Bullers of Buchan
Encyclopedia
The name Bullers of Buchan refers both to a collapsed sea cave and to the adjacent village, situated about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Peterhead
in Buchan
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
.
, razorbills and guillemots
along with herring gulls and great black-backed gulls
. Eider ducks
may also be seen here, and gannets
are frequently seen passing en route to their colonies north at Troup Head and South at Bass Rock
. Grey seal
s may be seen in the bay, and dolphins
are often seen passing by offshore.
The Bullers of Buchan lie on the Buchan coastal footpath, leading south to Slains Castle
, Cruden Bay
and Whinnyfold, and north to the Longhaven wildlife reserve.
word meaning "rushing of water", relating to the sound made by the waves crashing in through the archway opening into the pot, perhaps.
, Silver Cairn and numerous tumuli. In that same vicinity of the Laeca Burn
watershed is the point d'appui
of historic battles between invading Danes and indigenous Pict
s.
The Bullers of Buchan were cited in historical literature as early as the 18th century, most notably by the literary journalist James Boswell
.
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
in Buchan
Buchan
Buchan is one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by the council in 1996, when the Aberdeenshire unitary council area was created under the Local Government etc Act 1994...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Cave
The collapsed sea cave forms an almost circular chasm (the "pot") some 30 metres (98.4 ft) deep, where the sea rushes in through a natural archway.Village
The small hamlet of cottages here is also known by the same name, and was historically a fishing village launching small boats from the bay below (the slipway may still be seen at low tide).Cliffs
The cliffs at the Bullers provide a nesting site in spring for colonies of seabirds, including kittiwakes, puffins, fulmars, shagsCommon Shag
The European Shag or Common Shag is a species of cormorant. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern...
, razorbills and guillemots
Common Guillemot
The Common Murre or Common Guillemot is a large auk. It is also known as the Thin-billed Murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North-Atlantic and North Pacific...
along with herring gulls and great black-backed gulls
Great Black-backed Gull
The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world, which breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic...
. Eider ducks
Common Eider
The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on...
may also be seen here, and gannets
Northern Gannet
The Northern Gannet is a seabird and is the largest member of the gannet family, Sulidae.- Description :Young birds are dark brown in their first year, and gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.Adults are long, weigh and have a wingspan...
are frequently seen passing en route to their colonies north at Troup Head and South at Bass Rock
Bass Rock
The Bass Rock, or simply The Bass, , is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It is approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick. It is a steep-sided volcanic rock, at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets...
. Grey seal
Grey Seal
The grey seal is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or "true seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus...
s may be seen in the bay, and dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
are often seen passing by offshore.
Access
The area is a popular sightseeing spot, with a car park but no tourist facilities. Access is via the A975 road, which is served by a regular bus service between Peterhead and Aberdeen.The Bullers of Buchan lie on the Buchan coastal footpath, leading south to Slains Castle
Slains Castle
New Slains Castle is a ruined castle near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, overlooking the North Sea.The remains stand perched atop tall, sea-facing cliffs, constructed around an existing tower house built in 1597 by the 9th Earl of Erroll. Significant reconstruction of the castle has been...
, Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay
Cruden Bay is a small village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, 26 miles north of Aberdeen.Just south of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay was the site of a battle between Danes and Scots under King Malcolm II in 1012...
and Whinnyfold, and north to the Longhaven wildlife reserve.
Name
The name "Bullers" has been thought to be derived from the French "bouillir", meaning "to boil", as the water in the pot appears to boil during stormy weather, but another explanation says that the word is a ScotsScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
word meaning "rushing of water", relating to the sound made by the waves crashing in through the archway opening into the pot, perhaps.
History
The local area is rich with prehistory and historical features. Somewhat inland are a number of prehistoric monuments including Catto Long BarrowCatto Long Barrow
Catto Long Barrow is a prehistoric site in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is known locally as Cairn Catto. The extant monument extends for a length of 49 metres.-References:* United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map 1:50,000 scale, Landranger series...
, Silver Cairn and numerous tumuli. In that same vicinity of the Laeca Burn
Laeca Burn
Laeca Burn is a stream in northeastern Aberdeenshire, Scotland. There are numerous archaeological sites in the Laeca Burn watershed, "especially on the eastern side of Laeca Burn", where Catto Long Barrow is situated.-References:...
watershed is the point d'appui
Point d'appui
A point d'appui, in military theory, is a location where troops are assembled prior to a battle. Often a monument is erected to commemorate the point d'appui for notable battles...
of historic battles between invading Danes and indigenous Pict
PICT
PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
s.
The Bullers of Buchan were cited in historical literature as early as the 18th century, most notably by the literary journalist James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
.