Day 23 – The safe and wonderful haven of Collieston

• Peterhead to Collieston
• 28 kms

Another sunny start to the day. I ate some breakfast and then packed up, trying hard to keep as much sand as possible where it belonged on the beach and not in my kayak. Only one person walked by before I left. His dog couldn’t resist an unexpected kayak trolley wheel to anoint with his scent.

The offshore westerly breeze made for easy paddling past Peterhead and its busy harbour. I stopped at the north side of the harbour entrance to watch a pilot launch come out. I’d been monitoring VHF ch14 for local vessel movements and decided it best to request permission to cross the harbour entrance. I was asked to proceed with haste as there was an incoming vessel, but I got the impression they appreciated the courtesy of the request.

After I passed Buchan Ness, the wind swung round to the southwest, where it remained for the remainder of the day. This slowed my progress even though the generally weak tidal flow was in my favour.

After passing Slains Castle, I stopped for lunch below the golf course at Cruden Bay. Only a few hundred metres from where I’d had dinner last night.

The cliffs between Cruden Bay and Collieston were interesting, too, and full of birds. However, although the wind had dropped, the clapotis on this section was particularly active. I couldn’t risk taking the camera out.

I arrived in Collieston in two minds on whether I should just take a short rest here and then continue on to Hackley Bay or call it a day here. There were children playing in the water and mothers looking on. After a chat with Jess and a short wander around, I decided that this idyllic spot would suit just fine. Jess clinched the deal with her very generous offer to make my dinner!

I set up camp and then sat at a picnic table sorting photos and loading my GPS track to Strava. Jess brought me my dinner on a tray, and I chatted to her and her two delightful children about their life in Collieston and my trip around the heart of Scotland.

In the late evening, I took a walk to Hackley Bay through the Forvie Nature Reserve. On my return, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic border terrier and its owner doing a bit of gardening. He had been a Lighthouse Board helicopter pilot and yacht owner and therefore knew the Scottish coast intimately. He was interested in my journey and filled me in on some local history. Thomas Blake Glover, the “Scottish Samurai”, had once lived in Collieston.