Mountain to Sea: Section 3
Dyce to the Seaports
Dyce to Newmachar: 4 miles
Today I walked with Christine Sell, a teacher from Huntly. We walked along the so-called Formatine and Buchan Way (quite a mouth full, I need to think of the name for my own walk). This is the old railway line from Aberdeen to Peterhead and also to Fraserburgh.
Christine reminded my of the stones that the children painted during Covid. They might make a good way of marking the route, if made en masse.
The night I stayed in the Newmachar Hotel where many oil rig workers are residing before they are going off-shore. Had a good chat with them.
Topics: colourful stones, family, working on rig
Newmachar to Ellon: 10 miles
Ah that was a bit of a messy day. First of all it rained. But then I was meant to meet the Udny Health Walkers, but never realised that Udny is not on the path and so I criss-crossed the area, till I got much too late to my meeting. But thanks to Jill from the Udny Development Trust I still had a good chat over a warming cup of tea. An interesting thing she said was that they, the younger people wanted to protect the older people they are working for. But the older people were itching to get back to the health walks and other activities.
I then got lost 2 more times, once really in the middle of a forest -only because I wanted to take a short-cut. But it was a long-cut, if such a thing exists. I finally arrived in Ellon and met with Kirsty and Moira the librarians in Ellon Library. They told me how they like many other council workers were reallocated jobs during the lockdown. They had to man the Covid helpline, and even tend the vaccine car park in the winter. That must have been rather stressful. Luckily the library is open again and it seems well attended.
Topics: Older folks want to walk, family, home schooling, amenities shutting down, people being shifted to other jobs, baking scones, stressful to manage people, older children living back home again.
A Day in Ellon
Oh today was a busy one. I started at the Foodbank, which was run by the Baptist Church. Clearly the Foodbank became much busier over Covid. But the community had come together and a lot of donations have come in.
I then met with T who set up a group of dog walkers for men who are alone or were facing Mental Health issues. Himself coming out of difficult circumstances he was keen not to let go during Covid and persuaded his MP and then the police to let the walkers form bubbles so that they could walk in groups of 4 during the lockdown.
After that, I met with Carmel, who is quite an Ellon activist and Raye from Huntly. Both agreed, that it was a difficult time and the isolation was awful but good for their gardens.
I spent the afternoon with the Sheltered Housing complex. Some 10 residents met me over a cup of tea and cakes that I brought. My fears had come true and it was clear how hurtful the lockdown was for those mainly elderly residents. This is where frustration meets anger. One resident told me how she was not able to hold the hand of her partner as he was dying - this even in the only 15 minutes she was allowed to spend with him.
My B+B owner was a scientist who was seconded from his normal job to serve as a government advisor on what measures to take according to a) Covid health, b) general health, c) mental health, d) economy.
Finished the day at the Brewdog factory and restaurant with a pizza.
Topics: food poverty, churches important, isolation, loosing job, not visiting relatives passing, locked in, tea through window, dog walking, men only walking, police helping, Covid Science.
Ellon to Old Deer: 14.5 miles
Back on the Formartine and Buchan railway path, today I walked with Sibylle from Huntly. Her main difficulties were to provide teaching from her rural home, which had limited internet capacity.
A long way, but beautiful passing the village of Maud with excellent ice cream shop.
Topics: Teaching difficult, internet mishaps, family together, gardening, oil workers in hotel quarantaine.
A Day in and around Old Deer
To start with I talked to my B+B hosts Carrie and Martin, who bought this historic house 2 weeks before lockdown. They had little choice, as they would not fall under the furlough scheme, nor could they access grants. Instead, they got their garden and allotment going, which now feeds the B+B.
Then I walked to Aden Country Park Health Walkers. One of them was 70 days in the Covid ward. OMG! Another one told me how difficult it was to visit his wife who as a dementia sufferer is based in a care home. She did not understand what was going on and things were so difficult to communicate.
Later I met the various people who run Aden Country Park.
Topics: funeral through whatsapp in car park, dog walking, long-time in hospital, relative passing, young business suffering, allotments, setting up new hobbies, moving house several times, walking as a saviour, getting Covid in care home.
Old Deer to Peterhead: 11 Miles
Today I walked with three people from Huntly. One is a care worker, the other two run a small business.
Topics: managing staff, people in care, PPE, children in Australia, not meeting family, time for gardening, bee keeping, people cared for dying.
Two days Peterhead
I spent my last days in Peterhead with breakfast with two people who joined me from Huntly. They were in the shielding category having a difficult time being locked in almost totally.
A local councillor told me of all the ups and downs of Peterhead, her husband a fisherman at the time brought me aware of the struggles of businesses in the area.
At the foodbank the manager told me the harrowing stories of the speedy rise of food bank requirements after a lot of Zero Hour workers were laid off on the day the lockdown was announced. This unprecedented need led to leaving a lot of people in the lurch. Another component that added to the seriousness of their situation was that a lot of the volunteers left, as they were of a shielding age. Many of them never came back.
My last visit on this journey was to Grampian Prison, where I met staff and inmates in their double-locked situation during the pandemic.
Topics: ZERO hours, fishing and Brexit/Export, building a park, losing volunteers, babies born, children not adapting, locked in rooms, lack of communication.
Remembering Together: Aberdeenshire has been commissioned by Greenspace Scotland in partnership with Live Life Aberdeenshire's Cultural Services. It is funded by the Scottish Government.