Geo-Trips :: The Coast between Macduff and Gardenstown

Banffshire Coast

A walk from Macduff, Tue, 15 May 2007 by Anne Burgess

This is actually a combination of two trips. First, a boat trip from Macduff to see the seabird nesting cliffs at Troup Head. After returning to Macduff I hitched a lift to Gardenstown and walked back along the edge of the cliffs. This was very much harder going than I expected, but the views were magnificent and I managed to fill in several new squares. Unfortunately I didn't upload them in exactly the order taken, so the continuity is a bit mixed up.

Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )

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NJ5866 : Portsoy Old Harbour by Anne Burgess
Portsoy Old Harbour
The buildings along the harbour front at Portsoy date mainly from the 18th century.

NJ5866 : Portsoy Old Harbour by Anne Burgess
Portsoy Old Harbour
The morning sunshine picks out the detail of the 18th century buildings.

NJ7064 : 'Puffin' in Macduff Harbour by Anne Burgess
'Puffin' in Macduff Harbour
'Puffin' is a converted fishing boat which does wildlife trips. We went to the... more

NJ7465 : Head of Garness by Anne Burgess
Head of Garness
The Head of Garness is the promontory on the left end of this line of cliffs. Top... more

NJ8167 : Collie Head by Anne Burgess
Collie Head
The tip of the headland is in this square. Photographer position checked with GPS.

NJ8267 : Troup Head by Anne Burgess
Troup Head
Each white speck on the cliff face is a nesting Gannet. There were none here... more

NJ8267 : Troup Head by Anne Burgess
Troup Head
More nesting Gannets at Troup Head.

NJ8267 : Troup Head by Anne Burgess
Troup Head
The rock stack at the centre of this view is identified on the 1:25,000 map.

NJ8366 : The Coves by Anne Burgess
The Coves
Hundreds of Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills nest on these cliffs, where the... more

NJ8266 : Downie Bay by Anne Burgess
Downie Bay
Erosion has carved these cliffs into strange pyramidal shapes.

NJ8366 : Cowper's Craig by Anne Burgess
Cowper's Craig
The rocks on the right are Dalradian psammites, and on the left are Middle Old Red... more

NJ8366 : Cowper's Craig by Anne Burgess
Cowper's Craig
Cliffs east of Downie Bay.

NJ8266 : Ravels Den and Downie Bay by Anne Burgess
Ravels Den and Downie Bay
The burn looks too short to have eroded such a deep incised valley here. It is... more

NJ7964 : St John's Kirk by Anne Burgess
St John's Kirk
Approaching the ruined kirk on the footpath from the car park.

NJ7964 : Gardenstown by Anne Burgess
Gardenstown
Looking down from beside St John's Kirk, the division of the village into two... more

NJ7964 : St John's Kirkyard by Anne Burgess
St John's Kirkyard
The kirk cannot have been all that convenient for the members of the congregation.... more

NJ7964 : St John's Kirkyard by Anne Burgess
St John's Kirkyard
This was the parish kirk of the parish of Gamrie, and the gravestones recall many... more

NJ7964 : St John's Kirk by Anne Burgess
St John's Kirk
An inscription on the west gable of the roofless kirk says that it was built in... more

NJ7964 : Gamrie Bay by Anne Burgess
Gamrie Bay
The full extent of the bay, from above St John's Kirk. Gardenstown is right of... more

NJ7964 : Gardenstown and St John's Kirk by Anne Burgess
Gardenstown and St John's Kirk
This shows where the kirk is in relation to the village of Gardenstown. The kirk... more

NJ7864 : Moar Head by Anne Burgess
Moar Head
There is a very faint footpath to the top, but it frequently loses itself in... more

NJ7864 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
The top of More Head is mostly overgrown with whins (gorse). This view is looking... more

NJ7865 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
There's not much dry land in this square, and most of it is pretty inaccessible,... more

NJ7865 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
This is definitely a place for the sure-footed only. It is 150 metres straight... more

NJ7864 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
The whins and scrub at the north edge of the square give way to arable land, which... more

NJ7864 : Whins and Rushes by Anne Burgess
Whins and Rushes
The scrubland extends is 130 metres into the north edge of this square. This was... more

NJ7864 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
This is more representative of the square than the whins and scrub in the earlier... more

NJ7865 : More Head by Anne Burgess
More Head
Looking to sea from above Snow Craig. Is that the curvature of the Earth on the... more

NJ7764 : Cliffs at Whitehill by Anne Burgess
Cliffs at Whitehill
A long unbroken cliff with few opportunities to climb down to the shore, though... more

NJ7764 : Whitehill by Anne Burgess
Whitehill
Though the fields further inland have been ploughed and sown, this area has been... more

NJ7764 : Whitehill by Anne Burgess
Whitehill
Apart from the cliff edge, the land in this square is arable. The farm on the... more

NJ7764 : Shore at Whitehill by Anne Burgess
Shore at Whitehill
Looking down to the shore from the clifftop near Whitehill.

NJ7764 : Silverford by Anne Burgess
Silverford
This is a curious piece of topography. The photographer location is on the very... more

NJ7764 : Whitehill by Anne Burgess
Whitehill
Pasture and arable fields. The white gable end is the house at Westerton of... more

NJ7764 : Hole of Whitecraig by Anne Burgess
Hole of Whitecraig
The name is given to a section of the shoreline here. Looking towards Snow Craig.

NJ7764 : Whitehill and Greenskares by Anne Burgess
Whitehill and Greenskares
Looking across the glacial meltwater channel, where the bare ground reveals the... more

NJ7764 : Silverford by Anne Burgess
Silverford
Pasture land on the clifftop at Silverford. The glacial meltwater channel and the... more

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
I don't know the reason for the curious name given to this stretch of foreshore.... more

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
Meran Licks is actually on the shore below the cliff here. The faint footpath... more

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
From the cliff here, looking towards Snow Craig, there is just a glimpse of Meran... more

NJ7664 : Silverford by Anne Burgess
Silverford
Pasture land viewed from the cliff edge. The farms at centre and right are at... more

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
This seems to be the best viewpoint for Meran Licks, which is the stretch of shore... more

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
The name refers to the nearer rocks on the foreshore. In the distance is Stocked Head.

NJ7664 : Meran Licks by Anne Burgess
Meran Licks
The shingle beach below is the eastern end of the Scurrs of Greenside, and Meran... more

NJ7664 : Easter Silverford by Anne Burgess
Easter Silverford
This flock of sheep watched suspiciously as I passed along the clifftop. The... more

NJ7664 : Burn of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Burn of Melrose
The burn flows down the gully in the centre of this view. The whins mark the edge... more

NJ7564 : Stocked Head by Anne Burgess
Stocked Head
The headland is one of the places where there is reasonably easy access to the shore.

NJ7664 : Melrose by Anne Burgess
Melrose
Mixed arable and pasture land around Melrose. This is the one in the parish of... more

NJ7664 : Easter Silverford by Anne Burgess
Easter Silverford
The field in foreground is planted with a cereal crop. Easter Silverford, the... more

NJ7664 : Scurrs of Greenside by Anne Burgess
Scurrs of Greenside
This name refers to the beach at the foot of the cliffs here. The bay extends to... more

NJ7564 : Green Side by Anne Burgess
Green Side
The zigzag is the remains of the road leading down to the shore on the east side... more

NJ7564 : Law of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Law of Melrose
The stones seem to have been placed recently on top of the ancient cairn, which is... more

NJ7564 : Law of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Law of Melrose
Looking east from the summit of the cairn, which stands on the summit of Law Hill.

NJ7564 : Law of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Law of Melrose
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland... more

NJ7664 : Scurrs of Greenside by Anne Burgess
Scurrs of Greenside
Closer examination of the ridges of rock on the foreshore here would reveal the... more

NJ7564 : Scurrs of Greenside by Anne Burgess
Scurrs of Greenside
On the rocks here there still lie the remains of a Belgian trawler which was... more

NJ7564 : View from Stocked Head by Anne Burgess
View from Stocked Head
Looking east along the cliffs from Stocked Head towards More Head and, in the far... more

NJ7564 : Stocked Head by Anne Burgess
Stocked Head
The foreground rocks are the eastern part of Stocked Head, and the nearer part of... more

NJ7564 : Green Side by Anne Burgess
Green Side
The old road to the shore can be seen here, zigzagging down the grassy slope.

NJ7464 : Head of Garness by Anne Burgess
Head of Garness
Looking against the light from near Stocked Head.

NJ7564 : Headlands by Anne Burgess
Headlands
From left to right, the named headlands in this view are Troup Head, More Head and... more

NJ7464 : Head of Garness by Anne Burgess
Head of Garness
There is a ruined fishing station on the headland.

NJ7464 : Head of Garness by Anne Burgess
Head of Garness
There is a large cave here on the west side of the headland.

NJ7464 : Mains of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Mains of Melrose
A large field on the cliff top sown with a cereal crop.

NJ7464 : Mains of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Mains of Melrose
The chimneys of Mains of Melrose are just glimpsed beyond a large field of cereals.

NJ7464 : Top Castle by Anne Burgess
Top Castle
This is the name given to the prominent rock in the centre of this view. Head of... more

NJ7364 : Burn of Melrose by Anne Burgess
Burn of Melrose
As it emerges from its gorge and reaches the shore, the burn broadens out to form... more

NJ7364 : Old Haven by Anne Burgess
Old Haven
Without shelter from the north-east, and with a rocky foreshore, this doesn't seem... more

NJ7364 : Old Haven by Anne Burgess
Old Haven
The rocks here are Dalradian psammites which have been folded until the strata are... more

NJ7364 : Headlands by Anne Burgess
Headlands
Headlands in a series stretching east to Troup Head in the distance.

NJ7364 : Cliffs at Cornhill by Anne Burgess
Cliffs at Cornhill
Looking inland towards the cultivated land.

NJ7264 : The Ship by Anne Burgess
The Ship
A sharp-pointed rock stack, albeit not cut off from the shore. The vertical strata... more

NJ7264 : Cornhill Farm by Anne Burgess
Cornhill Farm
The farm buildings viewed across the fields from the top of the cliff.

NJ7264 : Royal Tarlair Golf Club by Anne Burgess
Royal Tarlair Golf Club
A luxuriant patch of Red Campion (Silene dioica) just off the fairway. On the... more

NJ7264 : Tarlair by Anne Burgess
Tarlair
The rugged coastline north of the golf course.

NJ7164 : Tarlair Swimming Pool by Anne Burgess
Tarlair Swimming Pool
The pavilion, reflected in the water of the shallow pool, has been listed as a... more

NJ7164 : Tarlair Swimming Pool by Anne Burgess
Tarlair Swimming Pool
The water in the shallow pool would presumably have reached the lowest of these... more

NJ7164 : Tarlair Swimming Pool by Anne Burgess
Tarlair Swimming Pool
From the steps near the entrance, looking over the shallow pool to the deeper pool... more

All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence external link.

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