Today's County in the Spotlight:Part 2

[Dormouse]

From about 16 minutes in Michel Portillo does Stonehaven on his great coastal railway Journey's Season 1 episode 4.

Available currently on I-Player here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... stonehaven


And what does he pick out, an award winning chip shop. 31st of the Lonely Planet top 500 places to eat in the world . The secret...fresh fish and cold batter

http://thebayfishandchips.co.uk/menu/

Regards Neil

The Stonehaven Fire Balls are a similar and smaller version of Up Helly Aa Fire Festival where the Fire Balls are thrown into the Harbour shown here. The parade starts in the town and progresses with the attendees swinging the the Fire Balls around above their heads on long tethers for about 20 mins until they go down to the Harbour where they hurl them into the basin, exhausted by their strenuous efforts to maintain the swinging all the way along the route.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Get your contributions in a day-ish in the spotlight doesn't last long

The call for music in Montgomeryshire elicited a very poor response. Dont leave it to me to select something for Kincardineshire, because as Fleetwood Mac said in Oh Well...."I might not give the answer that you want me too!"

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

This is one for the readers...proper book-ette online all about Kincardineshire written 1921.
https://www.electricscotland.com/histor ... rdinshire/

Also elicits the word of the day from chapter 8 The Coast which is the best chapter to give a scan to.
https://www.electricscotland.com/histor ... pter08.htm

Peregrination

You will have heard of the Peregrine Falcon, but what does our word of the day mean without looking it up

The coast chapter takes to Findon and Finnan Haddock, Nigg Bay, Muchalls, the Old Man of Muchalls, The “Fisher’s Shore,” the “Grim Brigs” with its wonderful arches of Nature’s own devising, and the “Scart’s Crag. The little fishing village of Cowie nestles below the cliffs, while above, skirting the shore, is the Stonehaven Golf Course, from which splendid views can be had of sea and shore, Dunottar Castle ( M Portillo visited that in the prog previously mentioned) has a particularly impressive setting.

The panorama formed by cliffs and bay is magnificent—the former almost 170 ft. high with cathedral-like arches, the latter with gloomy creeks and caverns. The very names, as “Brun Cheek,” “Maiden Ivaim,” “Long Gallery,” “Wine Cove,” testify to Nature’s handiwork and skill. South of Trelung Ness we reach the highest of the rocks, the cliffs of Fowlsheugh, the noted nursery for sea birds, extending over a mile.

Todhead lighthouse stands on a prominent headland at the southern extremity of Braidon Bay, a little beyond the old fashioned fishing village of Catterline. Craig David, a few miles further south, overlooking Bervie Bay, marks the terminus of the high cliffs which form the natural’wall of protection to most of the Kincardineshire coast.

From this point onwards the configuration of the coast-line is entirely different. The beach is now low, pebble-strewn, and gravelly, with low, shelving rocks jutting out to the sea. Gourdon—dominated by Gourdon Hill, a noted landmark for seamen—and Johnshaven have both small harbours, their appearance from above being quaint and picturesque. A little further south is the hamlet of Milton of Mathers. Rounding a bend in the coast we pass the Ivaim of Mathers, and reach St Cyrus braes, varying in height from 50 to 300 ft. On the summit stands conspicuous the parish church with its lofty spire. Passing over a flat beach of fine sand bound together by sea grasses and other marine plants, we end our perambulation of the coast at the mouth of the North Esk.

Regards Neil

[bobins]

Continuing my irregular and unpredictable theme of strange Scottish place names, I give you.....

Blowup nose - OS maps

[NewcastleFalcon]

Seeing as Finnan Haddock got a mention in that 1921 Kincardineshire account I referred to above, My musical contribution is this jolly little song "Finnan Haddie"....not bad at all



Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

Catterline village was host to Gravity Racing until a storm in 2012 wiped out the hill down to the harbour. The son of a friend of mine has given up mountain biking in favour of gravity bikes - loves it!

While the second picture is more Red Bull Racing - ish, take a look at the sophistication of the gravity carts in the first.

[Dormouse]

You would be amazed how many people turn up here and ask where the monkeys are!

[Dormouse]

James Leslie Mitchell, better known as Lewis Grassic Gibbon, was the writer of Sunset Song among other books about the "Howe" and the vistor centre still gets asked occasionally where the monkeys are.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Dunnottar Castle is quite a thing, dramatic situation

Geograph stamped image

Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

Mel Gibson and his crew filmed here and famously enjoyed Deep Fried Mars Bars from another chip shop in Stonehaven which I personally rate as better than the one Michael Portillo visited.

As Dunnottar Castle is a ruined shell, Mel Gibson's Hamlet was also filmed at other castle's and in Shepperton Studios to give the impression of one huge atmospheric castle. Mel Gibson was rated as very down to earth and approachable by the locals and extras alike.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Here endeth Kincardineshire's day in the spotlight
__________Kincardineshire Done__________
_______________________________________

To be completed...

28 await the random number generator to select them for their day-ish in the Spotlight.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Random Selection
19
New County
Hampshire

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

New County
Hampshire

For avoidance of doubt, the Isle of Wight will be part of our postings for Hampshire's day in the spotlight, as will Bournemouth and Christchurch. We are working from this interactive map on wikishire to cover all 92 traditional counties of the United Kingdom.

https://wikishire.co.uk/map/#Hampshire/ ... 319/zoom=9

Cities
Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester

Other larger towns
Aldershot, Andover, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Carisbrooke
Christchurch, Cowes, Eastleigh, Farnborough, Fareham
Gosport, Havant, Newport, Ryde, Waterlooville

Spent a few holidays in and around Bournemouth and the New Forest. So foot and wheels set in the County.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Our Pre-74 vehicle registration area codes for Hampshire just about start at the very beginning with

AA

but also include
CG HO OR OT OU

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Word association
Hampshire....

Barry Richards and Gordon Greenidge



Regards Neil