Happy New Year!
I didn’t intend to write about my Christmas but as I had some off-the-beaten-track walks I thought I’d share them.
I went to Aberdeenshire in Scotland to visit my parents. My friend Richard joined me and this prompted me to show him some of the places I have enjoyed visiting in the past and as a result we discovered another gem too.
Aberdeenshire is rural with both arable and livestock farming so it’s nothing like Scotland’s Highlands. Despite the beautiful picture Richard took above most of our stay was grey and raining. The houses are grey or pink granite depending where they are and most of this trip it looked quite bleak.
On Christmas Eve we visited Bennachie (pronounced Ben-a-hee) a low range of hills near Inverurie. We climbed up one of the picturesque peaks, Mither Tap at 518 meters high. From the car park it’s a sharp climb and unfortunately for us it was in cloud for most of our trek. It was great to be outside though. The peak itself has the remains of a hill fort at the top and the thick granite walls are still evident. It dates back to 10,000 years BC and all I can say is it must have been a desolate place to live in the winter months. We had a sandwich at the top and as we stood in the fog we were joined by other walkers including a crying lady (she was a exhausted by the climb). The cloud cleared occasionally so we got glimpses of what is a spectacular view on a better day.
On Boxing day we walked part of the Formartine and Buchan Way which is an old rail route that is now a footpath. We walked from Maud to Strichen and back (10 miles).
It was grey and overcast again, the walk is not so picturesque in winter and fairly straight for five miles. At Strichen we diverted to a stone circle on a hillside. It’s a small circle of standing stones with one recumbent stone. I think it’s Pictish!
While exploring this area we saw this…
In Scotland there is a right to roam across land and on waterways as long as you behave responsibly. So we set off across the field to examine this amazing looking building.
Looking it up afterwards, this is Strichen House designed in 1821 and it fell into ruin in 1956. I couldn’t find out much about what happened here. The front of the building supports a barn which seems so incongruous for such an atmospheric place.
Next my Dad took us to New Slains Castle near Cruden Bay. The original castle has only a tower left and its in a different place along the coast. Although the New Slains Castle was originally built earlier, it was upgraded in the 1800’s. The last owner removed the roof in 1925 to avoid taxes and it fell onto ruin.
It’s spooky and huge. It’s great for exploring and playing hide and seek.
Bram Stoker is said to have visited several times and this building was part of his inspiration for his novel ‘Dracula’. Over many years I have clambered about here, often by pushing through fencing or hoarding (when there were building plans) but, this time it seems there are no barriers and there is even a car park! There is no health and safety in Scotland it seems (not that that bothered me much).
On the last day I took Richard to a much less ruinous Castle at Fyvie. This is a typical Scottish Fortified house owned by the National Trust for Scotland.
It was closed so we wandered around the gardens and lake, then headed to my most favourite place Gight Castle, (pronounced Geght if that makes any sense at all, you know with a pheglmy C ).
So this castle was built in the sixteenth century and was owned by a relative of Lord Byron. It was deserted in the late 1700s and fell into ruin. It’s believed to be haunted by a Piper who disappeared exploring an underground tunnel. We didn’t know his at the time but, this may explain why a woman walking nearby screamed when she saw Richard standing on the first floor of the ruins. It may be that or the fact he is quite scary!
It’s a complete ruin and out of the way but it’s so magical and makes me think of a sleeping beauty book I had when I was a child (I still have it and it’s not a Disney version). The Castle sleeps on the edge of a steep cliff that leads down to the River Ythan. On this visit I noticed something I had not seen before, a sweet detail on the ceiling just inside the door, pictured below.
Well that’s it for 2019. I wonder what walking or general traveling I’ll get in this coming year and who my companions will be, it might be you!
The Travelling Bee 