Day 13
Wednesday 23rd May - Rothienorman to Old Deer
The staff at Vale Hotel, Fyvie, were slightly taken aback at being asked for coffee before 9 a.m., but rose gallantly to the occasion. Again, not enough Challengers head into Buchan; they had never heard of the event, but charge only £30 for B&B, and have a mouth-watering bar-meals menu. They are often busy and have only five rooms, but I was assured that the huge green lawn area beyond the outdoor bar tables could readily be used for camping, and the village Co-op nearby is open 0600-2200! I took time to wander around the outside of the historically-interesting Fyvie Old Church; unfortunately one cannot see the symbol-stones inside without prior arrangement, but there is a very informative history-board, and I was able to view the grave of Mill o'Tifty's Annie. Of course Fyvie has a castle - the north-east bristles with them.
Many are deterred from heading thus far north by the need to walk on tarmac. But these minor roads can be very pleasant, allowing one to swing along at good pace, enjoying the wide views to the full.
Then there are the "finds" in villages, like the Church Café (of St.Kane's) in New Deer, open 10-4, with excellent home-cooking and very kind ladies who provided a gallon of tea and charged me for one cup! New Deer also has small shops, a pub and a bank, which can be useful at this stage.
On then to a footpath again, at Maud: the Formartine and Buchan Way, converted from the old Aberdeen to Fraserburgh and Peterhead railway. Nice to have soft earth and grass underfoot again, although like most ex-railways, it's awfully straight! Interesting to see old Deer Abbey and to wander through Old Deer village. Then, close to where the Way crosses a main road, there is an excellent camping and Caravanning Club campsite in the extensive Aden Country Park (pronounced "Ah", not "Ay", apparently), where there are good showers, a laundry and a small shop, and they charge £6.40 for a tent - or £4 if you're old, like me!
photo © Jean Turner
