruin of the church and contrasts remarkably with the apparent austerity of the building.

The sacrament House is far larger than Grey Granite has envisaged, it is about 8ft high and 3.5 ft wide. The quality of the recently restored carving is superb. The sacrament house, basically a cupboard set into the wall near the altar,  was built at the behest of Alexander Ogilvy in 1551, at a time when personal salvation was thought to be achievable through church endowment. the sacrament house would have been used to contain the consecrated elements of the mass

Detail from the exquisitely  carved Sacrament House shows two angels,very medieval  in appearance in the act of raising the host which is contained within an ornate monstrance. The details of the wings are particularly impressive. A border of what appear to be grape vines surrounds the main panel. The protective glass panel creates reflections but does not distract from the quality of the carvings.

This beautiful and unusual teardrop mural monument, known as The Ogilvy Monument,  commemorates Walter Ogilvy, a minister  in this church who died on 15th February 1658

Gravestone dated 1771, now set into what may have been  a doorway in the kirk.


Grey Granite and Dr Anne then progressed to Fordyce...

Exploring Sandend

With Dr Anne acting as guide, Grey Granite and Rufus enjoyed a stimulating day exploring largely new territory and visiting some exceptionally interesting historical treasures. The tastes of both Rufus and Grey Granite were catered for.

The day began at East Neuk where Dr Anne's special garden has an enviable display of roses

The first port of call was Sandend where Rufus enjoyed an exciting walk over the bents and back along the beautiful beach. Grey Granite has not been to Sandend for many years and has never ventured to the picturesque west end of the village

This was the first time Rufus has visited Sandend, he particularly enjoyed playing on the sand and crossing the the Scattery Burn which flows down  the beach.

Extraordinary strata in the rocks on the way to the harbour

Fishing from the end of the harbour, a traditional holiday occupation. Alas although there were several craft in the water we saw no signs of working fishing boats. Grey Granite has read that all the fish processed at the small factory opposite the car park comes from Aberdeen. 

After watching the world go by from a seat on the harbour Grey Granite and Dr Anne moved on to the Deskford Garden Galleries and Willow Tearoom where, in a completely unexpected and delightful setting  they enjoyed a delicious lunch before exploring the extensive galleries attached to the tearoom. These contain what may only be described as a fascinating cornucopia of vintage clothes, curios, collectibles, plants, cards and paintings.

There next port of call was Kirktown of Deskford

Blue skies and shortening days

 At last it appears that summer has arrived in Buchan. However, last week on the Wastart we have found large patches of purple  heather and the first of the bluebells, sure signs that the days are starting to shorten.

Purple heather (Erica cinerea)

Bluebells or harebells? Certainly Campanula rotundifolia  on the  Bents at Inverallochy.  Not being willing to acknowledge that we are far enough in to the year for these delicate harbingers of autumn to be in bloom, I mistook the first solitary blue flower for one of the few Common Blue butterflies  fluttering about in the sunshine.

St Combs: a walk over the bents

Grey Granite and Rufus took advantage of a dry day to revisit a favourite haunt. The walk from St Combs along the back of the bents to the outflow from Strathbeg then back along the beautiful, usually deserted, beach is tranquil and always full of interest. The unspoilt dune habitat supports a rich flora and there is  a large population of rabbits to interest Rufus.

There have been  recent reports that the unseasonable weather has posed a threat to many forms of wild life, especially butterflies and moths. It was reassuring  to encounter a small group of Dark Green Fritillaries flying above a clump of Marsh Thistle and  a pair of Six Spot Burnet moths on an orchid as well as several smaller rapidly flying species which Grey Granite was unable to identify.

Longheaded poppies (Paved terbium) 


The meadow  between the Tufted Duck and the track from Boatlea down to the shore  is part of the RSPB  Loch of Strathbeg Reserve and is managed appropriately to provide optimum conditions for  wildlife. A selective herbicide was being applied to eliminate ragwort when we passed through it. The long meadow grass contains many species of wildflower including these beautiful poppies.

 
The path across the bents is defined by a daisy trail, one of the of myriad rabbit burrows is to the left of the path.

There are wide swathes of 
Heartsease pansies (Viola tricolor) in the dry sandy areas of short grass along the length of the bents. Close to the outflow from Strathbeg there is a single sprawl of wild thyme. 

A Dark Green Fritillary on Marsh Thistle, described by Patrick Barkham in his delightful book, 'The Butterfly Isles' as a majestic butterfly, this species has a penchant for purple flowers.

Six Spot Burnet moth on a particularly majestic Northern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza  purpurella). The food plant for the moth caterpillars, birds' foot trefoil, abounds on drier sections of the bents. In wetter areas there is meadowsweet and a dense carpet of marsh pennywort and spearwort with the occasional orchid and cuckoo flower.

 The tide was just starting to recede by the time we arrived at the  shore near the Strathbeg outflow  so we had to walk round the edge of the shallow Lagoon. On previous visits we have judged the state of the tide more accurately and have been able to walk directly across the sand. There were terns and kittiwakes on the Lagoon, sand martins accompanied us back along the beach, swooping under the steep edge of the dunes. 

Romesdal Flora

The Romesdal area may only be described as fragrant in late June. During our visit there was an all pervading scent of bog myrtle, tinged occasionally with aromatic thyme and pine. In the evenings  a sprawl of honeysuckle scented the air around West House. 

The road leading down to Loch Snizort drops steeply from the main road and is lined with hazels beneath which grow a tangle of species, some of which are pictured below. Campions, buttercups, meadow sweet, ragged robin,  flag iris and  the huge leaves of butterwort flourish in the wetter areas near the burn. On the drier side away from the burn the rocky sections of bank have large patches of thyme and are starred with the  bright flowers and glowing buds of Slender St John's Wort. 

Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox subsp brittanicus)

Dog rose (Rosa canina)

Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia)

The strongly carnation scented and variable Fragrant orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)

Grey Granite thinks that this is Small Lady's-mantle ( Alchemilla glaucescens) but it may possibly be Alchemilla glomerulans

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) the sweet smell attracts night flying moths and always reminds Grey Granite of childhood summers spent at Coburty where,  at the junction of the Rosehearty and new Aberdour roads,  her favourite aunt's large and particularly fragrant dykeside honeysuckle was a local landmark. 

Slender St John's Wort (Hypericum pulchrum) The flower buds are bright and flame like, seeming to glow on  dull misty days.

Slender St John's Wort is thought to have been the special plant of St Columba because of its association with his favourite saint, St John the Evangelist, (patron saint of Scotland before St Andrew), thus it has special protective powers, particularly against witchcraft and the evil eye. However, to be truly effective the plant had to be found by accident, rather than actively sought, and a sprig had to be tucked under the left armpit. On Skye, according to Martin Martin,  Slender St John's Wort was mixed with other herbs to form an ointment to aid the setting of bones. It may also be used to cure worms and to flavour whisky and beer.

Melancholy Thistle, (Cirsium dissectum)

Wild Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica)

 Bushes of wild fuchsia occur in several places on Skye, including Uig Woods

The approach to Hugh's Castle, a meadow thick with meadow buttercups, reminded Grey Granite of Wilfred Owen's lines:

' Hour after hour they ponder the warm field -
And the far valley behind, where the buttercup
Had blessed with gold their slow boots coming up.'

(Spring Offensive)

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Wanderings on Skye

When we arrived on Skye we were told that there had been virtually no rain for about two months. This accounts for the unusually low level of water in the River Romesdal, seen here entering Loch Snizort Beag below West House. The rocky shore of the loch was home to several pairs of indignant oyster catchers all of whom seemed to have young chicks. They were greatly distressed by any intrusion in to their territory, running about among the rocks anxiously calling to their young. One morning we saw an oyster catcher successfully mobbing and driving off a hoodie crow.

Within 48  hours of our arrival the rains came turning the river into a torrent. This shot was taken looking directly downwards from Romesdal Bridge into the hazel lined gorge. We could see, but not photograph, a large expanse of a saxifrage, possibly St Patrick's Cabbage (Saxifraga umbrosa)  growing on the side of the gorge. Note the potholes. 

Uig Wood the largest broadleaved wood on Skye, covers an area of 18.5 ha but is bisected by the road. East of the main road the wood includes a deep gorge cut through basalt by the River Conon and it is possible to walk along the bank for a short distance to the weir. The floor of the wood is carpeted with pungent wood garlic and lush ferns, the trees are a mixture of beech, elm and ash with the occasional sycamore and lime.

The shore wood originated in the 1800s as a shelter belt forming part of the policies of Uig Lodge and contains a mix conifers and broadleaved trees such as hazel, alder and birch. There are huge sprawling dog roses which were prettily in flower the first time we visited but which lost their petals in the torrential rain. Both sections of wood have many mosses and lichens, their lush greenery seemed suited to the jungle conditions of warm dampness we experienced during our visit.

The shore wood is bounded by a dyke through which a path leads down to the shore of the loch. The Lewis ferry leaves from the pier. 

'The castle' in the Fairy Glen, Uig

The road down to Cuidrach, Eileen Beag and Ard nan Eireachd in the middle distance, Waternish beyond. Grey Granite and Rufus repeated a favourite walk down to Cuidrach across the myrtle scented moor, then along the hillside track,  and over a buttercup field by the loch to Caistel Usdein.  

Casteal Uisden (Hugh's Castle)

We enjoyed several walks in Glen Hinnisdhal, from the Kingsburgh Community Woodland, mist permitting,  there are spectacular views over to Waternish

The wood is being carefully managed to provide fuel for the residents of Kingsburgh. Natural regeneration of the coniferous trees is being encouraged whilst broadleaved species have been planted near the road. There are several winding footpaths, some of which involve quite steep climbs. From this vantage  one can look up Glen far side of the glen.

When not out walking or sleeping off the effects of his walks, Rufus carried out  an in depth study of the rabbit population of Romesdal.