St Cyrus
Montrose is a 15 minute detour on the drive between Aberdeenshire and Midlothian. If you want to break the journey this detour is worth taking, because it means you can spend time on the beach at St Cyrus.
St Cyrus beach:
This is a magical place with the tide out, littered with semi-precious stones such as agates for the gem hunter, and some Elie Chain Walk-style rocks (with coral in the rock pools) at the northern end.
Waterfall:
The beach, like many along the east coast, was once a workplace. The work has gone, along with the salmon nets until recently visible at low tide, but the fishing bothies remain, in the dunes between the cliff edge and the beach.
Old fishing bothies:
The cliffs are slowly eroding, and this house will not be much longer occupied unless drastic measures are taken:
House on the edge:
Clifftop view:
As we ascended the steps from the clifftop to the beach, I saw a black shape in the water. What was it? I watched a bit longer - and saw a dolphin! And then another! Suddenly there were half a dozen of them, breaking the surface not far beyond the surf, heading perhaps for the fishing grounds at the mouth of the Tay that are already the haunt of the grey seal.
Waves:
What was meant to be a short leg-stretch of half an hour turned easily into an hour and a half. Twice that time on the beach would not have been a stretch, mingling with the seagulls at the sandbar as the sun went down, chipping at the rocks for agates, and watching dolphins beyond the surf.
St Cyrus beach:
This is a magical place with the tide out, littered with semi-precious stones such as agates for the gem hunter, and some Elie Chain Walk-style rocks (with coral in the rock pools) at the northern end.
Waterfall:
The beach, like many along the east coast, was once a workplace. The work has gone, along with the salmon nets until recently visible at low tide, but the fishing bothies remain, in the dunes between the cliff edge and the beach.
Old fishing bothies:
The cliffs are slowly eroding, and this house will not be much longer occupied unless drastic measures are taken:
House on the edge:
Clifftop view:
As we ascended the steps from the clifftop to the beach, I saw a black shape in the water. What was it? I watched a bit longer - and saw a dolphin! And then another! Suddenly there were half a dozen of them, breaking the surface not far beyond the surf, heading perhaps for the fishing grounds at the mouth of the Tay that are already the haunt of the grey seal.
Waves:
What was meant to be a short leg-stretch of half an hour turned easily into an hour and a half. Twice that time on the beach would not have been a stretch, mingling with the seagulls at the sandbar as the sun went down, chipping at the rocks for agates, and watching dolphins beyond the surf.
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