The Local Nature Reserve is open all year round with footpaths providing access to Fraserburgh Bay, a three mile stretch of golden sands, and a walk along the river bank.
The Waters of Philorth is named after the nature reserve that runs along the back of the beach. This is a rare estuarine environment which attracts a variety of waders, wildfowl and seabirds.
There is also an extensive dune system that extends across Fraserburgh Bay. The Sand dunes form when dry sand, blowing inshore across the beach, meets an obstruction. This is often debris (fishing nets, bottles, and any host of human refuse) or stranded sea weed, young dunes form on the sheltered side of the obstructions and as more of the sand particles are deposited, dunes begin to form, eventually, dune grass seeds find their way to the new piles of sand then they start to germinate, sprout, grow roots and trap the sand that is blown along the beach by the wind, the dunes grow higher and as the plants such as the Marram Grass colonise the dunes, their roots begin to grow and then traps more of the sand, which binds the sand together, this in turn stabilises the dunes, allowing more vegetation to grow, which in turn traps more sand. Once the grasses stabilize the dune line, additional plants take hold, particularly on the more protected landward side of the dunes. Dunes are vulnerable to erosion by natural processes and by human activity. Over time dunes can grow, shrink, or move in the direction of prevailing winds.
Dunes can be created and destroyed by either nature or humans. Dunes can be washed away by storms. One of the ways in which sand dunes are eroded is by the wind blowing and moving the sand, where some of the grass has been removed by storms, fire, people or animals trampling the vegetation, this would cause a “blowout” which is flat-floored because the sand is blown away by the wind until the surface reaches the top of the water table and at this level the wet sand is too moist to be blown away and the surface becomes vegetated again, creating bowl-shaped depressions throughout the sand dunes. The beach is the sole source of sand for the coastal dunes, and every single sand grain in a dune has been blown across the beach at some time in its history. In fact, each grain probably has made the trip many times back and forth, because when the wind reverses and blows offshore some of the grains go right back to the beach. A prominent erosion scarp, which can be seen as a steep bank as the sand has been washed away, often seen on the beach side of the dune after a storm, is evidence that waves have redistributed dune sand back to the beach.
It is possible that the dunes at Philorth were created by man. At the beginning of World WarII coils of barbed wire and concrete blocks were laid along Fraserburgh beach to protect against an enemy invasion. Which in turn the creation of new dunes built up and the river was forced to change it course.
On your visit you will see sand dunes, marshes, reed beds, the river and its estuary, and the beach which all combine to provide an attractive haven for wildlife and outdoor surroundings for you to enjoy. The exposed beach attracts groups of feeding and resting gulls and waders, black backed gulls can be seen all year round scavenging amongst the debris at the high water mark, whilst sanderling scurry along the water’s edge. Waters of Philorth is an important feeding site for many migrating birds, especially in winter. You will be able to see a wide range of wading birds and wildfowl catching their food on the river and at the river mouth. Red-shank, oyster-catcher, grey heron and shelduck are seen throughout the year with dunlin and sanderling most common during the winter. Listen out for the loud voice of the oyster-catchers who make a ‘pee-wit’ call.
Take the kids, dogs or just yourself for a lovely walk or a seat in this really nice place.
To claim this earth cache, email/message me via my profile (please do not post answers in your online log) answers to the following tasks:-
1. Describe what you can see and what stage is the dune formation in? (additional waypoint Task 1)
2. Describe and explain the descent to the beach at the cache co-ords what has caused it?
3. (Optional) Photo of yourself and/or GPS with the one of the information boards in the background, which would be okay to post with your online log, hope you enjoy this lovely place.
"Cache is published with the permission of the Nature Reserve"