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Forvie National Nature Reserve
Situated 15 miles north of Aberdeen between Newburgh and Cruden Bay, Forvie National Nature Reserve is an ideal escape for wildlife enthusiasts and walkers. Lying on the coast, Forvie has a diverse range of habitats, flora and fauna as well as sites of historical interest.
Now home only to wildlife, Forvie was once home to active communities. Remains such as tools found at Forvie have been found to be 8000 years old. Later, people here farmed the land and buried their dead. Relics still remain and on your visit to Forvie you'll see cairns, little circular foundations, which were used to cover cremation burial sites.
Heading on Forvie's coastal trail, you'll come to the ruins of Forvie's 12th century church built upon the site of a chapel first erected here in the 8th century. The disappearance of the locals was due to a curse placed on it by three sisters. According to the legend, the three were sent to their destiny in a leaky boat out at sea. The bid to deny them their inheritance back-fired when they screamed, "Let nocht bee funde in Furvye's glebes/Bot thystl, bente and sande.". The sisters did manage to make it back to shore but when they arrived a storm arose which continued unabated for 9 days. When it was done, the village of Forvie was buried in sand.
Forvie's earliest sand dunes were formed in the south of Forvie some 2000 years ago. By 1700, the sand had reached Collieston. Over time the sand stabilized, and Forvie is now one of the largest untouched dune systems in Britain.
Another of Forvie's habitats are the Ythan Estuary mudflats. Home to a variety of marine life such as worms, shrimps and snails which provide a consistent source of food for both Forvie's resident and migrating visitors. Forvie's resident population includes the largest population of eider ducks in Scotland. About 1000 eiders are to be found on the reserve throughout the year and visitors can watch them diving for mussels. Summer visitors to Forvie include four species of tern; sandwich, little, common and arctic (which travels 20,000 miles from the Antarctic to breed here).
Forvie also supports a range of flora and enthusiasts can spot varieties such as the pink flowered thrift, kidney vetch, sea campion and purple northern marsh orchid. Other kinds of flowers and plants found at Forvie include crowberry, lichen, yellow tormentil and purple heath milkwort.
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