Driving around Glenlivet and Speyside

Balvenie Castle, Dufftown, Speyside

Balvenie exterior showing the renaissance part added by the Earl of Atholl in 1550.
It was visited by Mary Queen of Scots in  1562.

The original curtain wall dating from the 13th century

Balvenie Castle on the outskirts of Dufftown is close to the Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries  This castle like many in Moray and Aberdeenshire has many centuries of history and is managed by Historic Scotland.

Highland Games, Golden Jubilee & Olympic Torch Slideshow: Elizabeth’s trip from Ballindalloch (near Glenlivet, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom) to 2 cities Tomintoul and Fochabers was created by TripAdvisor. See another United Kingdom slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Lecht Mine, Glenlivet

Lecht Mine from the Car Park

Across the Glenlivet Estate there is a range of historic sites and buildings waiting to be explored.  The Crown Estate Glenlivet
featured the Lecht mine in their Winter newsletter reprinted here. The mine is easily reached by a pleasant short walk from the car park on the Lecht road.

The Lecht mine

• Iron ore was first mined at the Lecht in 1730 by York Buildings Company of London. The mine was abandoned in 1737 due to substantial losses.

• The mined ore was transported on horseback across the Avon at the Fordmouth-Lynachork ford, and then over the Dorback Hills to Nethy Bridge. Wood from the Abernethy Forest was used to smelt it down into “Strathdoun (Strathavon) pigs”.

• The mine was re-opened in 1841 by the Duke of Richmond as a manganese mine, local stories tell that the Minister of Corgarff had to lend his bull to help drag the new heavy rollers over the Lecht Pass. However following the importation of manganese ore from Russia, the price fell from £8 per ton to an uneconomical £3 per ton, and the mine was closed for a final time in 1846.

• At the peak of activity over 60 men and boys worked at the mine and it was, and still is, the largest manganese mine ever worked in Scotland.

Lecht Mine building still standing - last used 1846

• In 1863 there was nearly a reprieve for the old mine when samples of iron ore were sent to James Morrison, Manager of the Ferryhill Iron Works, Co Durham, for assessment. He would gladly have taken 50,000 tons per annum, and all that was needed to secure viability for the re-opening of the mine was a railway link to Tomintoul, but in that time of economic retrenchment no-one could be found to back the proposed iron ore railway.

• The foundations of some other buildings can still be seen, but only the mine building has survived as it was very solidly built to carry the water wheel and heavy machinery.

• The mine building was restored and reroofed and interpretation about the mine workings installed in a joint project between The Crown Estate and Moray Council.

Sunny Winter

Bluefolds on the hillside below Ben Rinnes

Beautifully lit trees in Glenlivet

Looking west across frozen Loch Droma

Sunset north of Ullapool looking across Loch Broom

It is hard to believe that we are already in the 2nd month of 2012. Where did January go? I am glad to say that the weather, apart from some high winds, has been much milder and dryer and sunnier than for the last 2 winters. The last few days although very cold, has been very sunny and it has tempted me to don my outdoor clothes and walk in Glenlivet and then further a field with a friend over to  Ullapool on the west coast.  I have been watching on the TV about David Hockney's new Exhibition at the Royal Academy in London which is all to do with new ways of taking photos and painting and how to see more in the landscapes that we take for granted on a daily basis. I am certainly trying to be more observant as I drive around Scotland. It is lovely to be able to drive around and enjoy the stunning winter light.

Happy Christmas

I love the poem below written by a visitor to Bluefolds in April. She has summed up perfectly for me what a holiday at Bluefolds can be like. It is called:

Look Through the Window

View to Cairngorm mountains

Look through the window
What do you see
The beautiful Country
A Fest for the eye

Look at the sky
What do you see
The stars shining bright
A moon that is full

Look at the ground
What do you see
The peat for the Whisky
A land full of hope

Black faced lambs in the field

Look at the pastures
What do you see
Sheep that are grazing
Lambs at their side

Look at the mountains
What do you see
Snow in the distance
On top of the world

Look at the weather
What do you see

Watching the weather over the distillery

A moment of sunshine
The clouds come and go

I've seen through the window
A glimpse to admire
Time stood still
At Bluefolds for a while

 Ann O'Donel

14 April 2011

Summer around Elgin

The weather has certainly been a mixed bag this summer where ever I have been in Scotland. It has been a challenge to get out and take photos in sunshine showing the beauty of the area. During August, I was called to be a Juror at the Sheriff Court in Elgin. In the end after listening to an afternoon of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was no case to answer and the Jury was dismissed. I took the opportunity to go around Elgin Cathedral, Biblical Garden and to visit the Cygnets in Cooper Park on a lovely day when I had thought to be in doors listening intently to witnesses! More Photos of a day around Elgin

Days Out from Bluefolds Holiday Cottages in May

April and May have been beautiful months with lots of sunshine and in April lovely warm weather. It has been cooler in May, but still with lots of sunshine. I have taken every opportunity to get out and take photographs around the local area. After a trip to the Braes of Glenlivet where the Braeval distillery was looking very smart and hard at work distilling whisky, I took a walk along part of the River Livet looking out for wild flowers. Later I took a trip across the River Spey at Marypark and along the back road to Grantown on Spey before heading for Boat of Garten to the RSPB reserve to see EJ the Osprey sitting on her 3 eggs. I plan to go back later and see her when the chicks are hatched which will be any day now. View photographs from this trip at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ejbluefolds/DaysOutFromBluefoldsHolidayCottages#

Glenlivet and Moray

Glenlivet & Moray Slideshow: Elizabeth’s trip from Bluefolds Highland Holiday Cottages (near Glenlivet, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom) to 10 cities Grantown-on-Spey, Brodie Castle (near Forres, Moray), Dufftown, Lossiemouth, Craigellachie, Findhorn, Aberlour, Portsoy, Cullen and Huntly was created by TripAdvisor. See another United Kingdom slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.