Strichen to Dencallie

Looking over Strichen  Market Place to the white horse, the gorse round the horse  would normally be in flower by now. A photograph posted a year ago this week shows a sea of gorse round the horse and the start of new leaves on the trees.

Beyond the railway bridge, the now disused Mormond Parish Church. There  are still very few signs of spring along the Line, we expected violets on the banks but found only a few celandines.

Dencallie from the Line

Before Strichen had a graveyard of its own bodies were carried over Mormond for burial at Rathen. a track along the hill was used to avoid the undrained marshy ground below. Some of the lych stanes where the coffins were rested may still be seen along the route and the 'Font Stone' marks  the half way point where the Rathen minister would meet parents with infants for baptism.A large cairn possibly dating from the Bronze Age known as the Resting Cairn, is above Decallie which derives its name from the Gaelic for the Den of Rest. 

Thomas the Rhymer, a 13th century prophet from the Scottish Borders made two predictions about Mormond, both of them involving Dencallie. The first that 'Mormond Hill should be carried to the sea' is said to have been fulfilled when in the 18th century a huge waterspout carried huge quantities of turf and heather from the den above Dencallie to the Ugie and eventually into the sea at Inverugie. The second prophecy stated that 'Dencaldie's Den (sic) should run in bluid' this had a clause which said that 'should the price of salt rise above the price of oatmeal this prediction would fall to the ground'. Fortunately disaster was averted by a steep rise in the price of oatmeal in the 18th century.

Strichen Viaduct and Community Park

 Strichen viaduct carries the Line high above the River Ugie close to the road bridge over the Ugie on the southern edge of the town. The viaduct is on the site of a now forgotten mill, demolished in 1857 when the viaduct was constructed.  The viaduct was reconstructed in 1922 when the main single span was replaced by three arches supported on high granite pillars. The town's gas works was situated on the north bank of the Ugie close to the viaduct. There are excellent views over the town from the viaduct.

Bridge over the Ugie near the Mormond Hotel at the end of Bridge Street.
This time last year the banks of the Ugie near the bridge and under the viaduct were carpeted with celandines and wood anemones 

Looking up Bridge Street towards the white horse on Mormond Hill, the Town Hall spire is on the left.

Strichen Community Park situated where the Line crosses Bridge Street, the excellent cafe is well worth a short digression. There is car paring and access to the Line by the cafe.

Strichen Community Park and Lake is an attractive and well maintained amenity developed as a result of the efforts of Strichen people in the grounds of Strichen House. 

There are several attractive walks in the woodlands and round the lake.

The park has been extensively planted with garden flowers and native species

The Lodge has been turned into an excellent cafe, opened in July 2011 by First Minister, Alec Salmond, himself a Strichen resident and supporter of the venture.  

 The lake, originally powered the nearby mill, demolished when the railway viaduct was built, the moss covered remains of the sluice can still be seen in the Community Park. When the grounds of Strichen house were landscaped around 1820 the lake became the ornamental feature  it is today.

The mill pond sluice. This was one of several mills along the Ugie, reflecting the importance of   textiles (both linen and wool)  and agriculture to the community. 

Strichen viaduct carries the Line high above the River Ugie close to the road bridge over the Ugie on the southern edge of the town. The viaduct is on the site of a now forgotten mill, demolished in 1857 when the viaduct was constructed.  The viaduct was reconstructed in 1922 when the main single span was replaced by three arches supported on high granite pillars. The town's gas works was situated on the north bank of the Ugie close to the viaduct. 

Walking Way Sculpture Fraserburgh Links

The Walking Way marks the start of the Formartine Buchan Way and elements of the  design reflect the line but remind Grey Granite more than anything of the ribs of the decommissioned fishing boats which used to be drawn up on the shore alongside the Sandhaven road in the late 50s and early 60s.

Situated above the site of Fraserburgh station on the seaward side of the Links this prominent sculpture of steel girders and oak beams attracts attention to the white concrete pathway of the 'Walking Way'. The Walking Way  leads from the Leisure Centre carpark to the crossing with South Harbour Road and hence to the former route of the railway line. The shape of the pathway was apparently  inspired by the  Line which ran along the bottom of the embankment directly below the sculpture. This installation  is the work of sculptural artist  Jane Kelly and was put in place in the summer of  2007. The steel and oak beams recall the rails  and sleepers of the railway as do the oak beams which form  a seating area with spectacular views over the Fraserburgh Bay.  Unfortunately, there is no signage to indicate the significance of the installation and an unscientific survey amongst Grey Granite's friends showed that nobody knew of the significance of the installation.

Cortes Stag and Mormond Station

Grey Granite walked along the Line from Cortes to Mormond Station, all the way under the shadow of Mormond Hill, although cuttings block the hill in may places. There are several well preserved wooden linesmen's  huts along this stretch, giving a good indication of their original frequency and of the labour intensity of track maintenance. 

For much of the walk the outline of the Cortes stag could be very clearly seen on the lower slope of the hill. Later in the year, as the hill vegetation grows, it becomes less distinct and difficult to spot. The stag, emblem of Clan Fraser,  was cut into  the hillside in November 1870 to commemorate the wedding of the Laird.  The stag was cut either by  estate workers or by volunteers each of whom was  given a commemorative medal, alas there no longer  appear to be any of these in existence. The stag   consists of an outline filled with quartz stones and is about 80 metres long, covering  about  an acre. It is possible that  originally  the stag was in outline only and that infilling with small quartz stones took place later. Between periodic cleanings, as now,  the centre of the stag quickly becomes overgrown with heather  so that the figure again appears just to be an outline, how clearly it may be seen depends on when the last clearing took place.  The surrounding forestry trees can also make it difficult to see the stag clearly. During the second World War the stag was camouflaged by having brushwood and heather laid over it but this was burned during  a moorland fire in 1944. In the summer of 1946 a group of internees from Stuartfield POW camp was given the task of cleaning the stag. 

The Cortes Stag, seen from the Line near  Whiteside Farm. 

The 1st Edition of the 25" OS  map (1872)  indicates that St Edderan's Slack, where St Edderan, or Etheran a Pictish hermit and follower of St Columba, had his cell was on the hill to the right of the the stag, below the level of the radio masts.  St Edderan brought Christianity to the area and Rathen church is dedicated to him. He died on 2nd December 668, 'amid the rigours of winter cold'

The single, long platform at Mormond Station remains, complete with lamp holder and the station name posts. The scattered farms and the nearest hamlet of New Leeds generated very trade for the station.

The two storey station house was built around 1890 when the refusal of the owner of the original station house to renew the lease caused the railway company to consider closing the station. The station was closed for goods traffic on 1st June 1940 but remained open for passengers until the closure of the Line in 1965

The bridge carrying a farm road over the Line by the station. The area is now a centre for egg production.

The original station yard gate post, now painted sliver, the Cortes stag can be seen on Mormond Hill between the gateposts.

Primroses growing by the Line at the station, they look like the native variety but are probably cultivated. These were the only flowers in bloom between Cortes and Mormond. In places in the cuttings there were still small patches of lingering snow.