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WHERE IN THE WORLD?
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Where in the World Northern sights
The picture is of Stonehaven Harbour in Aberdeenshire. Originally built in 1607, the harbour wall was destroyed several times by violent storms coming off the North Sea, until 1825 when the outer wall was built by the famed railway engineer Robert Stephenson. This time it seems to have lasted, although even now any boats left in the middle and outer harbours are at risk from the strong surges driven by winter storms lashing the coast. We kept our small boat here for
several years and had many happy times exploring the coast up and down from Stonehaven, including the picturesque Dunottar Castle a few miles southwards. On one of the first trips out from the harbour with our eight-year old son, we encountered a pod of about 20 dolphins swimming northwards along the coast. Perhaps sensing that we had a youngster on board, the dolphins decided to put on
an impressive show of jumping out of the water and swimming alongside and under the boat. Our son was in seventh heaven at this demonstration of skills by creatures he’d only read about in books, and lost no time in calling all his school friends and showing them a video of the spectacle. The dolphins continued their journey north, presumably to Chanonry Point
Stonehaven Harbour was the starting point for a special sight that one member witnessed.
in Moray Firth. Needless to say, our son was the centre of attention at school for several days after that! The town itself is very picturesque and a popular holiday destination. It straddles the Highland Boundary Fault that runs from just below the golf club all the way across Scotland to the island of Arran.
Robin Matthews
rya.org.uk SUMMER 2025 65
Photos: Getty
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