Mini road
trip with Kaff today – heading North to Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Kinnaird Head
and Macduff. We packed our lunch into the picnic basket, made sure we all had
wet weather gear just in case then hit the road.
First stop
was the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh. Roni was over excited
and hopping about like a wee kid on arrival...brought back to earth with a
thump when she read on the door that now the museum was closed for winter...
Gutted.
Fortunately
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse was just behind the museum and though meant to be
locked up...it wasn’t! Bray clambered about in the Buoy park and we smelt the
goodness of the fish net drying area before Roni scampered off to touch the
lighthouse. She peered in the window at the engine room and trotted around the
corner to the garden and Assistant Keeper’s cottage before meeting the
caretaker and tootling back out to the others! Kinnaird Head lighthouse was the
only Northern Lighthouse Board lighthouse to use an existing building (a
castle) and designed by Robert Stevenson.
We looked at eider ducks and small fishing boats off the coast, Bray dipped his
head in the COLD water near the foghorn before slipping and sliding around the
corner to investigate the old wine tower. We appreciated the info about it –
including a romantic legend or two – and
Roni went down to touch the waves crashing below it.
Back on the
road again after a quick look at the centre of Fraserburgh and a loo stop and
we were off to Macduff.
The aquarium
at Macduff was AWESOME and all three of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly! We
witnessed the delivery and release of a courier box full of jellyfish, had an
educational talk from one of the staff, patted some anemone and starfish in the
‘kids touch pool’ and learnt a thing or two we didn’t know before...one thing
was about how dogfish and other sharks lay eggs in little pod like things to
make babies and another that octopi are brown when happy and white when afraid.
We met a flat fish called Martha who when fully grown could reach 8ft long and
weigh up to 120kg!! The vast array of creatures that live in the waters around
Scotland was amazing to see and they have a great facility there in Macduff to
educate people and help sustain marine life all around Scotland.
We
eventually tore ourselves away and enjoyed a car picnic before heading back
toward Aberdeen.
Adam and
Bray made delicious nachos for dinner which we all enjoyed before ‘laxing with
some PS2 and TV time.
