Scotland 2025: Montrose, Inverbervie, St.Cyrus, Kineff Church

Following our spectacular cliffside hike in Arbroath, we stopped at the coastal port town Montrose before heading to Inverbervie, our final destination of the evening. At the harbour is the Montrose Lifeboat Station which was established in 1800 by local shipowners. The station has a long history of daring recoveries including the rescue of East Prussian brig Henriette in 1872. It is still an active base today and part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. There are a pair of sculptures at the harbour including one of “Bamse”, a Saint Bernard deemed a WWII hero when he accompanied his owner, a Captain of the Norwegian Navy, onto the minesweeper warship Thorodd. Registered as an official crew member, Bamse saved a lieutenant from being attacked, and dragged back another sailor who had fallen overboard. Bamse is buried in Montrose with full military honours, a short distance away from his statue. The other sculpture is titled “The Seafarer” by William Lamb (1978), acting as a memorial for past seamen and fishermen of Montrose and Ferryden, the neighbouring fishing village across the River South Esk.

While in Montrose, we had lunch at Roo’s Leap, an Australian-themed restaurant that offers burgers, pastas, salads, grilled meats and vegetarian options. Despite its name and décor, it does not offer kangaroo or any other exotic meats. However, it was fun dining underneath a boxing kangaroo hanging on the wall and seeing the “roo-themed” mobile at the front.  We each ordered an Angus steak sandwich with crispy onions & fried egg served with a small salad and potato chips. The restaurant is attached to and overlooks the historic Montrose Links 1562 Championship Golf Course, one of the oldest links courses in the world, featuring rolling fairways, gorse dunes and coastal views of the North Sea.

After lunch, we crossed the Montrose Bridge over the River South Esk to Ferryden for another short hike. Heading towards the start of the trail, we passed by the remnants of the early 19th Century Ferryden Infant School, established to help educate the children of fishermen’s families, starting from age 3.  Attached to the wall of the school is a bas-relief carving titled “Ferryden Fishwives” also by William Lamb who created the Seafarer sculpture in Montrose. We planned to walk the coastal portion of the Scurdie Ness and Usain Circular Loop, going as far as the Scurdie Ness Lighthouse. Completing the route would involve heading inland through farmers’ fields with a warning to beware of cows and their calves.  I wanted no part of this, so it was just as well that we didn’t have time to walk the entire loop.

Strolling along the picturesque, paved trail towards the lighthouse, we passed by a row of houses that backed onto a sandy beach by the river. Many of the homes had clotheslines with laundry hung on them that ran from their back fences across the beach.  As we rose higher, we had great views of the river and Montrose on the other side.  Ferryden is known for its ancient monuments and navigational aids that assisted in bringing ships safely to shore, avoiding shifting sands and hidden rocks. These include leading lights and beacons as well as a capstan that helps tow stranded ships out of high tides. Fortifications used by Polish troops during World War II still exist along the path. Two concrete pillboxes at the top of the cliffs were built to hold machine guns which had a clear line of fire along Montrose beach. Although overgrown with tall grasses, we found one of them on our walk. A sign indicated that there were other gun shelters including ones built into the cliffs but we did not see those. We did see flocks of black and white birds on the coastal rocks.

The Scurdie Ness Lighthouse was completed in 1870 and guards the entrance into Montrose Harbour from the North Sea. It is 128 feet tall with 170 stairs leading to the top, automated in 1987 and installed with a LED lamp in 2018. “Scurdie” refers to the local volcanic rock and “Ness” means headlands. The tower was painted black during WWII to avoid aiding German bombers. By the lighthouse in bright red letters are the words “BEWARE – COWS & CALVES IN THE FIELD”, validating my decision not to continue the hike!  Nearby is a cairn which was a marker for the “Great Outdoors Challenge cross-Scotland walk” held annually since 1980. Montrose is the official finish point of the challenge.

After our short walk to the Scurdie Lighthouse in Montrose, we continued on to our next destination where we would spend two nights. Inverbervie and Gourdon are neighbouring coastal settlements about 1.6km apart along the North Sea with a scenic coastal path linking the two locations. Inverbervie is a tiny town with population of around 2400 people while Gourdon is a picturesque fishing village. Unfortunately, heavy rain finally caught up to us the next morning so we were limited to the amount of time we wanted to spent outdoors. While we did brave the elements for a bit to complete a portion of a planned hike in St. Cyrus, we had to cancel much of our plans so we missed out on some nice scenery.  But given how tired we were after 16 days and counting into our vacation, it was not the worst thing to be forced into a slower pace.

We were excited about the accommodations that we chose in Inverberbie, which we found on Booking.com. Hallgreen Castle is part of a historic structure dating back to 1376. Records show that it was classified as a fortified 3-storey L-shaped tower house in the 16th century, which fits the Scottish definition of a castle as a defensible noble residence. The older sections, especially the south and east façades, feature thick defensive walls made from harled (mortar mixed with pebbles) rubble stone sitting under a slate roof, rounded archways, turrets, and crenellated edged designs. Further additions were made through the 19th century and today, Hallgreen Castle is run as a bed and breakfast establishment.

Using the GPS in our rental car to locate the property, we were directed to a gated community with the sign indicating “Private Road – No Unauthorised Access”.  At the insistence of our navigational tool, we ignored the warnings and proceeded ahead, passing properties with tall cedar hedges until we finally reached our destination. When we arrived, we found our host Robert up on a cherry picker trying to repair the old roof. The next morning at breakfast, he lamented about all the repairs that such an old structure required and the difficulty of sourcing authentic materials.

We booked a spacious deluxe room with vivid wallpaper featuring a rose motif, a large four-poster bed, plush sofa, wooden wardrobe, and a light fixture hanging from a decorative plaster ceiling medallion. Overall, the décor resembles a modest version of some of the bedrooms we’ve seen in other castles. We ended up spending more time in this room than expected when it rained most of our second day in Inverbervie, but at least it was comfortable. My only issue was that despite the availability of a deep sunken bathtub, I had difficulty modulating the water temperature from the bathtub taps as opposed to the shower head.

For two mornings we were served hearty breakfasts in a quaint dining area. The first morning, we started with fruit and yogurt before being served the full Scottish breakfast. This included link sausage, bacon, a traditional square or Lorne sausage slice made from minced beef and pork with spices, haggis, egg cooked to our preference, tomato, mushroom and a piece of fried tattie (potato). I declined the addition of blood sausage, which Rich ate the first day but passed on the second morning – not our favourite. Our host joked that his dogs would be delighted to get my share of blood pudding. The next morning, I scaled back on the full Scottish, settling for toast with sausage, bacon, mushroom and tomato along with fruit and a muffin and a shortbread pastry. Of all our breakfasts during our Scotland trip, this was by far the most substantial.

Just before we left Hallgreen Castle to head towards our next stop of Stonehaven, our host Robert gave us the tour of the rest of the castle that he had promised when we first made the booking.  While our room was part of the newly added, modern sections of the building, we were shown our hosts’ private quarters which were clearly in the older portions of the castle.  We ascended the clockwise-winding stone “turnpike” staircase surrounded by thick walls with narrow steps and built-in gun slits for defense. At the top of the stairs, we arrived at the grand hall which has wooden flooring made from thick planks, curved stone-lined alcoves and a massive hearth. The room is furnished with 16th century-inspired replicas including a long wooden banquet or refectory table and wooden chairs covered with distressed leather and metal studs. Although mostly covered with plywood painted white, a few areas of the walls have been left exposed so that we could see the original thick stone surfaces. The large bedroom had a timber-wood rafter ceiling that exposed the pitched roof. From the bedroom, you could access small two turrets.

One turret has been modernized and turned into a small tearoom with a round table, two chairs and a tea set.  The other turret is left unfinished so that you can image its original state.  Our host took great pleasure in showing off his collection of replica 16th century arms and armour.  Rich got into character by posing with a kite-shaped heater shield decorated with a white griffin, a steel bascinet combat helmet with visor and a basket-hilt broadsword.  He also inspected a poleaxe with a 6–7-foot wooden shaft topped with an axe blade, spike and fluke hook, as well as a steel-limbed crossbow. Down in the basement, we saw a vaulted storage cellar that once was likely used for storing provisions and munitions.  Having this wonderful tour made our stay at Hallgreen Castle all the more memorable.

On our first night in Inverbervie, we took the short drive to Gourdon to check out the area and have some dinner. Gourdon is a picturesque fishing village built in 1820 on terraces rising up from the shore of the natural harbour. Today, the village maintains its fishing heritage with lobster pots, quayside fish sheds, and smokehouses still in use.  Maritime themed art can be found in murals painted on the walls of buildings and sculptures including anchors, light houses, and a wooden shark.  The harbour also features the Maggie Law Maritime Museum named after 1890s inshore surf lifeboat used to rescue shipwrecked crews, and several fresh seafood eateries.

We selected the two-storied Quayside Restaurant which specializes in fresh local seafood and is known for its stunning harbour views. The bottom level is for takeout while the seated area is up top. It was not busy so we were able to get a seat by the large windows looking down at the marina below and the colourful houses in tiered village in the distance. The restaurant features maritime themed décor including paintings of seagulls, seashells and seaweed, and metal sailboats mounted behind the bar.

Since we arrived in Scotland several weeks ago, I had been trying to order a traditional Scottish soup called the “Cullen Skink”. This is a thick, creamy Scottish soup originating from the coastal fishing town of Cullen in Moray, traditionally made with smoked haddock (finnan haddie), potatoes, onions, and milk. Surprisingly, it was harder than I thought to find this on the menu.  Finally at Quayside, I ordered their version of this soup that they called the “Gourdon Skink” which also added smoked salmon and was served with focaccia bread. It was worth the wait!  We also ordered breaded white fish with a dipping sauce to share and each had the fish and chips for our mains, choosing one with breaded sole and the other with battered haddock to compare.

For our second day in the Inverbervie area, we had planned a long circular hike on the Cliff and Beach Walk in St. Cyrus, halfway between Montrose and Gourdon. This would have included walking along a beach with golden sand backed by grassy dunes before looping back along granite cliffs with coastal paths that run through the St. Cyrus National Nature reserve to get stunning coastal views. Unfortunately, we woke up to a constant rain which was forecasted to last all day, alternating from a sprinkle to a downpour. This would have made it slippery and dangerous to try to tackle the cliffs and wet and miserable to slog along the beach. But given that we needed to leave the area by the next morning, we decided to try an abbreviated version of this hike.  We would take a quick look at the beach and then walk the grassy plains up to an isolated kirkyard that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, before heading back.

After a very short walk through relatively flat grassland, we arrived at St.Cyrus Nether Kirkyard, an ancient burial ground dating back to 880AD that is nestled at the base of the steep, looming cliffs of St.Cyrus Nature Reserve surrounded by wildlife habitats. The site traces back to the founding of the Church of St. Grig or Ecclesgreig, possibly linked to Pictish worship. Dedicated by the Bishop of St. Andrews in 1242, it served as the Parish’s main church until a new one was built on higher ground in the village of St.Cyrus in 1632.  That led to this kirkyard being named “Nether” meaning “lower”. Unfortunately, no ruins of the church remain but the graveyard is a fine example of early Scottish coastal worship sites that blend history with natural beauty. It is surrounded by a stone walled fence and an iron gate that was locked.  But off to one side were a set of steps that seemed to invite you to access the kirkyard that way, so we did.

The kirkyard features early gravestones that are mostly weathered and difficult to read any inscriptions. You can still barely see former decorations including skull and crossbone motifs on some of the stones.  A spiked metal burial enclosure surrounds the tomb of poet George Beattie, who dramatically shot himself in the kirkyard in 1823 after being rejected by a romantic interest.  A roofless stone structure marks the remnants of the Graham of Morphie Aisle (vaulted chamber), which is the family mausoleum of prominent landowners with a central armorial panel above the doorway featuring the family crest. I read that there were a couple of Viking-era hogback stones in the kirkyard, but we did not spot them.  In one corner is a small rubble-built watch house with a stone stab roof, window and chimney that served as a lookout for grave robbers during the body-snatching era.  We saw examples of this throughout Scotland including kirkyards in Edinburgh.  Even though we were not able to complete our entire planned hike of the area, I am very glad that we got to visit this very unique cemetery with its impressive backdrop.

Since we had to curtail our hike which would have been the main event of the day, we spent the afternoon wandering around the very small main street of Inverbervie. The only attraction that we could find was the Hercule Linton Memorial honouring the Scottish naval architect who designed the famous three-mast British clipper ship “Cutty Sark” in the 1860s.  An exceptionally fast sailing cargo vessel used for transporting tea and wool, the ship is preserved in the Greenwich Maritime Museum in London.  The memorial is a full-scale replica of the figurehead on the prow of the Cutty Sark, depicting the sea witch “Nannie” described in a Robbie Burns poem “Tam O Shanter”.

We did find some places to have a snack and pick up groceries to bring with us on the next leg of our trip the following day.  At the Phoenix Café, we had tea, an empire cookie and a “buttery” (traditional Scottish flakey savoury pastry). Our host at the castle had told us about Irn-Bru, Scotland’s iconic bright orange carbonated soft drink that is sweet, fizzy and fruity, tasting a bit like cream soda. In particular, he told us to go to look for a bottle of Irn-Bru 1901, a special edition that recreates the authentic 1901 recipe that is caffeine-free and sweetened with sugar as opposed to aspartame plus the addition of quillaia extract for a frothy, gingery fizz.  We found a bottle at the local supermarket. We also stopped at Bannerman Butcher and picked up some Scotch Eggs, sausage rolls and a lasagna to bring with us to our next destination in Stonehaven where we had rented an apartment with a full kitchen.

The last piece of advice that our host gave us was to stop in at the church in Kinneff enroute to Stonehaven.  He would not tell us why but said it was a surprise and worth the visit. Kinneff Old Church sits on a medieval site dating back to 1242 when the church was dedicated as a key parish church in the Diocese of St Andrews.  When we arrived, we first came across the Kinneff Kirkyard which has a mix of older 17th to 18th century stone slabs and a section of more recent tombstones.  A few of the newer grave markers had some interesting shapes including one that looked like a butterfly and another shaped as a teddy bear, probably for a child’s grave.  There were also interesting engravings including one with an intricate etching of a Highland cow.

But the surprise that awaited us was to be found inside Old Kinneff Church, which we learned was involved in some significant historical intrigue during the Third English Civil War (1650-1652) when English forces led by Oliver Crowell attacked Dunnottar Castle.  The Honours of Scotland or Scottish Crown Jewels are made up of the gold Crown commissioned by King James V, and the Royal Sceptre and Sword of State which were papal gifts to King James IV. During the war, the Crown Jewels were moved from Edinburgh Castle to Dunnottar Castle for safekeeping, under the watch of Sir George Ogilvie, lieutenant-governor of Dunnottar. When it became clear that the castle would soon fall to the English, a plan was made to save the Honours of Scotland by Ogilvie’s wife Elizabeth Douglas and her friend Christian Fletcher, wife of Reverend James Grainger of Kinneff Church. The Crown Jewels were secretly removed from the castle, hidden within sacks of wool and brought to Old Kinneff Church where they were buried under the floor in various sections of the church. The Honours were kept safely hidden for nine years until after the war when they were returned to King Charles II in Edinburgh Castle.

Today, replicas of the Crown Jewels sit in a display case in Kinneff Church along with several informational plaques regaling the thrilling tale of how they were saved. Two tombs of honour are found on the walls inside the church. One is dedicated to and holds the remains of Reverend James Grainger, who safeguarded the treasures throughout the war. It is ironic that there is no mention of his wife on the tomb since she initially took the risk of escaping with the jewels, but she remarried after the Reverend’s death and is interred elsewhere. The second tomb honours both George Ogilvie and Lady Elizabeth Douglas who were imprisoned by Cromwell’s troops but refused to divulge the location of the Scottish Honours.

A framed copy of a black and white print titled “The Concealment of the Scottish Regalia in the Kirk of Kinneff, 1652” depicts the historical scene of Reverend Grainger and his wife hiding the Crown Jewels in the church. It was created by Alexander Chisholm in the 19th century and is proudly displayed on an easel. On the wall are other versions of the iconic image including a colour lithograph.  A tapestry version hangs in the Smith Art Gallery in Stirling, which we did not have time to visit earlier in our trip.  A crafted representation of the regalia is also on display.

We had already viewed the real Honours of Scotland when we visited Edinburgh Castle.  Next, we would be touring Dunnottar Castle and later Scone Castle where coronations of 38 past Kings had occurred with the monarchs being presented these Crown Jewels. Visiting this innocuous Church where the Honours were hidden and saved from destruction filled in a gap and completed our understanding of their full history. This was indeed a great surprise and well worth the stop.