So……….picking up where I left off yesterday. Once past the little wooden fence and the rather scary bit where you see the path collapsed into the sea, you round the corner and Dickmont den comes into view.
This is a deep inlet in the cliff with a small island at the entrance. This was the major ‘dropping off’ stop for the smugglers. There are narrow slit caves in the cliff almost at sea level.
These let light into the large cave above the shore which was used by the smugglers to hide their goods. This cave is linked to the sea by a tunnel and this was their anchorage.
The steep narrow track from the cliff top to the tunnels is still there today, but its dangerous, overgrown and out of bounds to all but the most reckless. 
After Dickmont Den, the footpath rises slightly giving more excellent views of the sea and the cliff face.
And then, the long narrow stretch of grassy cliff top, complete with conveniently placed bench seat comes into view. I sat myself there for a while watching the sea.
August and September are good months to catch site of the dolphins swimming north to the Moray Firth, and today was a good day to dolphin watch. I spotted a pair swimming north, they were not playing and jumping, they only surfaced to get air and then carried on with their journey. Again, I wished for a good camera. With a good camera I could happily sit on that little bench, maybe take a picnic and admire the views waiting for the perfect photo opportunity. I didn’t bother even trying to get photos yesterday. The dolphins were too far out and my camera is not up to the job.
This bench, beside being the place to dolphin spot, gives wonderful views of the stack known as De’ils’s Heid ( Devils Head). It was here that a new cave was discovered a couple of years ago. This cave was completely hidden from view, someone had filled in the hole in the cliff face leaving space to fit a door and porthole window with a roomy ‘cave’ space behind. This was then carpeted and fitted with furniture. There was a sturdy rope, chain and wood ladder from the cave ‘door’ to the sea below. So far, the ‘owner’ of this cave has not been found but the ladder has been removed to protect the public from their own stupidity. 
The long split running through the rock at the base of the De’il’s Heid is known as ‘the three story house’. This split widens and narrows along its length and only at its narrowest points can it be crossed.
Before I left home I had made a mental note of how far I wanted to go. My chosen destination for that day was a place called Maiden Castle. It’s not actually a castle; it is the ancient remains of a cliff top defensive settlement or fort. When I have shown people pictures of this in the past their automatic reaction is ‘oh that’s a long barrow, an ancient burial place’. I can see why they would think this, but its not, it’s a fort used by Iron Age people as a defensive dwelling place. As you turn a corner in the cliff top path, Maiden Castle comes into view.
And that is it for now. I will continue with the tale of Maiden castle later.
Walking the cliffs Sept 8 2012
So at last we have the ‘Indian Summer’ we have all been promised. Today was one of the best days of the year. Every thing came together today, weather was great, no arrangements, didn’t have to see any one, go any where or do any thing. My eyesight is better than is has been since before surgery, I can still see the little black bubble but its quite small and sits at the bottom of my vision. And the weather is kind to my joints, they are just about as good as they are ever going to be. What to do?? I know, I’ll go for a walk along the cliffs. It must be a couple of years since my last walk along there and its definitely time to re-visit. I love walking the cliffs, it’s just not as easy as it used to be. When I sat down to sort through all my photos I realised todays’ little jaunt is going to be split into a couple of posts, far too many photos to put into one blog.
To get there it’s a short walk from where I live, walk to the end of the road, down the track at the back of the pub, along the top of the park and over the footbridge. The foot bridge was particularly spectacular today. It’s an ordinary bridge but when the sun in high in the sky and the light is good, as they were today, the shadows make dramatic patterns across the path. At the end of the path is the signpost………..not that a sign post is needed, every one can see the path leads to the cliffs.
The sea was blue and the tide was in which made viewing the old ‘swimming pool’ pretty easy. Its not a manufactured pool of course but a natural pool in the sea. It’s an inlet into the rock that once had a diving board and a wooden walkway out to it. It was very popular with the town folk until the lido was opened at the other end of the town in 1934.
Just around the corner from the old swimming pool you can see the ancient cart tracks on the rocky beach. These are a series of deep cut tracks carved into the rock by cartwheels at the base of the cliffs. These tracks were made as early as 1150 by horse drawn carts carrying stone. This is where much of the stone was quarried to build the Abbey, after that the stone continued to be used to build many of the houses in the town.
After the ancient tracks, the path climbs a little giving good views of the sea.
There are much worn footpaths down to lower parts of the cliffs, I used to go some way down but now I stick to the safer upper path. 
The tiny inlet is known as Mermaids Kirk, there used to be steep footpaths leading all the way down which were used by smugglers.
After The Mermaids Kirk you get to the Needle’s E’e. I was lucky that today was such a nice day there were quite a lot of people climbing over the Needle, this is where I started seriously wishing I had a good quality camera.
I think that has to be top of my wish list for when I am officially retired; a decent camera so I can sit at the cliff top and watch what happened below. After the Needle’s E’e more views of the sea below and then …. The fence!
There was a fence across the footpath with a notice saying the path was closed because it was dangerous. But, people being people, another pathway had been made by countless feet treading their way behind the fence. Half way across that little dirt path behind the fence, I saw the reason the main path was closed.
A great chunk of pathway had fallen into the sea. That did look a bit scary, and it was less than a metre away !!
And that is just about all I can fit into one session. The next installment of my illustrated walk will follow asap.
The hospital appointment went OK, apparently the eye is exactly as it should be this far after surgery. In about 20% of cases the retina does detach again but in my case, so far so good. I now have a slight cataract which will at some point need more surgery, but for now, every thing is OK.
My sight in that eye is gradually returning all I have to do now is finish off the eye drops, wait 12 weeks for a sight test and then get new glasses. After 12 weeks the eye will be a good as it’s ever going to be.
The bad news is… I may be fit enough to go back to work at the end of next week, and retuning to work isn’t high on my list of priorities. Especially now we are experiencing the long awaited ‘Indian Summer’.
Yep, its here at last, maybe not for long, and still with wet rainy days, but generally speaking, we are having warm sunny days. And, I’m feeling fit enough for gentle walks in the park while photographing trees silhouetted against blue skies. 
After Dickmont Den, the footpath rises slightly giving more excellent views of the sea and the cliff face. 
This bench, beside being the place to dolphin spot, gives wonderful views of the stack known as De’ils’s Heid ( Devils Head). It was here that a new cave was discovered a couple of years ago. This cave was completely hidden from view, someone had filled in the hole in the cliff face leaving space to fit a door and porthole window with a roomy ‘cave’ space behind. This was then carpeted and fitted with furniture. There was a sturdy rope, chain and wood ladder from the cave ‘door’ to the sea below. So far, the ‘owner’ of this cave has not been found but the ladder has been removed to protect the public from their own stupidity. 
The long split running through the rock at the base of the De’il’s Heid is known as ‘the three story house’. This split widens and narrows along its length and only at its narrowest points can it be crossed.
Before I left home I had made a mental note of how far I wanted to go. My chosen destination for that day was a place called Maiden Castle. It’s not actually a castle; it is the ancient remains of a cliff top defensive settlement or fort. When I have shown people pictures of this in the past their automatic reaction is ‘oh that’s a long barrow, an ancient burial place’. I can see why they would think this, but its not, it’s a fort used by Iron Age people as a defensive dwelling place. As you turn a corner in the cliff top path, Maiden Castle comes into view. 
