Visit Findlater Castle and the fascinating medieval dovecot on this excellent short coastal circuit from the picturesque fishing village of Sandend.
Coastal clifftop path; return route is on country lanes.
Regular bus service (305) to Sandend along Inverness - Aberdeen route.
Sandend.
There is a car park near the caravan park on the right hand side as you drive into Sandend - there is also car parking at the Barns of Findlater later in the walk. The lower end of Sandend is a very attractive little place, with a harbour at the end of the road and a large sandy beach that has become very popular with surfers in recent years. Start by walking along the road towards the harbour, ignoring the road off left (used on the return). After 200m, before reaching a postbox, take a driveway on the left signed for Findlater Cottage.
The drive climbs up behind a house. Look out for a pedestrian gate on the right that is the start of the coast path. This gives great views over the rooftops of Sandend as the path cuts across a steep grassy slope. There is a short flight of wooden steps before the path continues with a fence on your left.
The easy earth path keeps to the seaward side of the field fence before eventually switching and continuing along the field edge for a time before heading back onto the coastal side. This path has been improved in recent years and gives excellent walking.
There are good views of the rocky coast below, and soon Findlater Castle comes into view down on the right on a rocky promontory. The castle dates from the end of the fourteenth century and replaces an earlier structure; there is a faint path down to it but being perched dangerously on the edge of the cliffs the ruins are probably best appreciated from the viewpoint above. It is possible to extend the walk from Findlater Castle through to Cullen in Moray or even beyond. Otherwise, turn left on the grassy path heading inland.
The strange whitewashed building in the field can be visited using a path which goes off to the right. This fascinating structure dates back to the sixteenth century and houses seven hundred stone nestboxes arranged in tapering tiers towards the apex. The doves were used both for their droppings - which collected from the floor - and their young, 'peezers' in Scots. These were gathered at night after the exits from the dovecot were closed - you can only imagine the commotion inside - and were used in pies and stews.
Return to the main path which leads up to the derelict barnyards of Findlater where there is a parking area. Follow the lane as it heads left and then right and eventually meets a minor road. Turn left here to follow the road to Sandend.
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