1 August 2025
The streets of Portsoy are very steep and very narrow. We started walking from the small seventeenth century harbour.
We took a cliff top path above an old tidal swimming pool.
Soon we were away from the village and looking at the rocky coastline. There were lots of gulls cormorants and shags. However the highlight was seeing a number of magnificent gannets flying past and diving straight down to plunge into the sea to catch fish.
We passed both pebbly and sandy beaches.
We saw remnants of World War 2 concrete fortifications including a “pill box”. This coastline was seen as vulnerable to invasion from German occupied Norway.
We crossed a large expanse of sand backed by dunes at Sandend. A surfing class was in progress.
We reached the street and followed it round the coast past old fishermen’s cottages. A path turned off up the hill side and we were on the cliff tops again looking on to the grey and red rooftops below us and seeing washing on the lines billowing in the breeze. Many of the boats tied up in the small harbour were left high and dry as the tide was low.
We walked past further low cliffs and suddenly Findlater Castle ruins were in view on the headland. The castle, dating from the end of the fourteenth century, has recently been used as a film location for Christopher Nolan’s film “The Odyssey” so we were fortunate to be able to access the path as there was a diversion during much of June and July.
As the ruins are perched precariously on the cliff, we were advised not to walk to them but to look at them from the viewpoint.
We followed a track and then a very quiet lane back to Sandend where we enjoyed coffee and cake served from a van in the car park. It was very popular! We completed the circuit by strolling back to Portsoy.
Where's Kathryn? 