free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Due to the Google bug havoc in the last couple of weeks, I spent every spare hour repairing old reports and had no time to post anything new. Now, time to redeem myself. Apologies if the following TRs are shorter than usual, I simply have no time to do detailed research
Three weeks ago, when the whole country was still awaiting hurricane Lorenzo, we decided to go on a quick excursion to the far north-east of Scotland. Weather was far too windy and gloomy to climb any hills, but the area of Caithness/Sutherland is full of archeological sites and lovely low level walks. We picked an interesting heritage trail in Dunbeath Strath, but on the way up we stopped for a short visit in the abandoned village of Badbea.
Badbea is officially named "a clearance village" though this is not 100% precise. The village was actually created in 1792 to accommodate families cleared from the glens and it was abandoned in early 20th century simply due to the changes in fishing industry (herring fishing was replaced by salmon fishing, requiring less workforce, as a result people moved away to seek a better life).
The ruins are partially overgrown and situated on a slope falling away towards vertical cliffs, so care is needed when exploring the village, especially in wet conditions!
According to
this article in The Scotsman:
One settlement where the aftermath of the Clearances can be seen is Badbea, in Caithness, where two waves of evicted locals ended up – in 1793 and then in 1802. When they arrived, the inhospitable moorland was bare and they had to build their own houses from scratch in the teeth of fierce North Sea winds. Many were from nearby Ousdale, where landowner Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster wanted to introduce sheep. Others came from Kildonan and Auchencraig, not far by today's standards but a world apart from the windswept clifftop of Badbea.The car park on the south side of the A9 is well marked. At the start of the path towards the ruins we found an information board with some details about the history of Badbea:
We followed a well worn path towards the cliffs:
It was a windy morning and even as we walked to the village, wrapped in warm clothing, we wondered how harsh it must have been to live here...
Kevin on the path through the gorse bushes:
Looking south along the cliffs, we spotted the outlines of several ruined houses, hidden in the vegetation:
Soon we reached the most prominent feature on the cliffs - a stone monument, erected by David Sutherland, the descendant of one of Badbea inhabitants, to commemorate the families who lived and worked here for over 100 years. The names of Badbea residents are engraved in the monument:
It was a very sombre moment for me and even when posing with Lucy by the monument, I was trying to imagine how this village looked like when still inhabited. The legend has it, that cattle, hens and even children had to be tethered to prevent them being blown over the cliffs
Near the monument, we found a second info board:
The good path ends by the monument, but having taken a few photos, we located a rougher path leading to the nearest ruined building:
The outline of this house is still obvious. I'm not a specialist on historic rural architecture, but I guess it was the kind of building divided in two, with one half accommodating people, the other one - animals. Most families here kept a cow, a few pigs and a handful of chickens, but interestingly, there was only one horse to serve the whole village!
Kevin photographing the ruins:
A corner of the dilapidated house:
Further to the south and closer to the cliffs, we noticed more ruins so we decided to investigate them. We spotted a narrow path heading in that direction, so we rushed through the high vegetation to reach them. The ground was wet and slippery, but for Kevin such conditions are nothing new
Looking back up the path, the monument visible to the right:
We crossed a tiny stream (care needed here, the stream flows in a steep ravine and the path on both sides is very eroded!) and reached the cluster of ruins closer to the shore:
There are good views from here to the sea and the mighty cliffs:
We found two ruined houses surrounded by stone dykes with several animal pens. The inside of the buildings was a bit overgrown and flourishing gorse barred access to some corners, but we still managed some interesting photos:
I noticed this round structure and wondered, could it have been a hearth of some sort?
It was so sad to see the disappearing remains of a village once full of life... But on the other hand, Badbea was not the friendliest of environments, surviving here must have been very harsh, so no wonder, when jobs in the fishing industry became scarce, people simply left.
Today, only sheep (and occasional tourists) wander amongst the ruins...
...and the abandoned houses are a painful reminder of the cruelty of clearances
I believe that Badbea was located in such a windswept spot simply, because the land was of no other practical use to the then owner, so just as well put people there. They could hardly make ends meet on these windy slopes, but the rich landowners couldn't care less. The better, more fertile ground was destined for sheep grazing!
Having explored the ruins, we spent some time walking along the cliffs, photographing the natural scenery. I believe in summertime these cliffs would be alive with nesting seabirds, but it was now well past the breeding season and all I saw were a few seagulls flying past.
Looking south along the cliffs:
There is a faint path following the line of the cliffs (part of the John o'Groats Trail) but the edge is hard to judge due to lush vegetation. Kevin knew well enough to stay at safe distance!
One last look at the cliffs before we returned to the monument:
We have been to several abandoned villages (Suisnish on Skye being just one example) but this visit was especially moving. Life in Badbea was always hard, always a struggle and the inhabitants didn't choose this spot - they were evicted from their original homes in nearby glens, like the Strath of Berriedale. All I can say is, I admire the Badbeans, their strength and will to survive in this windswept little world on the edge of land and sea.
From Badbea, we drove to Dunbeath to walk the local heritage trail in Dunbeath Strath. TR to follow.
Links to pages with more information about Badbea:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badbeahttps://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Highlands/Caithness/badbea.htm