I love Cullykhan Bay
Near the village of Pennan in Aberdeenshire, it’s a place that has long been appreciated by people, so it has a rich history. To the left of the sandy and sheltered beach is an impressive promontory.
It’s been home to an Iron Age fort, now vitrified, and a medieval castle. Excavations uncovered Neolithic and Roman finds there too (see Canmore).
From the promontory you can see the Deil’s Lum (meaning devil’s chimney), a cave which is also sometimes called Hell’s Lum. It shoots sea spray with a roar during stormy weather.
It’s a place – promontory, bay and caves – that I write about quite a lot.
In THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR, Isobell, Jasper and Ian have to cross the inside of the Deil’s Lum before following a tunnel to the castle. The tunnel is fictional and so is my description of the interior of the cave, or rather it’s stolen from just around the corner.
As is my way, I have explored every tunnel and cave that is remotely accessible by land at Cullykhan. In we go…
Through to this dark and seagull filled space… and it’s this space that I made my characters traverse, after struggling across it myself, of course!
Isobell, at least, did not enjoy it:
The truth was that caves and tunnels were more fun when told of beside a fireside, in dry clothes with a full belly. The reality of them – the cold, the wet, the dripping and the echoing, and the smell of decay – was only startling. The roof looked as if a huge ogre had wielded a knife inside the cliffs, cutting and carving to his heart’s content, but the idea contained no mirth, nor even any interest. And what lay ahead in this new life of ours?
Excerpt from THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR
Climbing to the Cave
Staring at the entrance of the Deil’s Lum from across the divide wasn’t enough for me so I slid down the hill and climbed up into it. This is foolhardy behaviour and not recommended, but I made a short video so you can see the cave without risking life and limb!
Writing
Now I’m back in my Iron Age manuscript (published as SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, October 2022), Cullykhan features much more heavily, and I love that too. Trying to capture the essence of the place in words. I take its great magnificence, its beauty, and swirl them round with terrible, terrible things.
I was honoured to appear on two wonderful websites recently: in an interview on Sue’s Musings here and on Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore.
My Books
Set in 1st century Scotland, and featuring Cullykhan Bay, SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD includes the battle of Mons Graupius between the Romans and the Caledonian tribes. The book features a neurodivergent main character and some rather complicated romance!
“Ethereal and spellbinding….” Historical Novel Society
See the press release here
Read the article Roman Aberdeenshire features in author’s new book from Grampian Online.
Taking place mainly in a fictional castle, THE MERMAID AND THE BEAR blends an often overlooked period of history, the Scottish witchcraft accusations, in particular the 1597 Aberdeen witchcraft panic, with a love story.
See the press release here
From the Press and Journal: New book by Fraserburgh author highlights horrific extent of witch trials in Scotland
FIREFLIES AND CHOCOLATE was inspired by the kidnapped children and young people of Aberdeen. The story follows the adventures of Elizabeth Manteith from the castle and her determined efforts to get back home. There’s love. There’s derring-dos on the high seas… And there’s chocolate!
See the publisher’s Press Release here
“Filled with excitement and suspense…” Historical Novel Society
See my About Page here
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Beautiful photographs
Thank you 🙂
I love Cullykhan Bay, too! Thanks for sharing this with us.
You’re welcome!
Wonderful geography and photography from a fellow geographer/photographer.
Thank you 🙂
Wow very cool photos, looks gorgeous there. Thanks for the video glimpse too
Glad you like 🙂
Interesting read, beautiful photos!
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for the mention Ailish and fabulous scenery.. I am not surprised you are inspired by your surroundings x
You’re most welcome Sally 🙂
<3 Scotland!
Me too 🙂
I love that stretch of coastline. Troup Head, Crovie, Gardenstown – and of course, Pennan with that red telephone box.
It is an impressive section of coast.
Looks so beautiful and inspiring!
🙂
I really enjoy your blogs
Good to hear 🙂
I look forward to your posts. Hope you follow mine!
Will do!
Great pictures.
Thank you 🙂
‘So wonderful to see these beautiful pictures. Now we can see that your description of the cave in The Mermaid and the Bear was spot on. I finished reading Fireflies and Chocolate, and it was such a beautiful love story too. It happens that I lived in that part of PA between 1995 and 2003 in a rural, historic town still celebrating the arrival of Rev. George Weiss, first Reformed pastor to that area near Philadelphia, in 1727. My husband was a Protestant pastor there, and we found the ancestors of the people who arrived with their first pastor in 1727 are still the people who fill that rural church. Yes, in the 18th century they had African slaves even in Pennsylvania. ‘Story is told of a pastor’s wife who willed freedom to her slaves, and also willed her house which was church property to her freed slaves. It made for an awkward court case they haven’t forgotten.
How absolutely fascinating! Thank you for sharing the story.
So beautiful!
It is a stunning place.
I love seeing the real places you use in your tales. Isobel’s take on the cave was apt for a young lady her age. All of your descriptions were lovely and drew me deeper into the story. Poetry amidst the prose.
I’m glad you enjoyed them.
To me, real places make a book more realistic
To me too.
Wonderful – and the Border’s open at last…
In novels and films, I ‘m fascinated by fictional geography – the world of locations. A former classmate found her dream job – sourcing locations…
That sounds an amazing job!
Fascinating pix and locale. Thank you sharing.
Glad you like!
Wow, this looks like an incredible place! I’m sure it’s a rich source of inspiration.
It really is.
Stunning, absolutely stunning.
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful photos, great scenery too. I like the rocky formations.
It is an amazingly scenic place.