Longside to Newseat Halt



A tanglement of Russian Vine (Fallopia aubertii) on the embankment at Longside

The most productive and established of the allotments between Longside Station and the golf course which is alongside the first part of the route

This delightful allotment includes what are presumably green manure crops, in the foreground Facillia julia which was attracting swarms of insects including bees and hover flies.

The 2.5 mile Longside to Newseat stretch of line, proved to be a very pleasant walk, a complete contrast to the dispiriting  Mintlaw to Mintlaw Station section. The line to Newseat passes through flat pleasant countryside, peaceful apart from the mild lawn mower buzz of micro lights and light aircraft, presumably from Longside Airfield. Much of the section is on a shallow embankment giving views across the Howe of Rora, dominated by a large sand/gravel quarry in the distance.

The Howes o' Buchan (1865) waxes lyrical in describing Rora, 'The view of Rora obtained from the line at this point is a most enchanting one. The slightly rising ground, the neat and compact farm-houses characteristic of this part of the country, and the fields arrayed in their thick mantle of living green, all tend at once to gratify the sense and charm the eye by their silent suggestions of honest plenty and well rewarded toil'.

Looking North across the Howe of Rora from Willowbank, Mormond Hill on the skyline

The bridge over the line at Strawberrybank.

Much of this section of the line has whins, broom and willowherb growing in great profusion along the embankments. On the sunny Sunday afternoon on which Grey Granite and Rufus walked it, the gorse and broom pods were loudly cracking in the heat. The whin bushes in particular were covered in spiders' webs which in turn had caught the drifting clouds of willowherb seeds giving the bushes a ghostly Miss Haversham look.


At the stand of trees visible through the bridge in the previous picture, (mainly elders, ash and beeches) the line crosses a tributary of the Ugie.

Again The Howes o' Buchan:

'The River Ugie is crossed by a handsome and substantial metal bridge of three spans, with metal girders, the arches being about eighteen feet apart, and piers of solid masonry.' 

From  the north side of the track, just before the bridge a footpath veers back towards Longside via Auchlee (1.5km)

Reference is also made in 'The Howes' to the ruins of Auchlee Mills which were established towards the end of the 18th century by Thomas and Robert Kilgour of Kinmundy. These woollen mills, powered by diverted water from the Loch of Auchlee, at first prospered and employed a 'large number of hands -a number of them being at Kinmundy as woolcombers'. However, the Kilgours became bankrupt in 1828, their liabilities were £30,000 and their assets only raised 2s 10d (under 15p) in the pound.This seems to have been related to a general crisis in the wollen industry at the time. There had been heavy local investment by both the wealthy and 'every cottar or labourer who could scrape together a few pounds (and) put it into the hands of the Kilgours. Nowhere, in their opinion, could be so safe -not even 'in the bank'.' Many locals lost their enitire savings when the venture unexpectedly collapsed.

 

Beyond the bridge over the Ugie the line is, unusually bounded by dykes rather than fencing as elsewhere.This continues until the Bridge of Bruthlaw.

The section of line immediately beyond Mains of Bruthlaw and before the Newseat cutting, is raised on a low embankment. Two pipe lines from St Fergus power station cross under the line.

A cutting, with banks thick with gorse, broom and willow herb, leads to Newseat Station.

The station is situated close to to the ivy clad bridge from which a precarious path gives access to the line.

Newseat Halt from the bridge.