Clare Balding ends this series of Ramblings with a Lawrence of Arabia moment, as she walks the wind whipped, shifting sand dunes of , on the Aberdeenshire coast of Scotland.
This walk leads you through 1,800 acres of outstanding wild coastal country - moorland, heath, sea, estuary beaches, cliffs heaped with 5,000-year-old sand dunes, and the ruin of , a fishing town buried by medieval sandstorms.
The remnants of sand-smothered Forvie Kirk bear witness to the power of nature here, where seals are spotted and terns breed on the empty beaches, and wild flowers spatter the dunes and heaths.
Clare is joined by the nature reserve manager, Annabel Drysdale. She tells the story of how legend has it that the sands covered Forvie after the area was cursed by three daughters cast to sea by their uncle to stop them from inheriting the land.
Accompanied by keen walker, Elizabeth Hay, photographer Ken Ingram and his artist wife, Ellie, Clare鈥檚 told tales of small boys unearthing incendiary bombs, arab play in the desert and how time has stood still at a former salmon station.
Map: OS Landranger 38 Aberdeen Inverurie and Pitmedden.
Start: Map ref: 004271
Terrain: Mixture of foot paths and beach walking
Suitable for: All walkers
Route: Set off from the car park near the mouth of the River Ythan. After following the side of the river the path leads over sand dunes to the sea shore. It is an area rich in bird life and some parts of the dunes are restricted in the breeding season. Continuing northwards along the beach of golden sands, the route then goes inland slightly to follow a coastal path past quiet bays and cliff tops, to the village of Collieston. Finish at the Stevenson Forvie Centre.
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The shifting sands of Forvie in Aberdeenshire provide Clare Balding with a dramatic walk.
