TRIP 17 ABERDEENSHIRE - FROM THE SOUTH.
We had booked a couple of nights away for just the two of us when it seemed like Covid restrictions might be sufficiently eased to give us the confidence to just go for it. The chosen area was Aberdeenshire, because we really don't know it that well. The chosen hotel was the Banchory Lodge, because it had good reviews and it was in the right sort of place for us.
All was going well until Sharon's father had a health crisis while her mother was staying with her sister. It all got a little messy. The upshot was that we ended up staying at her parents' house for two nights immediately before we were going to Banchory.
This whole day and one evening also involved significant cleaning of the house, so we were certainly ready to get going on the trip by the end of that.
Day 1 Tuesday 25th May 2021
Given we were not leaving from home, breakfast was our first concern of the day. I had looked at a very good sounding place in Barry, just a few minutes away. However, it turned out to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays! OK. Next place on the route was Carnoustie. Tripadvisor suggested that the Tea Caddy Café would be good. It was tiny and it was also a bit on the greasy spoon side. Not horrifically so, but certainly we weren't getting the healthy option. In fact, there wasn't a healthy option at all. I did get an extra sausage for putting the lid on the bin that had been knocked off, so it wasn't all bad. It was also very cheap.
I was pleased to see a very nice looking place as we drove out of the village. Even better, Sharon told me she had heard about it, it was supposed to be very good and it looked much more like the sort of place we would have enjoyed a different, healthy and interesting non-fried breakfast. it was a bit late by then!
Next stop was Arbroath. We have been here before, but never to look about and certainly never to visit the iconic and historic Arbroath Abbey. On our way to the Abbey, we passed by Arbroath High School, where Sharon had a good time before she met me and was shown a really good time, by someone with an eye to detail and a foolproof plan for life.
Arbroath Abbey. Founded by William the Lion in 1178. The place where one of the most famous and important documents in Scotland was signed and sent to the Pope in 1320.
A symbol of the nationhood of Scotland, this is where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed.
It declared that "As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself".
It is a magnificent building and the Abbey had been one of the finest in the country for over 400 years.
Unfortunately, it was closed. Another black mark for the man with the eye for detail and the foolproof plan.
You could look in from the outside.
You could get a feel for the way it dominated the town.
The grandeur was apparent from across the lawns.
This was clearly a building of huge importance. in fact, William had it built to commemorate his boyhood friend Thomas Becket, the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury. No expense, spared it would seem.
But, it was a distant view for us. We could not get in and we will have to come back.
Before we left Arbroath we visited Smithies Deli and gin emporium to pick up something for a picnic. Great choice from foolproof man. We settled on a couple of made to order sandwiches. Sharon had hummus, red peppers and chilli jam. I had hot smoked salmon, horseradish mayo and sun dried tomatoes. They certainly looked good.
Onwards up the east coast we went. The countryside was very colourful as the oilseed rape was in full flower.
We took a detour into Johnshaven, a tiny village on the coast. It was very pretty, with a nice little harbour, boats and gulls. We had never been before and if it had been a bit warmer, we might have explored a bit. Whilst it was not closed the internationally famous Johnshaven Fish Festival had been cancelled! Luckily we weren't there for that or foolproof man would have been given a hard slap with a wet fish.
What we were intending was a visit to Inverbervie beach, just a short way up the coast. It was very windy and not very warm, but we managed a good long walk along the beach, which Sharon thoroughly enjoyed!
There were one or two interesting birds to see, like this Rock Pipit, which is actually quite hard to see.
You couldn't miss this one Eider!
Such aristocratic and elegant birds, I think.
It was a nice walk and there was even some blue sky appearing, perhaps hinting at a nicer afternoon to come.
We sat in the car overlooking the beach and ate our really good sandwiches. Smoked salmon and horseradish was a joy.
Foolproof man had not really considered this, but after passing the junction, we decided to go back and visit Dunottar Castle. What a place. It was a fantastic visit to a place we had never been to and had barely even heard of. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was getting warmer by the minute.
The Castle sits away out on an outcrop of rock sticking into the North Sea. Dramatic or what?
Actually, what you cannot really see is that there is a huge drop between where the photo was taken and the castle itself. That meant steep steps down, steep steps up and then do it all again to get back to the car. My poor knees were protesting all the way.
The approach to the castle is made more dramatic by this waterfall gushing from the side of the cliff.
The whole thing is incredibly photogenic, and Sharon just adds to the picture.
As the afternoon was heating up the cumulus radiatus clouds were forming street patterns in the sky stretching to the horizon, somewhere in the direction of Norway.
William Wallace captured the castle in 1297. It looks a wee bit tricky to get into. Apparently he was so annoyed at the trouble caused to him that he burnt the garrison alive in the castle church, which seems a bit of an overreaction to me.
Like all castles it was built to be defended and part of that was the ability to see in all directions. The castle was started before the Vikings came and there is evidence of a Pictish Fort nearby, so the defensive worth of the site was known for centuries.
The views were breathtaking.
There were good views in the other direction as well.
The area on the top of the rock outcrop is much bigger than you think and the whole complex is really quite extensive.
There were yellow wallflowers everywhere.
Someone had clearly forgotten to switch of the iron.
Some of the more expensive rooms had a sea view.
Well worth paying the extra, I would think.
In 1652, Oliver Cromwell laid siege to the castle in an attempt to steal the Honours of Scotland. These were the Scottish Crown Jewels. However, they were smuggled away before the garrison surrendered.
There is a plaque to commemorate that in the restored dining room. The ceiling in the restored room is superb.
The clock on the wall in the King's room (used by Charles II) doesn't work any more.
This is what the youngsters call a selfie!
Juliet left her bouquet on the window sill.
Starting the descent of the 200 steps down and up to the car park.
It being by the sea and full of cliffs, there were nesting birds everywhere. Fulmars and Kittiwakes were there and these are becoming much rarer.
Back to the car park, where the first thing to do was rehydrate after the heat and the steps had taken their toll - although it was well worth it.
It wasn't too long a drive to the hotel and very shortly after arrival a cold drink on the deck.
Dinner time. We had booked our first night's dinner in the bar, so off we went and had a very nice dinner indeed.
We shared a British charcuterie plate to begin. Some very nice salami, Parma type ham, bread, olives, tomatoes. The chutney and the little balsamic onions were fab. It was all really good and just what we like to eat.
I had 5 spiced duck breast, fricassee of the leg, carrot and star anise puree, confit potatoes. It was delicious.
Sharon had pea and mint agnolotti with a vegetable emulsion, tomato, peas, broad beans and parmesan. She declared herself very happy with it.
After a nightcap, we retired to our room for a well earned night's sleep after what had been a very full few days.
Day2 Wednesday 26th May 2021
After a good breakfast, we had a wee look round the village, before driving to Finzean. The farm shop here is a place we often stop for lunch or a cake if we are passing through. That doesn't happen often, but we always make a point of it. The food is fresh, good and interesting. On this occasion, we were only there to get a nice sandwich for a picnic, although I managed to buy some interesting bread flour and some sausages!
Our real destination was Glen Tanar for a good walk. Again, we had been here before, but we had never done the longer walk, only going a short distance with Sharon's parents many years ago. We parked up and set off on a muggy, almost damp day.
Sharon looking suitably outdoorsy as we got going along the river side.
The way ahead. Note the grey sky, but it was warm.
First stop was this little chapel, dedicated to St Lesmo. St who, I can hear you say. There is considerable doubt that St Lesmo existed at all. He does not have a Saint's Day and does not appear in any of the documents you might expect to list saints. Nevetheless, he has a rather quaint little chapel in a really nice setting.
The chapel is built in 1872 on the site of an old mansion house and there was a reasonable community here, but that is long gone.
The chapel was built by William Cunliffe Brooks, an eccentric lawyer and MP from Manchester. He had bought the estate from his daughter's husband and erected all sorts of stone wells over the estate extolling the virtues of drinking water and not alcohol. Clearly eccentric!
Opposite the church is one of these wells and a large stone bearing the carving "Drink weary pilgrim, drink and pray"
The well is quite unusual looking - almost more like a cattle trough than a pilgrim's well.
Without sampling the water, or praying, we set off into the woods.
It was getting more and more warm as we climbed through the trees to the viewpoint. This turned out to be a little underwhelming, but perhaps that was to do with the weather rather than the view itself. We are, of course, used to fine views at home in the Highlands.
Well, well another well. This one is variously called the Monk's well - perhaps a reference to St Lesmo, or Victoria's well.
Given the large V and the date of 1874 carved into the stone, I think Victoria's well might be the more appropriate.
Here we are looking suitably rugged and intrepid on the banks of the Water of Tanar.
The walk was circular and we crossed the river via this bridge. It dates from the late 19th Century and is called the Porphary Bridge. I don't know why.
Once we got back round to the river and heading back to the car, we were closer to this strange structure that we had seen on the way out.
I cannot trace what it is with any certainty, but the archaeological records suggest that a watermill was here along with associated buildings and structures. It may be that this is something to do with that.
Water mill or not, it was time for a sandwich, which we ate beside the river. It was very good as well.
It had been a long walk and we headed back to the hotel to have a soak in the bath before it was time for even more food.
Once suitably refreshed, we went across to the bar for a pre-dinner drink, but had reckoned without Covid restrictions. there was limited capacity and it was all used up. It was a little cold for sitting outside, but the day was saved by the kind staff who gave us use of one of the sheds on the sitooterie. These were like beach huts and they were available for drinks or for dining for up to 6 people. As we only needed half an hour before our table was ready, it turned out to be the perfect time needed for a gin and tonic.
I have to say we had a bright pink hut, which did not really match my clothes, but was more suited to Sharon's attire.
Once again, dinner was very good. Although the menu was the same, we ate in the restaurant rather than the bar and very congenial it was too.
I started with a meltingly tender pig's cheek, with white beans, grapes and crispy cauliflower.
Sharon had torched broccoli, with hazelnuts, pear and goat's cheese. She followed that with the same pea and mint agnolotti that she had last night and for that lack of adventure, there is no repeat photograph.
I, being such an exciting fellow, had lemon and garlic roasted chicken, with Moroccan spiced onions, fine beans and crispy potatoes. It was well worth the adventure.
I resisted the salted caramel tart with gingerbread ice cream and hazelnuts, but I'm sure it would have been very good.
Day3 Thursday 27th May 2021
Another day, another breakfast.
After that, it was, unfortunately time to head for home, but there was time for one more adventure on the way.
We went back via the Lecht, which is a great stretch of road over the Lecht summit, just over 2000 feet above sea level. The Lecht is the also the home of the smallest of the ski centres in Scotland, but in summer it is pretty much empty. Don't be thinking Whistler or San Anton. The Lecht is a car park, some buildings and chairlifts, but the road is spectacular. Quite why I did not take any photos is a bit of a mystery. It may have been because I was driving and also because it is a road we travel a few times every year, so have become a bit blasé about.
Our real purpose was to go for a little walk to a building set back from the road down from the north side of the summit.
This we knew was the Lecht Mine, but that was all we knew.
We parked up and set off in the sunshine.
You can see the mine building in the distance.
You could also see why there was a ski centre here as there was still snow lying in the gully.
The mine building has been restored by local volunteers. Not that there are many houses hereabouts, I would have to say.
This is actually the crushing plant of the mine. Iron ore was mined here from 1730 to 1737, but it was never profitable and the mine closed. Part of the reason for that might have been that the ore was transported over the hills on the backs of ponies to Nethybridge, where wood from the vast forest there was used to smelt it down. Given that is 15 miles as the crow flies and nearer 20 miles via the current road, you can see why this might not have been the best idea in the world. It reopened in 1841, this time to process manganese, which is used in glass and paint manufacture. Up to 60 men and boys worked the mine, but it was also short lived, closing in 1846. A reopening was mooted in the 1920's but never took place.
The whole place is empty now and it is hard to believe that up to 60 people made a living here.
Time to head back to the car for our picnic.
We did find time for a photo on the way, just to prove that the two of us had actually been away together.
While we sat in the car, we were scanning the hills with binoculars when we spotted a pair of Golden Eagles. One of them actually had their picnic in its talons as we ate our sandwiches.
It might be a bit of a blurred photo, but for sure that's what it was.
We have never seen that before and it was a fitting end to another wee trip away.
Now - when is the next adventure coming along?
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