Auchnagatt to Savoch

On a blisteringly hot morning Grey Granite and Rufus walked down from Auchnagatt towards Arnage, such was the heat that they left the line at Burngrains Bridge and went to look for a suitable parking place for the next leg of their trek. This took them to Savoch Kirkyard, which they had seen on the horizon from Elrick Trout Fishery.

Walking south from Auchnagatt we again followed the Ebrie Burn and had the sense of walking through a wide amphitheatre surrounded by rolling farmland. The land adjacent to the Line was again damp and rushy, willows, alders and the occasional oak grow alongside the trackway. Unfortunately, traffic on the A948 disturbs the tranquillity of this section until the road and railway diverge close to the  Mill of Elrick

The Mill of Elrick,  note the solar panels on the roof of the mill which a has diversified by becoming a a trout fishery. There are several large ponds alongside the Line.

Looking west across one of the Mill of Elrick fish ponds Savoch Church may be seen on the skyline. Grey Granite is certain that the large bird she saw rising from one of the ponds was an osprey.

Enormous butterwort leaves by the mill.

The Ebrie Burn crosses and recrosses the Line in many places,  here it is densely lined with the willows which were used for basket making in the Auchnagatt area.

Savoch Church

The isolated church, now redundant, commands impressive views over beautiful rolling farmland and is situated about a quarter a mile west of  the Line near Ebrie Lodge (Leave the Line at Burngrains Bridge. The congregation would have consisted of the people from Auchnagatt, where there is no church,   and the surrounding countryside. Grey Granite noted the boot scrapers still on either side of the front door.

Savoch Church,  a originally Chapel of Ease for those living in the district,  was erected by subscription in 1834.The church has  a rectangular plan with a birdcage belfry at the east gable where there is also a porch. In May 1851 the Court of Teinds raised Savoch to the status of a parish formed from portions of New Deer, Old Deer, Ellon, Methlick and Tarves parishes. The terraced church yard was opened in 1877 when the church building greatly was improved. As part of the renovation the stained glass windows which can be seen  from the outside of the building were made and installed on either side of the pulpit. One window was presented by Mrs Udny of Udny, the other by the church's Woman's Guild. Savoch Church closed in October 1997. 

The belfry above the east gable east gable seen from the lower terrace of the kirkyard.

The inscription on this obelisk states 'That the churchyard  laid out by the parishioners at a cost of £300 was opened in 1877. The obelisk is visible on the upper terrace in the photograph above.

The elegant pink granite obelisk on the lower terrace of the kirkyard overlooks the beautiful farmland of the parish.Tellingly this records 39 deaths in WW1 and 4 from WW2. The devastatingly large list from 1914-18 includes William Milne DCM, William Robb MM .

On this lower terrace there are excellent examples of Victorian gravestones, many of polished granite topped with granite urns.

This stone close to the church on the upper terrace has a draped urn, popular in mid  Victorian times and the inscription:
Erected by James Gordon, Station Agent Auchnagatt in memory of his beloved son Robert died 23 August 1881, aged 4 years.

The Bridge over the Line at Burngrains, walking back to Auchnagatt we were very glad of the slight shade afforded by the bushes and trees in cutting from here to Mill of Elrick. There is a  path up the embankment by the bridge and parking at Savoch Church which will enable our walk to be resumed from this point.