Geo-Trips :: Looking for the Devil's Study
Aberdeenshire Coast
A walk from Old Slains, Fri, 2 Jul 2010 by Anne Burgess
This had been on my list for some time, because I had read the description in the geological excursion guide, and there were some ungeographed squares. It required some planning; I left the bike chained to a lamp post at Whinnyfold, parked the car at Old Slains, and set off on foot. It wasn't all easy going, but I was rewarded with some spectacular geology, carpets of wild flowers, several butterflies and lots of birds including a family of Peregrine Falcons. I was very glad to be able to return to the car by bike once I'd completed the walk.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Broad Haven
The broad bay north of Old Slains is the last sizeable fine sand beach on the way... more
Old Slains and Broad Haven
Broad Haven is the name given to the sandy bay north of Old Slains. The tall piece... more
Broad Haven and Old Slains
Old Slains consists of half a dozen houses on the headland around the remains of... more
Tommy's Castle
According to the map, one of the rocks at the foot of the bank here is Tommy's... more
Janet's Skellyis
Only the old six-inch maps name more than an occasional feature along the coast.... more
Erosion
The land here is blanketed with till deposited by glaciers during the last Ice... more
Seal Shore and Old Slains
The jagged tooth of Old Slains Castle is a prominent feature in all views south... more
Flotsam and Jetsam
This is the pile of rubbish washed up by the sea at the head of the beach in Seal... more
Northern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella)
One of the unexpected highlights of the cliffs here today was the profusion of... more
Dog Daughters
This name is on the original six-inch Ordnance Survey map. It is one of many... more
Dog Daughters
A closer view of this curiously named sea inlet. The white flowers are Cow Parsley... more
Outer Janets
This is the name on the six-inch map for the largest of the offshore rocks here.... more
Rock Platform
The maps mark the rocks offshore here as Janets Skellyis, but this flat slab... more
Offshore Rock
As I approached, several waves produced great high splashes of spray to the far... more
Sea Mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum)
A fairly common species with a very unwieldy name, sheltering under a rocky... more
Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima)
I have never noticed this plant before, but you couldn't miss it here, because... more
Radel Haven
Radel Haven is one of the few places where the slope of the bank is gentle enough... more
A Flock of Gulls
Most if not all of these are Herring Gulls. They had been resting on the flat... more
Devil's Study
This is one of those squares where there is next to no land at all. But what land!... more
Breaking Waves
There was a strong wind from the south today, whipping up waves along the east... more
Freshwater Pools
Note the white marks on the surface of the flat foreground rocks. These, plus the... more
Recumbent Fold
This is a wider view of the fold in [[[1945419]]].
"A prominent westward... more
Axial Planar Cleavage
When rocks are folded, the stress is highest in the tightest part of the fold,... more
More of the Recumbent Fold
This was taken from the right-hand end of [[[1945620]]] looking out to sea. More... more
Still More of the Recumbent Fold
This face is almost at right angles to the faces of the fold in [[[1945620]]] and... more
The Recumbent Fold in Three Dimensions
I am standing on top of the rock to the left-hand end of the fold in... more
Rock Strata
The flat rocks here are the bedding surfaces of the exposed strata of the part of... more
Rocky Inlet
There are several long inlets in the rocks here, where the sea has exploited... more
The Nobs
The Nobs are the partly submerged low rocks by the headland at the far side of the... more
Unnamed Bay near Fawn Pot (1)
The waterfall in the cliffs is the outfall of a burn named on the maps as Fawn... more
Unnamed Bay near Fawn Pot (2)
This is the continuation to the right of the view in [[[1946049]]], culminating in... more
Fawn Pot
This den is rather different from most of the watercourses entering the sea along... more
Orchid
In spite of the shape of the spike this cannot be a Pyramidal Orchid, because for... more
Cliffs between The Nobs and Bruce's Haven
Note the track of red debris left by a recent slump of the loose till on the top... more
Cliffs near Bruce's Haven
As one makes one's way northwards, the cliffs become steeper and rockier, and the... more
Fold in Cliffs near Bruce's Haven
This is a closer view of the fold in [[[1946141]]]. Comparing it with... more
Gully Near Bruce's Haven
The numerous ridges or rock have their counterpart in a series of steep gullies... more
Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca)
This is just a small part of a large patch of blue on the bank above the cliff.... more
Bruce's Haven
I have yet to discover who Bruce was and why this attractive bay is named after... more
Study Head
The map names the headland at the far side of Bruce's Haven as Study Head. The... more
Bruce's Haven
Looking across the tidal sea stack to Study Head at the far side of the bay.
Bruce's Haven
Looking across the cobble beach towards Study Head at the far side of Bruce's Haven.
A Flock of Gulls
A flock of gulls took to the air as I approached to top of Study Head.
Sheep and Lambs
A flock of sheep, the ewes recently shorn, grazes the top of the cliffs north of... more
Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus)
Four adult gulls with chicks on a cliff ledge at Study Head.
Bloody Hole
This is the name on the original six-inch Ordnance Survey map.
Erosion
Bare red till has been exposed by slumps in the ground, probably helped by rabbits... more
Offshore Rocks
Strong wind and rising tide have outlined the ridge of rock offshore with a fringe... more
Green Craig and The Veshels
Green Craig is the triangular stack, and the Veshels are the numerous rocks and... more
Green Craig Bay
Green Craig, from which the bay takes its names, is the isolated stack. It is well... more
Green Craig
This is the stack from which the bay takes its name. On the face of the stack you... more
Green Craig
This is a different view of the sea stack, which looks triangular when seen for... more
Folds in Green Craig
This is a closer view of the folds in the south face of [[[1946420]]]. The nesting... more
Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
I saw quite a lot of these two deer, usually a rear view as they broke cover on my... more
Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus)
I saw quite a lot of these two deer, usually a rear view as they broke cover on my... more
Field Boundaries
A variety of fences, gates and a burn separate the fields here. The farm on the... more
The Veshels
There is only a couple of hundred square metres of land in this square, but what... more
Clifftop Pool
It's a bit unusual to find a pool on top of a cliff, but this one is evidently a... more
Curious Cattle
As soon as I came to this point, the cattle in both of these fields at Ogston came... more
Cliff near The Veshels
The Veshels are the low offshore rocks which line the bottom of the cliffs here.... more
The Veshels
A view of the rocky platforms making up The Veshels. The foreground is in square,... more
Cliff near The Veshels
The cliff here overlooks The Veshels, which are lower rocks at the foot of the cliff.
Sea Stack
A sea stack, cut off by the erosive power of the sea from the neighbouring cliffs.... more
Cove near The Veshels
A rocky cove with a cobble beach. Note the path zigzagging down from the clifftop... more
Offshore Rocks
The offshore rocks, partly submerged as high tide approaches, extend some distance... more
Cliff Face
A few nests occupy ledges on this south-facing cliff. The east end of the cliff,... more
Seabird City
Birds like to nest on offshore stacks where they are safe from terrestrial... more
The View from above Berry's Loup
Looking north towards the hamlet of Whinnyfold from above Berry's Loup. The long... more
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Peregrines are not difficult to spot, because as soon as they see you approaching,... more
Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo)
A fairly dense colony of Cormorants on the top of an offshore stack.
Razorbills (Alca torda)
With a strong wind blowing onshore, the seabirds were using the updraughts to... more
Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus)
Three well-grown juvenile Herring Gulls. Even though they were on a ledge not far... more
Waymarked Path
This was intriguing. It was the first indication I had seen of the existence of a... more
Skellyis of Harrol and Inch Peel
The name is applied to the long promontory which extends a couple of hundred... more
Inch Peel
Inch Peel is the sea stack in the middle of the bay here. Hell's Hole is among the... more
Skellyis of Harrol
This must have been another headlandwhich has been eroded to its roots by the sea.... more
Bay of Harrol
Looking from the clifftop above the Skellyis of Harrol across the bay to the Brow... more
Fold in the Cliff
This is a closer view of the large fold, much of which is submerged, at the base... more
Skellyis of Harrol
A closer look at the rocks which form a promontory stretching well out into the... more
The Bay of Harrol
Another view of the bay in [[[1946977]]], down a gully which would provide a route... more
Poor Man of Harrol
The sea stack stands very isolated in the middle of the bay here. At low tide it... more
The Bay of Harrol
I am calling this the Bay of Harrol, even though it is not so named on the maps,... more
The Poor Man of Harrol
A closer look at the rock stack standing in the middle of the bay.
Bay of Harrol
Looking south, against the light, across the bay and Poor Man of Harrol to... more
Slagduff from above Lady's Step
Slagduff is the next headland, with the sea foaming around its base. The six-inch... more
Finnyfauld and Slagduff
The map spells it Whinnyfold but the local pronunciation of 'wh' is 'f', so,... more
Slagduff from Cowhole
This gully down to the sea is named as Cowhole, and affords a good view across the... more
Slagduff and the Skares
Slagduff is the nearest headland, and the Skares are reefs running well out to... more
Path to Whinnyfold
Approaching Whinnyfold on the path which is little more than a gap in the... more
Slagduff
The headland is actually cut into three parts by clefts in the rock. The seaward... more
Whinnyfold from Slagduff
This is one of the best views towards the hamlet of Whinnyfold. Its beach is just... more
Slagduff
This square contain only a few square metres of land, making up the rocky headland... more
The Beach at Whinnyfold
The beach here is of pebbles rather than cobbles, and is reasonably sheltered from... more
Whinnyfold Bay
Somewhere among the nearer rocks here is Poiten, and the long rock in the middle... more
The Skares
Most of the Skares are in this square, but the furthermost rocks are in two... more
Whinnyfold
The hamlet consists of perhaps a couple of dozen houses. The ones on the seaward... more
Post Box at Whinnyfold
Whinnyfold isn't troubled by much in the way of public amenities apart from street... more
Post Box
This is a closer view of [[[1947164]]]. I have never before noticed a post box... more
East Sandend
The farm house is just in square, and the buildings are in the next square. The... more
West Sandend
A mixed arable and livestock farm on a fairly exposed site. The double fence in... more
Crofthill
Most of the farms around here are on fairly exposed sites and must experience... more
Abandoned Farm
This farm is marked on all the maps, but not named on any of them.
Oil Pumping Station
This is not, as suggested by the map, an oil terminal. It is part of the Forties... more
North Newclochtow
Recently shorn sheep by the access road to North Newclochtow.
Ogston Farm
Like its neighbours, Ogston stands on an elevated site, exposed to all the winds... more
Mid Newclochtow
The people who lived and farmed here over the centuries wouldn't recognise it now.... more
South Newclochtow
Another farm on an elevated and exposed site, with a fine outlook to the south.
Broadleyhill
Looking up over the ploughed land to two of the farms at Broadleyhill. The state... more
Ward Farm
The foreground is boggy land, covered with buttercups - or maybe spearwort, I... more
Roadside Ditch
The ditch has all but disappeared in the luxuriant summer vegetation. In the... more
Clochtow
There's no need to guess what Clochtow specialises in. However there were also... more
Mains of Slains
The farm house and buildings from a bend in the farm access road. This is another... more
Broad Haven
This is one of those views that just demands to be photographed again and again.... more
Old Slains
On a summer evening the sun illuminates the remains of the old castle, the... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence .