A misty day in Stonehaven

Dunnottar castle had been on my mind for ages, but somehow had never managed to visit it. The forecast for Saturday didn't look bad and I was looking for some light walking, so decided to jump on the train to Stonehaven. It was an early start, so did not think much about the fog as I stared out of the window. It was supposed to clear off by late morning anyway - or so the forecast said.  

It took a couple of hours to reach Stonehaven from Edinburgh as the train rolled in at 9:35am sharp. While in the train had realised that my 3G internet connection had given up but then finding the city centre wasn't that difficult - started walking to the east for about a mile and soon I was at the Market Square. I had to skip breakfast before I left as the bread had turned green, so picked up a scone and coffee for £2 from a local bakery. Both of them soon ended up in the bin, even with my starvation, I failed to down them. I had planned to pick up a walking map from the Tourist Information Centre, but was greeted by a notice saying they would reopen in March - open only during summer - not surprised.

From Market square, signs pointed towards the coast for Dunnottar castle (2-3/4 miles) - the lane took me to the beach. It was still cloudy and misty, but not too cold. I walked along watching the dogs and their walkers equally enjoying the beach. The sea-gulls were busy on the crashing waves. It was a popular beach and an interesting walk.

After about half a mile, the signs directed to get back to one of the lanes, this time it lead to the harbour. It was surprisingly quiet here and the water calm, protected by the harbour from the rough seas just a few feet away. 

Not surprisingly, I had walked past and completely missed the next sign pointing to the Dunnottar castle, and started wondering how to get on to the cliffs. The thought of scrambling even crossed my mind, but that was more of a wish than will. Fortunately I didn't and an elderly lady pointed out where it was, adding at the same time that the path was actually closed and she was there to find out if it truly was. She was travelling from Aberdeen. She asked me where I was from, what I did and then, why I wanted to visit the castle. I had no answer to that. 

There indeed was a sign proclaiming the path was closed, but it did not put much effort to stop anyone from progressing further. There was some work going on as I found out, but it was possible to walk past them. Got a misty view of the harbour from the top.

The path next headed on to a car park and then on to the war memorial, a prominent landmark in Stonehaven and a short distance away. I walked around the monument, the castle barely visible in the mist. A tractor was ploughing the fields and the gulls flocked, on the lookout for worms from the freshly turned earth.

From the monument onward, the scenery was spectacular as the path kissed the headlands and the bay cliffs.  

While a path goes over the cliffs, another one climbs down and goes by the sea. A 'Path Closed' sign stood by the lower path. Shot some panoramas.

After innumerous photo stops, I eventually reached the stairs going down and then up to the Dunnottar castle perched on a rocky outcrop. The weather added to the atmospheric effect, though it was a pain to take any decent photographs. 

The entry fee was £6 - the website address of the castle for more up to date information: http://www.dunnottarcastle.co.uk/

Though not quite busy, there were still a few people around. It was an interesting place to visit, both in terms of the history and the location. The mist had never lifted and the stone steps were very slippery, so had to be extra careful. I ended up spending close to two hours roaming the grounds, peeping through every window hole and wondering how it would have been to stay here all those years back.

Once out of the castle, I was in two minds whether to take the coastal path back to Stonehaven or to return by a different route. The later won. but meant I had to go up the stairs - all 143 of them as I counted on the way up. The views were incredible as I strolled around, a couple of waterfalls adding to the scenery.

So, rather than taking the coastal path back I had decided to return via the Dunnottar woods. Thankfully I got a map at the information point at the parking lot and followed the green dotted path. Here is a soft copy of the same one http://www.stonehavenguide.net/finalversion.pdf

Getting to the woods meant a trudge through uninteresting roads for a while, would be more than a mile. The map showed some points of scenic interest, but all I saw was white, dense mist. I packed in my camera and concentrated on walking.

The map, though basic was pretty accurate and despite my precarious ability to lose my way, I did end up in the parking lot at the start of the woodland walk. It was a short walk to Stonehaven, but through fine woodland and I was glad to see a few snowdrops starting to bloom, an assurance that spring is not too far away after all. 

The Shell House was an interesting stop. Once owned by the Kennedy family this used to be a play house for the children. Much of the forest path routes were closed due to tree felling. The forestry government website gives up to date details about the walk: http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/dunnottar-woods

The stream waded along the forestry path as I made my way out through a housing complex onto the Low Wood Road. Here crossing the Carron river over picturesque rapids it was a short walk back to the Market Square. It was 3:30 pm and I was starving, desperately looking for a chippy. Quite luckily I found the Carron Chip shop, but was not aware of its claim to fame. Only when I was walking out with my takeaway that I noticed it - 'Birth place of the famous deep-fried Mars bar'. The tempting thought did occur, but better sense prevailed.

I went back to the beach for a rushed devouring of the deliciously, crispy battered fish. The beach was still busy. There were a lot more to see in Stonehaven, but I had decided to return, was kind of fed up with the weather. 

The return train was at 4:20 pm.


Total distance covered: 6 miles
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