Cullen & Findlater Castle - MASARNEN RAMBLERS

Cullen & Findlater Castle - Friday 29 March 2024

Route

Cullen - Muckle Hythe - Portlong Hythe - Dicky Hare - Logie Head - Sunnyside - Findlater Castle - Sunnyside - Logie House - Seatown - Cullen

Parking

The Square Car Park in Cullen (Free) which is on Seafield Street - there is free parking on both sides of the Square. The Grid Reference is NJ 51257 67112 and the nearest postcode is AB56 4SG.

Mileage

6.1 miles

Terrain

Seafront, beach, field and cliff top paths

Weather

Sunshine yet chilly with light breezes. During the latter part of the walk we did get overcast conditions for a short spell.

Time Taken

3hrs 45mins

Total Ascent

610ft (186m)

Map

OS Explorer 425 - Huntly & Cullen

Walkers

Dave, Angie & Fudge

GPX File

gpx findlater_castle_actual_29_mar_24.gpx

If the above GPX file fails to download or presents itself as an XML file once downloaded then please feel free to contact me and I will send you the GPX file via e-mail.

Route Map

As with our walk a few days ago, we started off the day with breakfast at Lily's Kitchen Cafe

Whilst we were preparing to leave Cullen we got chatting to a local who had a holiday let in Cullen. We chatted for a while and clearly bored with the conversation Fudge decided to get his head down in the Car Park - either that or he had been rendered unconscious by the whiff coming from Angie's shoes.

Had to check whether this guy was real therefore gave him a quick dig in the ribs - thankfully he wasn't

Cullen Harbour - now mainly used by pleasure craft and part time fishing boats. Cullen harbour was designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1817 & 1897. An additional quay was later added in 1834 and further extended in 1886-7. The small harbour is emptied by the tide therefore boats sit on the sandy bottom at low water.

An Iron Capstan located on the harbour wall at Cullen. The Capstan has a socket for 10 bars, dates from 1848 and was made by Blakie Brothers of Aberdeen.

With Fudge at the tapering white iron tower of Cullen Lighthouse. Located at the end of the east breakwater, the original lighthouse dates back to 1866 and the current tower is thought to have been established around 1888.

Looking to our outward route along the harbour wall towards Seatown

Just a question of keeping the sea on our left as we join the Moray Coastal Trail towards Findlater Castle

Whilst we have driven past the odd Pet Cemetery we have never seen one up close

Cullen's Pet Cemetery couldn't be in a better place - right next to the sea. It was clear to see that it has been beautifully cared for.

The route continues along a purpose built path

The Moray Firth - whilst it was a tad chilly, we couldn't have picked a better day to do this walk

Looking across Cullen Bay to Portknockie

Fudge engages "bimble mode" as we continue along the path

No time for a sit down Fudge, we have only been walking 10 minutes

A lovely spot for a picnic as we head along Portlong Hythe with Logie Head sweeping around in the distance

The terrain was now over a rougher path as we continue on towards Logie Head

Looking back towards Cullen and the promontory of Bikie's Goat

Rounding the promontory of Dicky Hare - this was the start of a bit of a rollercoaster until we had passed Logie Head

Rocks below Dicky Hare

Approaching Logie Head

The route drops down to & crosses a small inlet to then rise again to Logie Head

The rocks of Logie Head which as can be seen is a very popular climbing spot

Angie climbs up to join Fudge and I at Logie Head

The path drops steeply via "The Giant's Steps" to regain the beach below Logie Head

At the bottom of the steps is a memorial erected by the people of Cullen to commemorate Tony Hetherington. Tony built the steps we had just descended single handedly in 1987. Over the years, and with the passing of time, the constant battering by storm and the elements gradually eroded the original path until the route became very dangerous and almost impassable. Now, thanks to the great skill and magnanimity of Tony, the Giant’s Steps as they are called have been restored. Single-handed and without the aid of machinery, he replaced the huge boulders in what was a mammoth task, entailing almost 400 hours of labour and dangerous manhandling on a narrow ledge 100ft above sharp rocks. The steps have been re-routed straight up the middle of the cliff face. Sadly, Tony was tragically drowned in a canoeing accident in Austria a few years ago.

Logie Head (Click Play to view)

The fang toothed sea stacks at Logie Head

Another view of the sea stacks - what a beautiful day to be out

The Logie Head Sea Stacks (Click Play to view)

Looking back to Logie Head from below Sunnyside

Approaching West Sands - by this time the going had become a little easier

The former home of "The Cullen Caveman", Charlie Marioni

Probably the most legendary figure in the history of Cullen, Charlie the “hermit’, is still remembered by many who are still living in the town. An article below recounts the story of this reclusive figure.

Charlie and his Cave

The article written by Andrew Saunders recounting the story of Charlie the Cullen Caveman

At Grid Reference NJ 53555 67322 a path on the right heads gradually up to the headland

Reaching the headland a grassy path leads to Findlater Castle

Findlater Castle

The castle dates from the 15th Century and is the old seat of the Earls of Findlater and Seafield. The Castle rock seen below on which Findlater stands sits 50ft below the level of the mainland cliffs and is surrounded by steep cliffs and was once spanned by a bridge. In the mid 16th Century, possession of the Lands of Findlater passed from the Ogilvy family to the Gordons, resulting in a bitter feud between the families. Dramatic events unfolded and the Gordons rebelled and ultimately the Castle was held against the forces of Mary Queen of Scots. The rebellion was short lived and the Gordons were ultimately defeated at the Battle of Corrichie and Sir John Gordon was subsequently beheaded in the presence of the Queen. Following these events, the Castle was repossessed by the Ogilvies but was abandoned in the mid 1600s in favour of Cullen House in the town.

Sorry Fudge, the Castle is strictly off limits for you - too many places you can fall through unfortunately

Findlater Castle (Click Play to view)

Looking back towards Cullen from the headland above Findlater Castle

With Angie & Fudge waiting on the headland I made my way down to the Castle. The route down to the Castle is not overly difficult - I just took my time.

Entering Findlater Castle

To the left is the lower section of a part of the Castle known as The Palace - it looked to me that it could drop into the sea below at any time.

A video of me stepping on to Findlater Castle (Click Play to view)

The ruins of Findlater Castle (Click Play to view)

Not much left of the building on the northern tip of the Castle

Looking east to Crathie Point

I was able to drop down into The Palace but care needs to be taken

The view through one of the arches

The Findlater Castle Viewpoint - on a very windy day this would be the best place to view the Castle

From the viewpoint we retraced our steps back down the path coming up from Logie Head

At Grid Reference NJ 53064 67669) an old tyre marks the start of a path that leads to the headland on Sunnyside. As usual Fudge seems to be asking the question "is it this way?"