This post contains two separate day journeys, but they are combined into a single video (at the end of this post).
Portsoy to Banff and back – 15.5 miles
Trail Date: April 26, 2023
Method of travel: Mountain bike
Portsoy is a beautiful historic town, but most of my attention was on the old harbour.
There is a deep sense of history among the old stone streets.
Originally built in 1692 the old harbour has changed slightly over the years through repairs and updates, but is still mostly intact and many of the buildings are from the 17th and 18th centuries. You may recognise some of the buildings from the TV series Peaky Blinders.
Another interesting thing about the area is the use of “Portsoy Marble,” which is serpentinite. It can be found in the cliff rocks west of the old harbour, among other interesting geological features. It is famed for being used in the Palace of Versailles and in jewelry and objects sold at the local shop (located in the warehouse at the harbour).
I was fascinated by the ruin at the top of the hill. A crumbling stone wall with a single window, providing a view to the sea crashing on the rocks below. It’s like a portal through time, forcing me to think of the past while staring out into the present.
I sketched here shortly, but we were eager to stretch our legs on the trail. There were a lot of miles ahead to Banff.
We rode through town and found our way to the B9139, a quiet road that follows the coast. Unfortunately, on this section of coast, access to the shoreline is impossible in places, so the only straightforward way is the road. We didn’t feel like climbing over barbed wire fences through the dozens of farms.
But there is a place of interest I highly recommend visiting. A quiet castle ruin tucked into the forest near Boyne quarry. There is no parking or signage, but as soon as you pass over the Burn of Boyne, stop and go through a metal gate on your left and follow the footpath through the forest. Soon you’ll see the crumbling remains of a once grand “palace.”
Boyne castle was built in the 16th century, but only occupied for two centuries by various lairds and ladys before being abandoned.
Although it is now overgrown and in ruins, it has a such an immense presence among the trees and you can’t help but feel overwhelmed by curiosity as you step between the archways or stare up at the crumbling towers.
I spent some time sketching, and we had a little picnic, which felt so surreal. Staring up at the 400 year old ruins, taking photos with my iPhone…the juxtaposition of technology and history astounds me. That’s one of the interesting things about living in Scotland.
Soon we continued east on the road, which gently rose for a few miles until finally relieving our muscles with a long descent to Whitehills. We navigated along the shore and before long we were entering Banff. Banff boasts lots of amenities and a massive sand beach which clearly attracts a lot of visitors. We saw surfers, kids playing, people riding and jogging along the shore, and luckily a food truck which provided a much needed sugar rush.
After a short break near the beach, we retraced our tracks back to Portsoy.
Banff to Macduff and back – 7.8 miles
Trail Date: May 6, 2023
Method: Mountain bike
I should have known that ‘cloudy with a chance of gusts’ would mean STORMY AS HECK. It is Scotland after all.
But I stubbornly wanted to do the next section of the journey, through Banff and Macduff then onwards to Gardenstown because I needed some cliff references for a painting I’m doing.
The section of coast east of Macduff is famous for steep dramatic cliffs, and even a huge colony of gannets (we’ll get there in a couple weeks). And it’s not that I wanted to ‘get it over with’ but I knew we had a fair distance through Banff and Macduff before we could get to the cliffs, and I’m just not interested in drawing in any towns right now.
Anyways, we chose a day that had hope for sun, but ended up being (annoyingly) incredibly windy. Thankfully the rain held off, otherwise it could have been pretty miserable.
The journey along the coast through Banff and Macduff is easy and enjoyable. The two towns are directly adjacent to each other and you can hardly tell the difference, except that Macduff is set up higher on the hill and feels a bit quieter. As the road climbs the hill to the east of the River Deveron, things get more rugged.
There is a narrow path up the cliff through the dense gorse which leads to the Tarlair Golf Course. Watch out for flying balls and adhere to golf course etiquette before making your way along the edge of the course to the nearest cliff. There’s a footpath that leads to a beautiful overlook. It was insanely gusty, causing the waves to crash dramatically onto a secluded sandy beach below. But the real eye candy lies to the east. Huge cliffs rise from the sea, and I used my zoom lens to see gulls and shags nesting on giant sea stacks in the distance.
We carefully navigated down towards a perch to find some relief from the relentless wind. Thankfully, there was a small protected nook in the rocks where we could catch our breath and enjoy our packed lunch while we watched the dramatic waves crashing into a shallow cave below. If it wasn’t for the heart pounding heights, it would have been a very peaceful lunch.
I crawled around on the cliff, capturing textures of the blooming wildflowers, grasses, and colorful lichen on the rocks. The sun peaked out a couple of times which allowed for some interesting coastal shots with dark grey skies.
I desperately wanted to draw or paint the cliffs, but I don’t think any paper would survive such intense winds. And as much fun as it was to explore the beautiful textures and colors of the cliffs, we say dense clouds and haar moving our way, so we thought it was best to head back to the car. Wind is one thing, but freezing cold rain AND insane wind is just miserable. Time for our getaway!
But then…
The weather broke just long enough for me to do a quick sketch at the “Needles Eye” – a very cool sea arch to the west of Tarlair Swimming pool. It looked exactly like a miniature version of Bow Fiddle Rock (which I shared in this post).
Soon enough, the air became laden with moisture and we had to get moving (again). We soared back through Macduff and Banff, stopping only to capture quick shots of these beautiful Eiders (seaducks).
It was the perfect ending to a dramatic visit, and we were happy to pack up our bikes and be inside our warm car as the rain started falling.
