Here you will find a few suggestions of some of the things to
do or see in or around The Coastal Trail.
What’s
a Clavie?
Burghead is home to one of Scotland’s fire festivals,
where in early January every year, the local Clavie King
and his Clavie Crew parade aloft a burning barrel of tar
(the Clavie) through the streets of the ancient burgh.
The finale is the burning out of the Clavie on the Dourie
Hill above the town. If you catch an ember, then good
luck will be yours. If your holiday season doesn’t
run to January, then Burghead still has historic Roman
and Pictish remains that are worth a look. |
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What
did you do in the war, Daddy?
Perhaps he flew flying boats from the Loch of Strathbeg.
This landlocked stretch of water, the largest landlocked
lagoon in the UK, became an important air base during
the war, with flying boats using it day and night at the
peak. These days, Strathbeg fulfils a more peaceful role
as a magnet for birdwatchers. Their ranks are swelled
each autumn by photographers and artists, anxious to capture
the spectacle of thousands of flighting geese. |
Art
Deco
Say "Stonehaven - Scotland’s only Olympic-size
outdoor heated saltwater swimming pool". It’s
a fair mouthful, but worth remembering. For here in the
capital of the Mearns is a palace for swimmers and sunbathers,
a throwback to the age of Art Deco, beautifully preserved
in full working order and open annually from June until
late August……and the water really is warm! So
warm in fact that there’s a hardy band who insist
on using the pool only in bad weather, for once in the
water, they’re as cosy as you like. |
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Sunset
Song
Todhead Lighthouse on the rocky coastline near Catterline
features largely in Sunset Song, hailed as the greatest
work by Mearns author Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Seen across
green fields from the A92 coast road between Inverbervie
and Stonehaven, it appears part of a simple pastoral scene,
but the rocky coastline below it is anything but friendly
to shipping. Nearby is Kinneff Kirk, there the Honours
of Scotland (the Scottish Crown jewels) were hidden in
the 17th century from Cromwell’s troops. |
Macduff
Marine Aquarium
Macduff Marine Aquarium offers an unusual centrepiece
display tank open to the sky in which a Moray Firth kelp
reef thrives, complete with kelp and other seaweeds, as
well as a whole community of fishy life. This is one place
that’s a complete "hands on" experience,
and a must-do for children of all ages - especially when
a diver climbs into the tank to feed the fish. |
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A
light into your life
Interested in lighthouses? No? Neither are most people.
But those who make their way to Scotland’s Lighthouse
Museum in Fraserburgh usually return home converted. This
is no staid polished row of exhibits, it’s a real-life
working lighthouse turned inside out to accommodate visitors,
and to show them exactly how a lighthouse works. If you’ve
a head for heights, clamber right to the top. If you haven’t,
then amuse and amaze yourself at the mechanics that make
a lighthouse work. |
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