Bus trip to Forvie Nature Reserve and Peterhead Prison Museum
Saturday, 20th June, 9am from Lossie Green, Elgin
For the Field Club’s annual summer bus trip, the weather was perfect, neither too hot or cold, and no wind or rain. The Kineil bus was comfortable and we had an excellent driver, Stuart, who took us on a tour of northern Aberdeenshire. The outward journey took us through Oldmeldrum, Ellon and Newburgh to Forvie Nature Reserve; the return journey from Peterhead ent through Mintlaw and new Pitsligo, reaching the coast at Macduff. Once we left the A96, the roads were very quiet, and the countryside looked beautiful in its summer greens.
The Nature Reserve covers about 1,000 hectares of coastal habitat of international importance, with many trails to explore across heathland, dunes and seashore. We were met at the Waterside carpark, on the Ythan Estuary, by Emma, a NatureScot ranger, who gave us an introduction to the site and told us what to look out for her. Because time was limited we just walked a mile or so along the estuary to a viewpoint overlooking the nesting grounds of four species of terns, black headed gulls and eider ducks. An osprey was spotted flying upstream, skylarks were heard in the surrounding countryside, and best of all the bubbling call of the curlew.
After a picnic lunch, the bus took us north to the Prison Museum on the outskirts of Peterhead, where we were met by ex-prison warder David, who was our guide for the afternoon. Peterhead was built as a Convict Prison in 1888, to support the building of a new harbour next to the Admiralty Yard. Convicts, those prisoners sentenced to penal servitude, were set to work in the granite quarry south of Peterhead, which provided the building blocks for the harbour. In the twentieth century, Perthead became Scotland’s high security prison and housed some of the country’s most notorious and violent criminals, including sex offenders. Our guide was able to give a very vivid account of life in the prison for both inmates and staff. He had a fund of stories, including the infamous prison riot of 1987, which was only resolved after five days by the intervention of the SAS. The tour ended in the small hospital wing and the cells assigned to one of the last prisoners Thomas McConnell. The prison closed in 2013. The experience was chilling in both senses of the word (it was very cold in the buildings in spite of the warm afternoon), and quite unlike any other museum tour.
By 5pm we were all ready for a fish supper, which was provided by the Dolphin Cafe on the quayside. The team of waitresses served 36 of us quickly and efficiently and the haddock was excellent. Many thanks to Emma at Forvie, David at the prison, the team at the Dolphin, Stuart, the bus driver, and all the Field Club participants who helped make it such a memorable day.
Photos by Jean Stocks and Mike Grant
