History

Up until 410 million years ago, Scotland was separated from England by the Iapetus Ocean-an ocean which was wider than the North Atlantic. Over time the two land masses drifted towards each other and collided, thus closing the Iapetus Ocean. This collision created the Highland Boundary Fault, which is where the two lands met. The fault can easily be seen at Craigeven Bay, to the North of Stonehaven. To the North and West lie hard metamorphic rocks and to the South, softer sedimentary rocks, principally Old Red Sandstone. On the foreshore at Craigeven lie Pillow lavas, which are black, bulbous shaped lava which formed when the lava from ancient, erupting volcanoes poured down to the sea and solidified on contact with the water.

Forvie

The area around the Forvie National Nature Reserve was farmed until the advancing sand buried the area in the Middle Ages and forced the community to leave the land. The dunes began to form over 2000 years ago and have continued to this day and are now some of the largest and untouched in the UK.

Flint flakes have been found at the reserve and date back to the earliest inhabitants of Grampian, who lived by the coast and along rivers such as the Dee and the River Ythan approximately 8000 years ago. Some flint relics and tools from the area can be seen at the Stevenson Centre at Forvie National Nature Reserve. Later evidence came from when the land was farmed and as a result of the community burying their dead.

Near to Rockend are the remains of a medieval settlement, where the ruins of Forvie’s 12th century kirk can be still be seen. It is understood the kirk was built on the site of a previous chapel that possibly dated back to the 8th century.

Not long after, Forvie was blanketed in sand which, according to local legend, was as a result of three sisters who placed a curse on it. They’re said to have been cast adrift in a leaky boat to deny them their inheritance, as heirs to the land. In a fit of rage, they screamed: “Let nocht bee funde in Furvye’s glebes / Bot thystl, bente and sande” (roughly translated into Forvie should only be covered by thistle and sand). When the sisters eventually reached dry land the curse whipped up a storm that continued for nine days and nights. By the time it ended, sand had buried the village. For more information on the history of Forvie please see our Folks of Forvie page

Collieston

Collieston, a small, coastal village situated 20 miles North of Aberdeen is now a popular tourist area but was once the home of smugglers. The hidden caves and small coves made it an ideal location for smuggling and in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the area became one of the main landing points for smuggled goods most notably spirits from the Continent.

Aberdeen

The city has its past not only in fishing but also whaling. The first whaling boats left Aberdeen in 1752 for Greenland in search of whales and continued until the practice was restricted by the 1946 whaling convention.

If you have any stories of our coastal and maritime heritage that you would like to share, please let us know.