Mountain to Sea: Section 2
Braemar to Dyce
A Day in Braemar
Meeting a lady well in her nineties whose craft kept her going. The Braemar knitting group whose members knit anything from ducks to large community projects. A family of health workers. A shop keeper whose husband passed. Owners of the mountain equipment shop. An artist in residence. The curator of a large art-loving hotel.
Topics: enjoying outdoors, having more time, craft keeps you going, sewing/winning against airbnb, second home owners moving to place, worry about people coming from cities, winter outdoor sports thriving, people policing others, local coop a lifeline.
Braemar to Crathie
Today I walked with Eileen and Roy two people from Huntly who are highly engaged in cross country skiing. The route took us from Braemar via Lions Face and Invercauld and Balmoral Estate with the Queen in residence.
Topics: Shopping for older people, People understanding rules differently. Local shops did a great job. Lots of gardening. Children could not visit from abroad. Queen not in residence in 2020.
Crathie to Ballater
Walked with Nick. A lot of it was on the old South Deeside Road. One of the best features is that you see Lochnagar along the way. In Ballater I met with the people who run the Heritage Hub there. I also met with the local library people.
What was interesting for me was that Ballater is the home of Patrick Geddes. I was very excited about that. So I tried to find his footsteps. I found his birth home, which is above an ice cream shop. But when I asked the shopkeepers, they had never heard of him.
Topics: walking important, looking at your own place, library closed, homeschooling, kept homeschooling after Covid, library workers placed to other jobs. too many cars at Loch Muick.
Ballater to Tarland
Walked with James a retired history teacher. Visited a small scaled eco-farm and Yvonne at her apiary. Stayed with an artist-photographer.
Topics: Finding peace. Hearing the birds. Seeing the insects. Gardening. Baking. Learning sourdough bread making. Starting a new beg business. Baby born in lockdown. Local health care centre not inviting patients. Doctors meet patients at their cars. Fundraising difficult as other priorities. Bees thriving.
Tarland to Tornaveen
Today I walked with Sheila a teacher and art officer and Anke, the photographer I stayed with.
Topics: Gardening a lifeline. Space. Sunny weather. Meeting grand children in garden. Shielding for sick child. Thanking for space.
Tornaveen to Sauchen
I stayed and walked with an artist who had an enormous loss in her life.
Topics: Tree planting, funerals, community, art, Medical care beyond Covid (lack of).
Sauchen to Westhill
Stayed with Jo a heritage worker who moved back to her parents during Covid. Walked with Jo in the morning. Walked in the after noon with Mike, a photographer and outdoor educator. Visited an ex-seaman.
Topics: community, music, digital linking, shopping at the door, family, vegetable garden, talking over the fence.
Westhill to Dyce
Stayed and walked with a photographer and an art worker, visiting a retired fisherman on the way.
Topics: Christmas outdoors to accommodate family, chaotic rules, forming walking bubbles, shopping in different far places, county boundaries.
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.
