Coastal Walk from Buckie to Portgordon with Dr Peter Reid
Saturday, 20th September 2025
A grand afternoon out by the seaside!
26 Field Club members met at 2pm at the War Memorial in Cluny Square in Buckie. Our guide was Dr Peter Reid. Peter has taught at RGU since 1998, where he is now Professor of Librarianship; his work covers a wide range of cultural and heritage related topics. He is also co-chair of the Portgordon Community Trust and vice-chair of the Banffshire Field Club. And, most importantly, he is a Portgordon loon through and through. His family have lived in Banffshire for centuries and was one of the founding families of Portgordon in 1797. So we had the perfect guide for our walk.
From the square we looked across at Buckie harbour, built in the 1870s by the Gordons of Cluny and named after them. We walked down the hill towards the Yardie, the conservation area of Buckie, and Peter pointed out Baron street, which used to be the main road up to the square from the Yardie but is now a cul de sac. Peter explained that Buckie comprises distinct settlements – the Yardie, the Seatown, and Nether Buckie, now known as Buckpool to the west of the Buckie Burn, and Ianstown, Gordonsburgh, and Portessie to the east.
We walked through the Yardie and crossed the Burn into Buckpool, past the old harbour on our right and the traditional cottages on the left, with their gable ends to the sea. Peter shared his own family stories and personal anecdotes and pointed out the houses where his father and mother were born. After leaving Buckpool we walked along the water’s edge for a while; the tide was now going out and we saw oystercatchers, ringed plovers, and four seals on the beach.
On reaching Portgordon, we visited the inspirational project that is the Community Garden, started and maintained entirely by volunteers, two of whom – Rachel and Jenny – gave us a warm welcome and explained the origins of the project. The polytunnel, or polycrub, was designed in Shetland to withstand high windspeeds and a harsh climate. Inside a great variety of plants were thriving – tomatoes, courgettes, including a tromboncino, and white grapes.
Our final stop was the Lampie Hoose, where Peter provided tea and coffee and a delicious selection of cakes.
Many thanks to Peter for giving us such an entertaining and interesting afternoon, and to the volunteers in the Garden.
portgordoncommunitytrust.co.uk
The garden is open daily from about 9am to 4/5pm from April to the end of October
Sara Marsh 21/9/25
