The White Horse

The White Horse on Mormond Hill with Clayfords Cottages in the foreground.

The White Horse is thought to have been cut into Mormond Hill in 1773, possibly to record the visit of Dr Johnson and Boswell to Strichen.

Grey Granite and Rufus enjoyed an idyllic walk along this one of the most interesting sections of the line, leaving Strichen at the Five Roads junction (mentioned in Dark Star by Lorna Moon) and walking towards Fraserburgh, reaching West Cockmuir. The photograph shows the bridge at Cockmuir with the Fetterangus wind turbines in the background. This is a particularly interesting section of line with two deep cuttings, in one of which the Fraserburgh  Strichen train was famously snowbound (c1947) stranding Grey Granite's father-in -law. There are several embankments giving good views of Mormond Hill and the countryside to the South. This gives  a varied flora, gorse and broom, both in flower almost line most of the track, except in the cuttings where there are trees, ash, sycamore, elms, Scots pines. Close to the Howfords Bridge there are magnificent beech trees lining the road at the top of the embankment. Wild roses are not yet in bloom but are frequent. There are occasional apple trees close to the track, Grey Granite wonders if these have grown from cores thrown from the train. Wild flowers currently in flower include, wood avens and garlic mustard (at the viaduct) pink purslane (under the Clayfords bridge), violets, germander speedwell, comfrey, rough comfrey, common forget-me-not and wall whitlow grass (Strichen Station).