Caithness Field Club 

Caithness Field Club Bulletin 1993

Caithness Field Club Annual General Meeting 1993

 CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS

Welcome to our Annual General Meeting. Our 1992 Summer Outings proved popular.

George Watson took us to the harbours south of Wick, the harbours are the same, but George had a wealth of new information.

Alan Abernethy ably organised the Forres weekend, complete with the superb gorge of the Findhorn river, and a working, praying monastery. No members joined up.

Marion Owen arranged calm seas for the boat trip from Helmsdale Dunbeath to admire the multitude of sea birds.

Gordon MacLachlan talked Ian Morris into showing us Olrig farm and house. For those who missed it, the house is an unusual example of the Victorian Architect, David Brice, using Classical style, he is noted for Gothic as at Keiss and Dunbeath Castles.

Innes Miller's exposition of his Peat Works on the Causiemire was completed in his tin shed, the rain drumming on the roof. After lunch the deluge stopped and Bob Walker took us to the clearance village of Bad Ryrie with its whisky still. On the return walk I lured a few hardy souls to see a crannog, a man-made island, on Loch Stemster; alas, it is natural.

At Learable, Kildonan, in fine weather we stumbled along the railway line to locate many of the hut circles, stone rows, cross slab and stalled cairns.

Rain greeted Gordon Wilson at Baligill and Strathy, but when we realised we could get no wetter we enjoyed the experience and Gordon's information on this most recent of lighthouses.

Undeterred, Gordon later took us to Garry Whin and Cairn of Get, and we were rewarded by a great day late in the season.

The Annual Dinner was enlivened by Bunty Gunn's speech.

Dr. Raymond Lamb came south from Orkney to tell us about the Pictish Church.  Marion Owen and I dragged him to Canisbay to see Morris Pottinger's possible Cromwellian Gun Battery. The opinions of both men will be quoted in the next bulletin.

Dr. Ian Morrison described the excavations at Dunbeath; the type of monument changes with every spadefull. For the next exciting instalment see this year's Summer Programme.

Lea MacNally's death was a shock but Wilma Miller gallantly gave us an account of her tough travels in Thailand.

I want you now to thank all our speakers, expedition leaders, contributors to the bulletin, our editor, and your Committee for an enjoyable year. The Committee meets four times a year and we need new members to bring in new ideas. Think it over .....

Published in 1993 Bulletin