I have lived in Aberdeen long enough now for my new car to need it's one year servicing. I noticed on my GPS that my garage wasn't all that far from the North Sea. After dropping my car off (and being told it would take 3 hours), I took off to see if I could find the sea.
It didn't take too long to find the North Sea coast on this beautiful October day.
The route to the Coastal Path was not hard to find.
The path was well-maintained . . . and provided gorgeous vistas of the North Sea.
I was not disappointed by the view. Here birds nested on the cliffs.
Bird nests on the cliffs below.
I found a comfortable bench that overlooked a grand view:
I sat on my bench listening to the sound of the surf pounding on the rocks . . .
. . . and imagining these caves had some sot of interesting history, perhaps involving pirates, or princesses.
Only a few miles south from Aberdeen city.
The weather, and the light, changes very rapidly along the North Sea. I got up off my bench and made my way along the cliff side path to look for a way back to the Nissan garage.
Yummie seascapes.
I will come back here many times, I know.
I found the path away from the cliffs, and the Aberdeen Coastal Path sign. The Scots are great about providing nature lovers with paths and benches . . . and protecting the wild, unspoiled places.
The light became good again, and I was enthrall with the details of the Scottish farmland.
The touch of time, weather, purpose, and humanity.
Old stone walls marked the fields, and provided places for the birds and berries.
Berries still clung to their vines in mid-October.
Although it was late afternoon, a few late season flowers came out from the shadows still coated in dew.
But most of the flowering plants had already arrived at the seeding stages of their life cycles, like these thistles.
Some undergrowth plants wait for the leaves of other plants to disappear in order to begin their own growth periods.
Back up some walled streets in the berg of Cove Bay . . . .
I crossed under the railroad mainline . . . in perfect light.
My return to civilization was greeted by this not very friendly dog. Bow-wow.