Northeast Scotland - The Rough Guide to Scotland - page 371

hills famous for its links to Scots author Lewis Grassic Gibbon. Unfortunately, public
transport into the Mearns is virtually non-existent.

Tolbooth
Old Quay, down by the harbour • April-Sept Mon & Wed-Sun 1.30-4.30pm • Free
On one side of the harbour, Stonehaven's oldest building, the Tolbooth , built as a
storehouse during the construction of Dunnottar Castle (see below), is now a museum
of local history and fishing. Above it, rather fittingly, there's a top-notch seafood
restaurant as well (see p.376).

10

Dunnottar Castle
Two miles south of Stonehaven along the coast • April-Oct daily 9am-6pm (last entry 5.30pm); Nov to March daily 10am-sunset • £6 •
W www.dunnottarcastle.co.uk
Two miles south of Stonehaven (the tourist o ce hands out free walking guides for the
scenic amble there), Dunnottar Castle is one of Scotland's finest ruined castles. his
huge ninth-century fortress is set on a three-sided sheer cliff jutting into the sea - a
setting striking enough to be chosen as the backdrop for Ze relli's film version of
Hamlet . Once the principal fortress of the northeast, the ruins are worth a good root
around, and there are many dramatic views out to the crashing sea.

Brief history
Siege and bloodstained drama splatter the castle's past: in 1297 the whole English
Plantagenet garrison was burnt alive here by William Wallace , while one of the more
gruesome tales from the castle's history tells of the imprisonment and torture of 122
men and 45 women Covenanters in 1685 - an event, as it says on the Covenanters'
Stone in the churchyard, “whose dark shadow is for evermore flung athwart the
Castled Rock”.

Arbuthnott
Some five miles inland is the straggling village of ARBUTHNOTT , the home of prolific
local author Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901-1935), whose romanticized realism perfectly
encapsulates the spirit of the agricultural Mearns area. Sunset Song , his most famous
work, is an essential read for those travelling in this area. He is buried (under his real
name of James Leslie Mitchell) in the corner of the little village graveyard, overlooking
the forested banks of the Bervie Water off the main road.

Grassic Gibbon Centre
Half a mile northwest of the church, along the B967 • March-Oct daily 10am-4.30pm • £3
he community-run Grassic Gibbon Centre and café (on the B967, which runs
through the village), is a great introduction to the fascinating and self-assured
author who died so young. In the small exhibition beyond the café you'll find
some of his personal effects housed in glass cabinets, plus snippets of information
on local history.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE STONEHAVEN AND AROUND

By train Rail services from points north and south pull in
at Stonehaven station, just off Arduthie Road.
Destinations Aberdeen (every 30min; 25min); Montrose
(every 30min; 20min).
By bus Buses from Aberdeen and Montrose stop at the

southern end of Barclay Street in Stonehaven, near the
junction with Cameron Street.
Destinations Aberdeen (several hourly; 35-50min);
Montrose (every 30min; 40min).

RIGHT GARDENSTOWN P.384 >