10%

Sail Away No More

Scotland Day One Part Three

Por Tineke Ziemer

22 de May de 2017

The old fishing village of Collieston

Not far from the Sands of Forvie, lies the village of Collieston. What was once a thriving fishing community, sought out by people from all over Britain for their famous "Collieston Speldings" (salted and sun-dried haddock and whiting), is now a teeny, commuter village of two hundred. Remnants of its glory days still remain and I was enthralled with the colourful floats, nets strewn about, and the many boats that sat ashore. I found myself particularly drawn to grounded boats during this entire trip - fascinated by their stories - and this was my first encounter with them, though I would meet many more as the days unfolded. (I fell in love with boats that were merely docked for the day and boats that had not lifted anchor for decades. I lost myself in their sad tales and I photographed countless vessels throughout the fifteen days. If you follow along with my blog, you will undoubtedly make the acquaintance of every single one of them yourself.)

My first impression of Collieston was hard to beat. We parked near the sea and followed a little path to a lookout over the ocean. I was less interested in the ocean views and more fascinated by what I saw behind me: Slains Kirk, standing guard over rolling hills of yellow, green and red (at least that's how I describe the colour of the soil in Scotland: terracotta red just like Prince Edward Island!)

"Little Old Church on the Rolling Hills"

I followed another little trail around the edge of a hill, and suddenly there was the village of Collieston, stretching out along beautiful sandy shores littered with colourful boats. I felt my heart beat a little faster.

The path wound around the hillside, leading us beside terraced houses and aquamarine pots brimming with flowers. What a warm welcome!

I scrambled up and down the banks and captured the quirky, colourful, vivid details as fast as I could. We didn't have much time and before long, the rest of the crew was already heading back to the van. Thankfully, everyone patiently waited for me and I hopped back in feeling exhilarated. Collieston, you are a true gem! Thank you for giving me a glimpse into your charming life by the sea.

(Don't forget to vote for your favourite by commenting with the title. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning on my Northern Persona facebook page.)