Elephant Rock

This is another of our walks on the Wild Side of Angus last summer. This time it's near Montrose and also  Lunan Bay which I posted before and which you can look at here.  For once Freya is behind us coming down the grassy park from the car.

The path goes under the main railway line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Close by is a clifftop cemetery. I caught sight of it from the train on a trip to Edinburgh a while back and was intrigued  It is lightly run down but has the romantic appeal of many old cemeteries especially given it's location perched at the edge of the cliff. Usually these cemeteries are for a particular local family.

There is an abundance of wild flowers along this cliff walk. The delicate nodding harebells, Lady's Smock and Red Campion which seemed to flower all summer last year.

 Wild hypericum, Bird's Foot Trefoil and Nipplewort.

 The starry flowers of Field Scabious

The path meanders along the cliff top and slightly downhill towards the hamlet of Boddin Point. On the way we always stop to admire the views and the famous rock Elephant Rock, a natural coastal arch that has been shaped by the sea into a resemblance of an elephant.

I  had heard tales about this rock from one of our friends. She told us how she used to play on the rock as a child! I'll bet she never told her mother...

Further along the cliff,  the most prominent feature on Boddin Point  is the limekiln standing at its seaward end. This dates back to the 1700s. In the foreground is an old salmon fishing station. Many salmon and herring stations are dotted along the east coast.

A track leads round to the top of the limekiln. Here you get great views south along the cliffs to the  golden sands of Lunan Bay.

At Boddin Point,  the  Purple Vetch is a magnet for both Burnett moths and bees.

 
Then we retraced our steps back up the hill to the hamlet of  Boddin and back along the cliffs.

Past Elephant Rock

 To the cemetery

Just in time for Freya to chase the train back to Montrose. Did I tell you she loves chasing  trains and cars? Oh and if there's a kite flying we just turn round and head in the other direction...

Today I'm linking up with Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. Look forward to joining me in another Walk on the Wild side in Angus.

Elephant Rock by Sam Cartman.