GOURDON AND INVERBERVIE

Just to the south of Inverbervie, the village of Gourdon has a long history of fishing possibly stretching back to Neolithic times. The harbour was no more than a gap in the rocks until 1819 when Thomas Telford built a proper harbour, later expanded. Inverbervie was granted the status of Royal Burgh by King David II when he and his Queen were forced to land here in 1341 during stormy weather on their way back from France, and the locals looked after them in their hour of need. The town takes its name from the River Bervie, which flows into the North Sea here. Fishing used to be the mainstay of the economy until a flax mill was opened, leading to a thriving textiles industry. One of the town's more notable sons was Hercules Linton, who designed the Cutty Sark tea clipper. He is remembered through a commemorative garden with a monument consisting of a full-size replica of the ship's figurehead. Linton is buried in the local church graveyard. Hallgreen Castle, overlooking the seafront, is now a private home offering tourist accommodation.

Map of the area.

Bervie Bay, Inverbervie - geograph.org.uk - 2139158. Photo by Dona Robbins, via Wikimedia Commons.