Aberdeenshire Coast

Bow Fiddle Rock

After leaving an area that was so Gaelic speaking, our
next stop is where a different dialect of Scots
is used!

Waking up at the West Beach Caravan Park was a delight!  The sun was shining and the beach was beautiful.  Kenzie loved it and feels a day without a beach walk is just not a holiday!  We walked along to the village of Hopeman before heading off for the first destination of the day - Bow Fiddle Rock.

The shower areas and toilets were immaculate and had super
water pressure. If you look closely, they speak a different language up here too.
The lady's room is labelled "Quines" and the men's is "Loons". There is also the one in
the middle labeled "A'body" - for anyone to use. 

There are all sorts of options of where and how to
stay at this campsite.  These little bungalows
made me want to build one of my own at home!

And always watch out for the Bairns!

It is a short walk to Hopeman. There is a little harbour and an area with some craft shops - none open!  One fisherman getting ready to go though.

When we returned to our site, we noticed our neighbours enjoying flying a kite with their little boy.  It was such a sweet and innocent sight but when I pointed it out to Alan he got very upset because they were within 5 feet of the Ringed Plover's nest.  Of course, they had no idea because these nests are so well camouflaged and the parents would be away from the nest trying to entice the "predators" away from their eggs.  Alan explained the situation to them and they very kindly moved away. But it was too late, they had been there too long and the parents had abandoned the nest. That is how easy it is to upset these shorebirds.  They are so special and sensitive and most of us are totally unaware of them. I hope they had time to start over in  less popular area.

As we left this darling campsite, we made a mental note to return. Such a beautiful part of Scotland!  Last year was the first time I spent any time in Aberdeenshire and it is a place I intend to return to many more times, if possible! This campsite is in a super area for us.

Looking down at our destination!

Our first destination of the day as stated above was Bow Fiddle Rock. We meant to stop there last year but time was not on our side.  It is a short and steep downhill walk from where we could park and I was not looking forward to returning. But the journey was worth it because the island, or whatever it is in actuality, is stunning.  I loved the fact there were kayakers there too. I think Alan preferred when they left and it was just the rock itself to photograph!






Another point that we missed last year was the RSPB Nature Reserve at Troup Head.  This is the location of Scotland's largest mainland Gannet colony and Alan just loves taking photos of Gannets.  At this point, I must admit I was tired. We had been travelling non-stop for a very long time and the last thing I wanted to do was walk along a steep cliff and take pictures of birds. This suited Alan because he had not been looking forward to taking Kenzie along those cliffs either. The benefit of travelling with your own house is you can take a nap anytime the vehicle stops. And that is what Kenzie and I did!  So everyone enjoyed Troup Head in their own way!

The end of another nice day in our not so direct route to get home from the Outer Hebrides!