10/2: Aberdeen: Family, Bullers of Buchan, & Cutesy Footdee!

The day before, Steven and I had driven from the west coast of Scotland to Aberdeen located on the east coast specifically so we could see where my great, great, great, great maternal grandfather, John Orrock, and his family worshipped in the late 1700s about 15 miles north of the city in the small community of Belhelvie. My brother, John, had been a huge help when he knew Steven and I were planning this part of our trip to the United Kingdom as he had also searched out our family's heritage on both our paternal and maternal side on his own trip to Scotland a few years earlier. It was thanks to John that we had known to travel all the way to Arisaig in the Scottish Highlands the day before where our paternal ancestors, the MacDonalds of the Clan Ranald, had emigrated to eastern Canada in the early 1700s.

We didn't have exact directions or addresses so Steven and I thought initially this was the Belhevie Church where my relatives had so long ago practiced their faith. But the church looked far too new to be the one, so I knocked on the rectory door and the minister answered and said what we were looking for was the Old Belhelvie Church a few miles away close to the coast, in open, rolling countryside. 

This church dated to the 17th century and stood on the site of a Pre-Reformation original. It was a T-plan building but now only the west gable survives. The church was mentioned in records in 1157 when it was confirmed by the bishop of Aberdeen. The church was replaced by the current parish church in 1878 that we had seen first.

Thanks once again to John, we knew to look for the plaque on the outside wall that listed the contributions made by my grandfather five generations back to the church.

Nearby, we saw the sign and turnoff for Orrok House but didn't catch a glimpse of the house itself where my maternal relatives had made their home. I later asked John about the two different spellings of the name, Orrock and Orrok, as I hadn't seen the latter spelling in the family history our father had written. My mother's brother, Nick Carter, was actually named Orrock in deference to his ancestor but was always known as Nick because of an English fictional detective of the same name who was popular for more than a century beginning in 1868.

These mini orange and salmon-colored poppies were everywhere and brought such beauty to the otherwise drab day.

As we headed a little further north along the coast, we happened to pass the Trump golf course located in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, the second of his golf courses in Scotland.

Our next destination was the minute clifftop fishing village of Bullers O'Buchan which owed its existence to a tiny cove where fishermen had once been able to beach their boats. As all gear and catches had to be manhandled up the steep path from the shore, this led to the demise of the Bullers as a fishing station.

The coastal footpath, part of the North Sea Trail, was narrow and rough underfoot as it lay along the clifftop. We were advised to keep to the path at all times as the grass was 'slippy!' I wouldn't have wanted to be there in foggy or even windier conditions as it could have been very dangerous then.

Though we experienced typical Scottish blustery and overcast weather that morning, the short hike and then the views of the sea and granite cliffs more than made up for anything the weather gods threw at us!

We read that the spectacular coastal feature known as the Sea Cauldron was created by the action of the sea causing the roof of a sea cave to collapse. The sea entered through a natural arch and this, combined with the seabirds and the 200 ft. cliffs, produced what was described as one of the most spectacular sights in Scotland. We had to agree!

As the granite cliffs and offshore stacks provided nesting sites for many seabirds, this area was of international importance for birds.

The walk back toward the tiny village of Bullers O'Buchan visible on the right:

We drove back to Aberdeen then to walk along the city's Esplanade with its lovely views out to sea.

If you're a sucker for rainbows like I am, Scotland seems to be a great place to go as we also were lucky enough to see rainbows galore the day before on our long drive cross country to Aberdeen.

Though Aberdeen was a major city in Scotland, there weren't any 'sights' that we knew to see there and the city didn't merit a mention in Rick Steves' travel guide on Scotland for some reason. When planning our itinerary so long ago, the only area we found of any interest was a walk in the still inhabited 19th century fishing village of Footdee, known locally by its Scots language name of Fittie. Located at the east end of the harbor, the area has had a settlement as far back as the medieval times and the first recorded reference to the area of Fittie was in 1398. 

Footdee was an interesting example of a planned housing development purpose-built to re-house Aberdeen's local fishing community. It was laid out in 1809 by John Smith, then Superintendent of Aberdeen's Public Works. 

Footdee's regimented squares have been described as a cross between the "neo-classical aspirations of Aberdeen and the close-knit fishing communities of northeast Scotland."

With Mission Hall occupying the central area of the North Square, "it reflected its significance as an integral part of village life. The building was plain, with simple detailing throughout, and as such, responds sympathetically to its setting and context." Known locally as 'the schoolie' the hall was built for general as well as religious purposes and has therefore continued to operate as a multi-purpose meeting space.

The rear of Mission Hall:

Footdee was the perfect definition of charming and quaint with its collection of what seemed like gnome-sized homes!

Footdee was given Conservation Area status in 1968.

You have to read this Weather Forecasting Stone for your smile of the day! How lucky Steven and I are to live in 'Beautiful Colorado' as our state tourism officials have pegged our state as we think our gorgeous weather can't be beaten.

A peak in a window:

When looking up Footdee online, I read that parts of the village in September, 2012 became covered in foam from the sea after experiencing strong wind and rain conditions. As the effect was like a blanket of snow, it made the UK national news. I would have loved to find a picture of that but was unsuccessful. 

Yet another rainbow!

The Footdee War Memorial paid homage to those inhabitants who gave their lives in the First World War. 

In the early afternoon, we left for the big city of Edinburgh, located about 2.5 hours south. It was there we dropped off the rental car we'd picked up about a week earlier in western Wales. 

First, though, we checked into our B&B. I felt bad for the hostess and owner as she saw us make about ten trips from the car to haul bag after bag of 'stuff' to our room! We had been amassing it all since beginning our trip in Dublin almost six weeks earlier as we had had a rental car the entire time. We were not looking forward to consolidating all those 'treasures' into our two duffle bags and backpacks for the last week of our trip.

Next post: Exploring Edinburgh.

Since our return home from our very short trip to Sri Lanka and southern India two months ago, I have been writing about that trip in between finishing up the posts on this Ireland and UK adventure. Here's the link to the latest post on our amazing time at the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa's Sacred Quadrangle described as an archaeologist's playpen:

https://bergersadventures8.blogspot.com/2020/05/38-polonnaruwas-quadrangle.html

Posted on May 18th, 2020, from our home in 'beautiful' Colorado! In these troubled times, Steven and I wish you well and to be safe.