Founded in 1889 (and maybe even a bit earlier), when it’s thought that the first strips were donated by Glasgow Celtic, the “Jags” more recently lifted the Highland league title in season 2009-2010 and again the following year. This season, losing in the 2nd Round of the Scottish Cup to East Stirlingshire after a replay, the team are sitting in the top half of the League.
Leading off the Speyside Kiltwalk will be the Buckie & District Pipe Band
The band was formed in 1988, drawing in members from Buckie, Portsoy, Fochabers and Elgin and playing regularly at the annual Highland Games at Dufftown, Aberlour, Nethy-Bridge, Nairn and Grantown. They also host the annual Pipe Band Ceilidh.
The band has played overseas by invitation, recently completing a trip to Holland.
Buckie to Spey Bay:
As we leave the Community Centre the imposing building on the left is Cluny Primary School. Construction started in the 1930’s but completed after the war in the late 40’s. The school has just over 210 pupils.
Heading downhill towards the shore area on the right is the attractive conservation area of Yardie. More picturesque, to the left and the direction we’re heading, you can see the village of Buckpool, formerly known as 
Nether Buckie up till 1886. Hard to believe now, but once this was an enterprising harbour, constructed in 1857 by local laird Sir Robert Gordon of Cluny. 20 years later, £60,000 was being spent constructing the much larger Cluny harbour about a mile to the east. In the 1970’s the harbour was filled in to create the little park which you see today. The remnants of the harbour can be seen in the little fishermen’s houses with their gable end facing seawards and the shoreward drying greens.
The signs at the entrance to the park depict what was once the start of The Speyside Way, which has now been relocated to the centre of the town.
As you head west, keep to the shore path, rather than the road. Buckpool Golf Course is on your left - just the other side of the A990. You might also see, up on the left, some joggers following the path of the long disused Moray Coast Railway – you see more of this later.
Before you enter Portgordon, look out for the seals that are often found basking on the exposed rocks near the shore. You probably won’t take time to read it but, a notice board near the grass-roofed building tells you that here you’ll see both Common and the much larger Grey seals which can grow up to 2.5 metres long and weigh in at 300 Kgs.
Portgordon (sometimes also written as Port Gordon)
The village of Port Gordon, on the Moray Firth in Banffshire, was founded in 1797 by Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon as one of the planned villages of Scotland during the time of “The Enlightenment”. As a fishing village the harbour became, and remained the most significant on this stretch of the Moray coast for 50 years – that is until the neighbouring harbour was constructed at Nether Buckie. The lobster pots on the quay testify to some local fishing continuing.
Carry on along the shore front until the end of the houses and you should see the little black and red boat “Silverhow”, where you turn left. After a short distance and a right hand bend, cross the road onto the pathway on the left – you’ll see the Speyside Way noticeboard. This takes you onto the old railway track of the Moray Coast Railway.
Highlighted is the section that covers our Kiltwalk. Thankfully, for our walkers, the line closed to passenger traffic in 1968! This was once part of a wide network of railways that connected most of the smaller communities with the larger towns in the area.
As you walk along the straight section just after Portgordon, you’ll cross the Tynet Burn. A nice wee burn, but also the location where 19th century geologists uncovered a rich source of Devonian (Old Red Sandstone) fossil fishes, many of which are on display in Elgin museum. This example is a member of a group that existed about 400 million years ago, living in the fresh/saline waters of the Orcadian lakes that lapped onto barren hills, and is thought to have many characteristics similar to those evolving into the amphibians.
At the end of the straight track take a right turn, then a left into the trees and follow the well trodden, but often single track through the woods. You won’t see it for a wee while, but on your right is the 18 hole, undulating links, 6220 yard, par 70, Spey Bay Golf Club, designed by Ben Sayers. Fancy a round for £20? Keep on the woodland track eventually coming onto the paved road (B9104). Head right into the village of Spey Bay, past the derelict Hotel and head left towards the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Centre (WDCS) at Tugnet where you’ll see the River Spey for the first time.
Tugnet
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS): The building that is now the Moray Firth Wildlife Centre and run by WDCS was once the old Tugnet salmon fishing station. It’s actually located on a 450 hectare Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve. In this, their most northerly, habitat there are estimated to be 190 bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth (not the ones in the picture!), feeding upon the salmon coming and going from the river.... 
and they’re often seen, as are ospreys, grey and harbour seals, otters, wildfowl and waders. Keep your eyes open for some rarities – Minke whales and the odd misguided shark.
If you can spare a bit of time, then visit the centre to listen in to the noises from the deep – transmitted to the centre from the offshore sonobuoy which was first deployed in June 2008. It’s a large, yellow navigation buoy fitted with an underwater microphone (known as a hydrophone), a transmitter, and solar panels to keep the battery charged.
Note: there is a cafe, and toilets, in the WDCS centre.
In 2011, the centre featured on the BBC “Beechgrove Garden” programme when the team, and lots of local volunteers, transformed much of the outdoor areas with new ground cover, plants which will survive the harsh environment and new seating areas.
If you can, check out the courtyard with its turfed lawn, shady raised beds at the back, sunken beds by the entrance with a mixture of flowers and herbs, a circle of paving around the whitebeam tree and a dramatic stone raised bed framing the tree stump and planted with grasses.
The Ice House: This is the largest in Scotland and built in 1830 – not 1630 as the date above the lintel would have you believe! A bit like an iceberg, only 1/3 is showing above ground level. Ice used to be cut from special channels in the River and the 3 ice houses packed to preserve the salmon prior to their journey to their various markets. At one time it’s reported that up to 150 people were employed to service up to 2 dozen vessels making the trip to London.
The last commercial fishing took place on the Spey as recently as 1993.
The River Spey
River Spey Shingle: At the mouth of the River Spey is Britain's best example of a shingle strand plain The shape of the granite shingle bars at the rivermouth change frequently through natural deposition and erosion, but this can be in a matter of hours if the river is in spate. The shingle bars you see today, have their origin in the Ice Age over 10,000 years ago, when repeated movements of the sea level caused the orientation of the coast to change, extensive shingle bars to extend 8 Kms east, the sea to encroach inland and post glacial erosion to deposit the shingle. The shingle extends for many miles upriver so keep your eyes open for the changing appearance of the bars and banks. Simples!!
River: The River Spey is Scotland’s second longest river at 107 miles long; it’s the fastest flowing and can rise 12 ft with snow melt. The river and tributaries extend for some 23,000 miles, with a catchment area of approximately 1,150 sq. miles. Unfortunately, on this Kiltwalk you’ll see only the last 20 miles or so. It has its origins at over 350 metres in the Monadhliath Mountains at Loch Spey to the west of Dalwhinnie and in the lower reaches the fall is a staggering 12 ft/mile.
Approximately 40,000 tons of sediment are washed into the Moray Firth every year from the river and in 1829 the “The Muckle Spate” did tremendous damage to many of the communities on the banks, while in 1960 some houses in the neighbouring Kingston village on the west banks disappeared as the river decided to head west!. Today the nearby town of Lossiemouth to the west has difficulty keeping the shingle from the Spey from overwhelming their sandy beaches.
Fishing: The river is synonymous with salmon and trout fishing and for those of you who know about such things, is the home of speycasting, which I won’t try to describe.
In addition, it’s quite possible to catch eel, Arctic charr, pike, minnow, three-spined stickleback, flounder and 3 species of lamprey.
Very few Scottish salmon will survive to spawn a second time.
The Spey Fishery Board (SFB) is the Statutory Body responsible for the conservation, protection and enhancement of Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout stocks and fisheries on the river. In 2010, 9231 salmon and grilse were caught and a further 3290 Sea Trout. Catch and release rates were 81% and 68% respectively. In 2011, the largest salmon caught came in at a handy 34lbs – which would require quite a lot of chips. The season for salmon lasts between February 11th, when the river is usually blessed by the infusion of its favourite dram (what a waste!) and September 30th. Needless to say the salmon make their way upriver in huge numbers to spawn shortly after the season closes.
The river is divided into beats, some of which are available to Association anglers, while many are owned by private estates. Cost for fishing is very variable, but generally expensive, sometimes
exceptionally expensive, but many celebrities make their way here to enjoy the experience and test their skills.
The SFB work closely with a wide variety of agencies to preserve the river and undertake not only conservation projects but provide a range of educational, conservation and research projects.
The threat to the stocks on the river don’t come from just the over-zealous anglers, but also from disease (a nasty little parasitic fluke destroyed 98% of the Norwegian freshwater salmon – thankfully UK is free from this parasite).
The Signal crayfish (above) is a threat in terms of food competition and predation of the salmon eggs and is already established in one of the tributaries of the Nairn. A programme to monitor and control a range of birds including the cormorant and a number of duck species has been introduced during the smolt (juvenile fish) season.
Freshwater pearl mussels are extremely rare, but are found in the River Spey. Don’t go looking for them – it’s an offence to take any.
Check out the Spey Fishery Board website: www.speyfisheryboard.com
Enjoy the river – there’s a lot to see.
