Clipmarks | Patty2007's 'aberdeen' clips

A whole Scottish way of life is under threat

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:24:20 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007
clipper's remarks: Pictures of Aberdeen dock from the late 19th century are astonishing for the size and number of fish landed: table-sized halibut lie stretched out in rows interspersed with huge cod, skate and ling. But conflict boiled behind these scenes of plenty.

Scots who caught their fish mainly by hook and line fought to keep the new-fangled English steam trawlers out of their waters, forcing a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate their complaints.

Ultimately, they lost the argument and the more-efficient - and destructive - trawlers were embraced by the Scots. If they had prevailed and the trawlers were kept out, perhaps the state of Scottish fisheries and marine life would be different today.

Scientists estimate that only a tenth of the level of table-fish in 1900 remains in the seas around Scotland today. Some large species have all but disappeared, such as angel sharks and the once "common" skate.

Clip Source: news.scotsman.com

Cod in market: scientists estimate that only a tenth of the level of table-fish in 1900 remains in the seas around Scotland today.
Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

AS A teenager, I lived in Wick, a remote fishing port of 7,000 inhabitants moored at the far north-eastern extremity of Scotland. The land is low and the climate is bleak for much of the year.

My favourite weekend pastime was to hike along the ragged cliffs fronting Wick Bay to a ruined tower, and there contemplate nature and life.

Old Wick Castle was thick-walled and crouched on a narrow rocky promontory, three sides sea and one land. I would sit on the headland, the wind billowing waves through the grass and spreading windrows across the bay, enjoying my solitude.

Aloft, effortless fulmars rode the wind and kittiwakes returning with food wheeled and shrieked before finding their ledge among the thousands of others crammed with birds.

Tags: scotland, fish, environment, pollution

Braemar

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:15:20 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Ballater

Old Royal Station

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Braemar

Invercauld Road with Creag Choinnich in the Background

Braemar Castle

Remains of Kindrochit Castle

St Margaret's Episcopal Church

The Fife Arms Hotel

Bridge over the Clunie Water

Shops on Mar Road

Braemar Heritage Centre

The Invercauld Arms Hotel

Traditional Butcher's Shop

Tags: braemar, scotland, aberdeen

Huntly castle

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:00:41 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Huntly Castle

Huntly Castle and Courtyard from the Old Motte

The Palace Tower

Huntly Castle from the South

The Writing on the Wall

Preserved Fireplace

Frontispiece Above Main Door

Palace Interior

And from the West, with Visitor Centre

Basement Passage

Foundations of the Tower House

Tags: aberdeen, scotland, huntly castle, strathdon

Huntly Castle

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:59:05 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Huntly Castle

Huntly Castle and Courtyard from the Old Motte

Huntly Castle has seen more than its share of Scottish History, and has the scars to show for it. Over a period of 600 years this site saw four different castles in three slightly different locations under two different names. And between them these castles were attacked or besieged at least eight times.

The Palace Tower

Huntly Castle from the South

The Writing on the Wall

Preserved Fireplace

Tags: huntly castle, scotland, strathdon, aberdeen

Kildrummy Castle

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:56:59 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

The South East Tower

Kildrummy Castle

Elphinstone Tower

The Chapel Remains

Chapel Windows

Model of the Castle

The Rear Wall of the Castle

Kildrummy Castle Hotel from the Castle

Approaching Kildrummy Castle

Tags: kildrummy castle, scotland, strathdon, aberdeen

Kildrummy Castle

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:55:10 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Kildrummy Castle

The South East Tower

Kildrummy Castle was once one of the most magnificent and imposing castles in Scotland. It was built in about 1250 by the Earl of Mar. The castle was intended to consolidate the Mar dynasty's hold over north-eastern Scotland and was located where it could command important routes across the region.

The film Braveheart, whatever its historical credentials, did a lot for a sense of Scottish identity. Its treatment of Edward I, on the other hand, has left him with a bigger image problem than the one given to Richard III by Shakespeare's equally unbalanced telling of his story.

Elphinstone Tower

Edward I paid at least two visits to Kildrummy Castle, in 1296 and 1303. Both times he came as a guest on his way south from Elgin, and he may even have lent his favourite mason to help design a better gatehouse for the castle. What emerged as a result was very like the gatehouse of Edward's castle at Harlech.

Tags: kildrummy castle, aberdeen, strathdon, scotland

Glenbuchat Castle

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:53:31 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Glenbuchat Castle

View North

Towerhouse Interior

Old Roofline

Carved Stonework

Viewing Platform... from Below

Seen from the Approach Path

...And from the Rear

Tags: glenbuchat castle, strathdon, aberdeen, scotland

Glenbuchat, Strathdon

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:52:22 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Glenbuchat Castle

Glenbuchat Castle is located on a bluff above the River Don. It was built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnbarrow and his wife Helen on the occasion of their wedding. This is recorded in the stone above the entrance together with the motto "nothing on earth remains bot faime", or "nothing lasts without good repute".

View North

Old Roofline

Towerhouse Interior

Tags: glenbuchat, strathdon, scotland, aberdeen

Bellabeg, Strathdon

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:49:40 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Bellabeg from the West

Bellabeg

Do you know anyone who has been to Strathdon and now has a metal roadsign pointing to "Lost"? If so, Aberdeenshire Council would love to hear from you. On the western edge of Bellabeg on Donside is a junction with a minor road leading the few hundred yards to Lost. The metal direction signs from the junction have been stolen so often they had been replaced by card signs on our last visit, and there is even talk of renaming "Lost" to the less collectable "Lost Farm".

Lonach Highland Friendly Society Hall

Temporary Sign to Lost

Parish Church

Bellabeg Village Shop

Lost, in its Entirety

Tags: bellabeg, strathdon, scotland, aberdeen

Aberdeen

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:44:41 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

The Beach

Big Wheel

Railway Station

Footdee

Aberdeen Harbour with the City Centre Beyond

Tags: scotland, aberdeen

Aberdeen

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:44:06 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Mercat Cross, Castlegate

Provost Ross's House

Maritime Museum

Tags: scotland, aberdeen

Aberdeen

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:43:27 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Marischal College and Museum

Robert Gordon's College

King's College, Aberdeen University

Tags: scotland, aberdeen

The Old and The New and Town House - Aberdeen

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:42:30 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

The Old and The New

Town House

Tags: scotland, aberdeen

Aberdeen

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:41:09 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

The original settlement, often referred to as Aberdon, lay at the northern end of today's city, on the south bank of the River Don. This probably existed in Roman times and stayed in use after Julius Agricola's army briefly passed through in AD 84 (see our Historical Timeline). Certainly there was a settlement here that was sacked and burned by marauding Danes in the 900s. This area is now better known as Old Aberdeen or Aulton ("Old Town").

It was David I who created "New Aberdeen" in 1136. This built upon an older settlement on the north bank of the River Dee and ought properly to have been called "Aberdee". It's been suggested that "Aberdeen" was a compromise that drew together the separate villages overlooking the Don and the Dee.

Tags: scotland, aberdeen

Alford

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:44:42 GMT

clipped by: Patty2007

Clip Source: www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Alford

Alford, pronounced without the "L", lies on slightly rising ground just to the south of the River Don as it makes its stately progress towards Aberdeen and the sea.

It was the river, or rather the bridge that Thomas Telford built over it in the early 1800s, that started Alford's growth. What really got things rolling, however, was the building here of the Haughton Arms Hotel in 1850. In 1859, Alford also became the terminus of the Alford Valley Railway which connected the village to the main network through Aberdeen, and its future was assured.

In more recent times Alford has benefitted from its relative proximity to Aberdeen and the oil wealth created there. This has led to a steady growth in services, amenities and population.

Tags: scotland