Findon, Aberdeenshire

Last updated

Survival craft for the offshore industry are inspected at Findon Survival craft inspectorate, Findon.jpg
Survival craft for the offshore industry are inspected at Findon

Findon or Finnan is a fishing village eight miles south of Aberdeen, [1] famous for originating the smoked haddock known as Finnan haddie. [2] The Findon moor has a number of paths through it, many of which run along the cliffs. Deer can often be seen there. Nearby features include the Portlethen Moss Nature Reserve.

Contents

Historical buildings in the area include Elsick House, Gillybrands and Muchalls Castle.

Geography

Findon is a coastal village along the North Sea in the area historically known as Kincardineshire. Somewhat to the south of Findon is the small offshore island of May Craig.

History

The local area was first recorded in medieval history in association with the Causey Mounth. Findon is situated somewhat east of the ancient Causey Mounth trackway, which road was constructed on high ground to make passable this only available medieval route from coastal points south from Stonehaven to Aberdeen. This ancient passage specifically connected the River Dee crossing (where the present Bridge of Dee is situated) via Portlethen Moss, Muchalls Castle and Stonehaven to the south. [3] The route was that taken by William Keith, 7th Earl Marischal and the Marquess of Montrose when they led a Covenanter army of 9,000 men in the battle of the Civil War in 1639. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kincardine and Mearns</span>

Kincardine and Mearns is one of six area committees of the Aberdeenshire council area in Scotland. It has a population of 38,506. There are significant natural features in this district including rivers, forests, mountains and bogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portlethen Village</span> Settlement in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Portlethen Village is a settlement located to the east of Portlethen along the North Sea coast in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village is also known as Old Portlethen. The skerry of Craigmaroinn is situated just off the coastline near Portlethen Village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downies</span> Cliff-top village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Downies is a cliff-top village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland situated on Cammachmore Bay. Historically Downies was a fishing village, until much of the local North Sea fishery collapsed from overfishing; presently Downies is chiefly a residential dormitory adjunct to the city of Aberdeen.

The Burn of Elsick is a coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. This watercourse drains primarily agricultural lands and enters the North Sea at Newtonhill.

The Burn of Pheppie is an easterly flowing coastal stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea immediately north of the village of Muchalls. Draining chiefly agricultural lands, this stream has a notable lack of turbidity and a pH level of approximately 8.02. Armouring of the stream bottom consists of pebbles, many of which are quartzite in composition, leading to a golden-green effect in some locations. Other nearby watercourses discharging to the North Sea include Burn of Elsick to the north and Burn of Muchalls to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Causey Mounth</span> Ancient drovers road in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these two cities until the mid 20th century, when modern highway construction of the A90 road occurred in this area. There are extant paved and usable sections of this road over part of the alignment; however, many parts of the ancient route are no more than footpaths, and in some cases the road has vanished into agricultural fields. Constructed in the Middle Ages, the Causey Mounth was created as an elevated rock causeway to span many of the boggy areas such as the Portlethen Moss. A considerable portion of the alignment of the Causey Mounth is illustrated on the UK Ordnance Survey Map, although a large fraction of the route cannot be navigated by a conventional passenger vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsick House</span> Historic house in North-East Scotland

Elsick House is a historic house in Kincardineshire, North-East Scotland. It is situated in an agricultural area about two miles from the North Sea near the town of Newtonhill; the Elsick Estate is situated within the watershed of the Burn of Elsick, a stream that traverses the estate. The house is located on the Elsick Estate, and is the present family seat of the Duke of Fife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cammachmore</span> Hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Cammachmore is a hamlet in the coastal region near the North Sea in Aberdeenshire. It lies slightly west of the A92 road and the ancient Causey Mounth passes through the community. Historic Elsick House is situated due west of Cammachmore. Other nearby historic features include Gillybrands, Saint Ternan's Church, Muchalls Castle and the Lairhillock Inn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowie Castle</span> Ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site lies at the northern end of Stonehaven on the North Sea coast. To the immediate south is the Cowie Bridge crossing of the Cowie Water. Evidence of prehistoric man exists in the vicinity dating to the Iron Age in the form of ring cairns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookney</span>

Cookney is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in proximity to Netherley in the Mounth of the Grampian Highlands. The community is situated on a hilltop approximately 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Stonehaven, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the Bridge of Muchalls, and about 2 miles (3 km) west of Muchalls Castle. From Cookney a portion of the ancient route of the Causey Mounth is visible to the east near Whinward Farm, although the track is not truly recognizable from that distance. The Cookney Church is a prominent historic landmark of Cookney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banchory-Devenick</span>

Banchory-Devenick is a hamlet approximately two kilometres south of the city of Aberdeen, Scotland in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire. The hamlet should not be confused with the historic civil parish of the same name which spanned the River Dee until 1891, its northern part lying in Aberdeenshire and its southern part in Kincardineshire. In that year the northern part became part of the neighbouring parish of Peterculter, the southern part remaining as the parish of Banchory-Devenick. The hamlet of Banchory-Devenick is on the B9077 road, and the ancient Causey Mounth passes directly through it. An historic graveyard dating to 1157 AD is present within Banchory-Devenick. Other historic features in the vicinity include Saint Ternan's Church, Muchalls Castle and the Lairhillock Inn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Ternan's Church</span>

Saint Ternan's Church is an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Brechin, near Muchalls in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowie, Aberdeenshire</span> Fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland

Cowie is an historic fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland. This village has existed since the Middle Ages, but in current times it is effectively subsumed into the town of Stonehaven. It had an estimated population of 2,720 in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doonie Point</span> Location in Scotland

Doonie Point is a rocky headland situated approximately 1.5 kilometres south of the village of Muchalls in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The clifftop of Doonie Point yields views to the north of Grim Brigs, Brown Jewel and the coast of Newtonhill. To the south are views of the Castle Rock of Muchalls and the rugged North Sea coastline toward Stonehaven. Notable historic structures in the vicinity of Doonie Point are the Chapel of St. Mary and St. Nathalan, Muchalls Castle and the Mill of Muchalls. This site is a recognised rock climbing venue. Doonie Point is catalogued within the marine rescue activities for this part of the coast of northeast Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grim Brigs</span>

Grim Brigs is a rocky headland on the North Sea at Muchalls, Scotland. Notable historic features in this vicinity include St. Ternan's Church, Muchalls Castle and Elsick House. Approximately one kilometre inland is the noted medieval drovers' road known as the Causey Mounth. The geology of Grim Brigs is associated with the harder rock formations north of the Highland Boundary Fault, which forms the boundary between the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. This Highland Boundary Fault emerges at the North Sea approximately four kilometres south of Grim Brigs near the Chapel of St. Mary and St. Nathalan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cookney Church</span>

Cookney Parish Church, now business premises within a converted listed building, was a Christian place of worship in the village of Cookney, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cammachmore Bay</span> Embayment of the North Sea

Cammachmore Bay is an embayment of the North Sea between Stonehaven and Aberdeen in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The fishing village of Downies is situated on Cammachmore Bay. Cammachmore is noted for its bouldering and rock climbing opportunities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigmaroinn</span> Skerry in the North Sea

Craigmaroinn is a skerry in the North Sea near the Aberdeenshire coastline in Scotland. Craigmaroinn is situated midway between the coastal villages of Portlethen Village and Downies. Historical points of interest in the local area are Elsick House, Gillybrands and Muchalls Castle.

Hare Moss is a bog in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in the vicinity of Banchory-Devenick. Hare Moss is a significant wetland ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hare Ness</span> Headland landform in Scotland

Hare Ness is a headland landform along the North Sea coastline a few miles south of Aberdeen, Scotland.

References

  1. United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map Landranger 45, Stonehaven and Banchory, 1:50,000 scale, 2004
  2. Geddes MacGregor, Scotland: An Intimate Portrait, 1990, Houghton Mifflin Books, 288 pages ISBN   0-395-56236-8
  3. C. Michael Hogan, Causey Mounth, Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham, 3 November 2007
  4. Watt, Archibald, Highways and Byways around Kincardineshire, Stonehaven Heritage Society (1985)

57°4′8″N2°6′8″W / 57.06889°N 2.10222°W / 57.06889; -2.10222