TRAVELS IN A VOLVO ESTATE Part 2

I should explain that the precipitous nature of our tour of the Moray coast was due to the fact that I only had the use of my chauffeur for one day, which was Saturday 20th June. The following day, Mary was going off on an excursion of her own, visiting friends in Strichen and Inverurie, before catching the ferry, at Aberdeen, back home to Shetland, where she was due in at her work the next day. Some of us have to do it!

We finished our soup and roll in the Cornerstone Cafe at Macduff, and set out in a westerly direction this time, in continuance of my photographic journey. After passing through Banff again, we went through Whitehills without stopping, which was a mistake, as I later discovered. We made our first stop at Portsoy harbour, which is the venue for a traditional boat festival from tomorrow. We visited a ceramics shop on the seafront, and I took some photographs from the other side of the harbour, looking back towards the town. The harbour was quiet then, but by this time tomorrow it will be bursting at the seams, and resounding with all sorts of jollification. Some Shetlanders are there, carrying on from our own carnival this last weekend!

For some reason we missed the turn-off for Sandend, which was another mistake, and we found ourselves next in Cullen, a rather imposing town, the only thing about which I previously knew was its association with the skink dish. It nestles among the arches of several sections of viaduct. Add a harbour and a sandy beach, at the west end of which are some spectacular cliffs and rock formations, and you have a venue which is crying out to be photographed. I duly obliged and, looking at my efforts with hindsight, I should have taken a lot more.

Portknockie and Findochty followed, both picturesque former fishing towns, with nice harbours mostly given over to pleasure craft these days. I could easily have spent a day or more exploring the nooks and crannies of each of them, and using a whole digital camera smart card in the process, but time was our enemy.

We pressed on, arriving next at the caravan park at Portessie, and the thought entered my head that one of these mobile homes in that situation would make a brilliant studio. Pretty grim in winter though! From here, the shore through Ianstown, Gordonsburgh, Buckie and Portgordon is all largely a built-up area, one village running into another, with a substantial and industrialised harbour area at Buckie.

Here my doughty driver went bandit on me, and expressed a strong desire to strike inland to a garden centre at Fochabers. My enthusiasm was flagging a little by this time, and I agreed to her request. I sat in the car, while she visited the centre, reflected on a good day's work, and speculated on what I might find when I united my camera with my computer on my return to Shetland a week from that time.

Mary returned to the car , bearing her purchases, and we drove to the square in the middle of the town, where we discussed what to do next. Both of us were feeling a bit tired, and we decided to call it a day and return to base. We were also feeling the need for a "proper" meal which we later enjoyed in the County Hotel. We were told that our illustrious and glorious leader, Alex Salmond, had dined there the evening before, so we took the view that, if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for us. And it certainly was a very good meal, from the service, the main course, the wine, to the sticky toffee pudding (which is the only item on the sweet menu which I would cheerfully kill or be killed for!).

It was the perfect end to an excellent day, and I looked forward with pleasure to the rest of my Banff experience.