Peterhead

What began as a simple bucket list check-off turned out to be a brilliant wander!

The bus trip from Aberdeen is around 1 1/2 and only £12.60/$16 return and the weather was grand.

We past a Trump Golf Course on the way but I didn’t see anything to photograph. This is the one where Michel Forbes refused to sell and still has his family house surrounded by the course much to Mr. Trump’s displeasure. I remember a number of years ago when it opened that Trump had complained to then FM Alex Salmond about the “eyesore ” offshore wind farm.  Here’s a photo of that:

Can’t see ’em? not surprising as they are too far offshore.  The east coast of Scotland often looks like this.  No trees but dramatic cliffs.  The best I’ve seen were near Dunnottar Castle in the Stonehaven area seen in a post from 2015.

When I got off the bus it was less than a mile walk to the town center on a near summers day.

I stopped to photograph the statue of Field Marshall James Keith later to find out he got his rank in the Prussian Army of Frederick the Great. As I was taking the shot there was a man doing a video sitting at the base.  Stuart is a Methodist minister and he pointed out that the statue is pointing one way whilst looking another.  He said that FM Keith chose the pose due to the one street being Narrow St and the Gate through the buildings being on Broad St. for FM Keith contemplated the Gospel of Matthew” 7:13&14,

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

When I told him my particular mission that day was to find the most eastern point of Scotland he told me to jump in the van and off we went.

Most often the lighthouse is accredited as the point but according to Stuart and the men at the security spot who allowed me to pass through for photos, the wall I was leaning on for stability is technically the spot.  Good thing for if I had tried to hike to the lighthouse, I would have probably missed my bus back to Aberdeen. And a much better adventure happened!

Stuart then dropped me off at the Port Authority building. No attempt at conversion or anything, LOL, but as I watched him interact with people I could see his focus was keeping folks on the better path and they all seemed to appreciate his efforts.  We discussed religion a bit, he’s apparently not fond of Catholics per se, (I don’t think Methodists ever are) and I voiced my lack of religious inclination but also my tolerance for those whose believes differ. We were both glad that we had met.  I wanted to see the famed Peterhead fish market but when I asked around where it was I was told by divers people that it was “no’ open to the public”.

The harbor is amazing and undergoing a major rebuild including dredging to allow for the bigger boats today. Aberdeen is granite. Edinburgh is Portland Limestone.  Peterhead is sandstone hence the blood-red water.

 

I can’t imagine the seals can see underwater due to the silt from the dredging.  They must use scent to find fish.

Ever since I worked as a salesperson for Chesire/A Xerox Company in 1978, I have held the belief that if you don’t ask the question, the answer is NO.  So I always ask.  Sometimes it is sometimes it isn’t.  Today I was glad I asked.  I found a sign indicating an Exhibition and, since that seemed to imply it was open to the public, I went in. The place had at least a half dozen OAPs all busy getting ready for something. And when I introduced myself, playing the “I’m from New Bedford, the biggest financial fishing port in America where I had worked for years” card, they opened right up.  I said I was hoping to visit the market but had heard it was closed to the public. The exhibit is wee but jammed with pictures, ship models and examples of the clothing once worn in this ancient herring port. And one of the men gave me a history of the place. The harbor was so busy in the days of sail that when the boats were in you could walk from one to the other clear across the harbor.

One of the folks had gone to tell someone of authority that here was gentleman from Massachusetts interested in seeing what could be seen.  Sally is the person who runs the fish market and she was a delight. Although the  boats were over an hour from beginning to offload she offered to show me around.

The space is vast and was nearly empty just then with only a couple of containers of by-catch fish, fish too small to be legally caught and sold and therefore destined for fertilizer or animal feed.  Seemed like a waste but they need to discourage the harvesting of immature fish.

Each of the painted areas can hold about 90 2’x3′ tubs of fish weighing in at around 100#/45kg

And they mark the location by type of fish when they arrive

 

We went outside and then Sally asked if I’d like to see the control tower where the harbour master would direct the traffic.  I never say no to something new and a one-time opportunity. With fishing boats, oil tankers and recreational craft, it  can be a very hectic place.

The lighthouse is over 200 years old and stands on what was once the edge of the harbor with all the surrounding land having been reclaimed.  As you can see the views are fantastic.

The large building on the left is where boats are hauled for bottom work and painting

 

The brand new blue vessel is  enormous with a length of 79m/260ft and width of 16m/53ft and cost over £26m/$33m they have heated floors, movie theater and other courtesies to make like at sea easier for the crew.  I can not recall their capacity.  The are pelagic trawlers the focus on fish like mackerel etc.

You can see where the new seawall will be as the harbor us widened

The scoop can hold 16 tons

Spotted this oil tanker heading out and Bill, the soon to be retired harbor controller showed it to me on the radar

You do’t often see a building with windshield wipers but when the rain is blowing in from the east, the people in the control tower still need to see.

That is the roof of the receiving warehouse I was standing in giving an idea again of it’s size.

By now a couple of boats were beginning to offload so we headed downstairs so I cold see the show.

First there is a board showing what is coming in. I didn’t recognize the names of some of the fish like satire, ling and witches and you can see that they will be handling over 200,000 lbs. of fish that afternoon from basically 2 boats.

Sally had to go to work now and left me to wander on my own so I started outside at the beginning.

It was amazing to watch them lift and swing the crates into place on the pallet. And inside the dance was beginning to pick up speed. Each man not only knew what he had to do but what everyone else was doing at the same time.  A thing of beauty for a couple of hours.

I tried to identify as many fish as I could and the lads were happy to tell what I didn’t know.  When I first spotted both monk and wolffish, they were impressed.

Pollock has big eyes.

Ling is in the cod family and were the biggest fish I saw.

In an hour the place had nearly 1000 tubs of fish

Kept cool by the overhead cooling system.

By now the boots I was wearing on the cold concrete floor were starting to hurt my feet so I decided that it was a good time to call it an adventure but not before I was given a souvenir. The pin is mine.

The trip back to Aberdeen was easy. Seeing the harbor from the opposite side, past the prison and a country church.

And when I looked out the bus window at another Brewdog back in Aberdeen, it was time to debark for a Jet Black Heart. 4.7% with a hint of chocolate and very, very smooth.

 

Now that’s what I call a grand day wandering Scotland!