MONREITH

Monreith was originally called Milltown Of Monreith due to the grain mills that were established on the Monreith Estate, powered by the Monreith Burn.  The estate and Monreith House are owned by the Maxwell family, whose former home called "The Dowies" also known as "Old Place" has been taken over by the Landmark Trust and is available to rent as holiday accommodation.  The name Maxwell is very common in this part of Scotland, and one of the extended Maxwell family members was the famous author and naturalist Gavin Maxwell, whose book Ring Of Bright Water about an otter Maxwell brought from Iraq and raised in Scotland sold over a million copies and was made into a film.  There is a memorial to Maxwell in the form of a statue of an otter looking out over the shore near Monreith.  Many of the Maxwells are buried in the churchyard of the ruined Kirkmaiden  Church (Virgin's Church) on the shores of Monreith Bay.  This church, one of the oldest in Scotland, also harbours the remains of a French naval officer called Francois Thurot who fell victim to a sea battle off the Isle Of Man in 1760, and whose body was washed ashore here.  

Map of the area. 

  Monreith beach - geograph.org.uk - 1725478. Photo by  Andrew Gritt, via Wikimedia Commons