I always enjoy visitors to my little corner of Scotland. It gives me an excuse to go out and see things I haven't already seen in this beautiful country. I wanted to check out the Crathes Castle Rail Station for a couple of years, and a visit by my buddy from Liverpool provided the excuse. This is the station master, not my visitor.
The Royal Deeside Railway runs a summer steam train from Crathes to Banchory, only a couple of miles away.
I love these old steam engines. The British and Scottish are great restorers and maintainers of these old treasures.
All Aboard!
We spent a lot of time wandering around the country roads of Aberdeenshire.
Further up the River Dee are several Victorian-era suspension bridges . . . this one damaged by a huge flood last winter.
Abergeldie Castle was nearly lost to the raging River Dee this year. (The castle is not actually leaning . . . it is a distortion caused by my 10mm lens.)
Finding a gate house along the road usually means there is either a castle of grand manor house nearby.
Not all country houses are grand . . . not every farmer 'makes it.'
Lovely, bucolic rural Scotland on a rare perfect day.
One of the sites I wanted to see was the Natural Burial Ground near Alford. Cothiemuir Hill Natural Burial Ground was quite fascinating. People had chosen to be buried not in church or public grounds, but in nature, under the trees. Stones here and there, rocks, and a few plaques marked the burials.
The burial grounds were in an especially beautiful forest. I might like this as a burial option.
It was interesting to walk among the ferns looking for markers . . . an exercise in reflecting on our mortality.
It's also nice to have visitors so you can have a photograph of yourself once in awhile.
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The next day we headed south, along the old road along the North Sea to the famous fishing village of Arbroath.
We walked around the village, ate a fine seafood dinner quay-side, and walked around the old harbour. The air was so still, the water so calm.
I have been to Arbroath many times. I always make a point of taking visitors there . . . the sweet pastel buildings and harbour boats are extremely picturesque.
Yes, it is a fishing village and they do have fishing trawlers based here. Those colors! Yes, the colors that day were intense.
Never in my life have I seen such a dramatic sky reflected in the sea! Astonishing!
The strong golden afternoon light played well on the moored fishing boats.
Arbroath Harbour is a living, working harbour. We walked up to the harbour breakwater wall to see what was on the other side . . . .
The view from the top of the harbour wall was up the coast of the North Sea to the Angus headlands. What magical light I had that day!
As it was getting late, we decided to drive back to Aberdeen . . . the late afternoon light on the Angus fields were spectacular. We stopped many times to gape at the view and take photos.
Wild flowers lined the fields and roads.
Golden fields of grain fringed by clusters of wild flowers. Ah! Scotland!
Late afternoon golden light, deep shadows.
Lovely daises everywhere.
Angus field.
We drove past these scenes for an hour, completely in awe of the beauty.
MORE TO COME!
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