4.56 



KINCARDINESHIRE. 



Climate, 



Lakes. 



Rivers. 



later in the several seasons. During the drought of 

 summer, both sides of the Dee suffer more from heat 

 than any other part of the county. Along the coast, 

 the winter cold is more moderate, and agricultural ope- 

 rations may be carried on with less interruption during 

 that portion of the year than in the more inland dis- 

 tricts ; but the chilling east winds from the German 

 Ocean, prevent the seasons from being more genial, or 

 the crops more early. In the central portion, usually 

 called the How of the Mearns, which is well sheltered 

 both from the north and the east, the climate is more 

 temperate and equable than in any other division of 

 the county ; but is more liable to strong gusts of wind 

 from the south-west, against which there is no interve- 

 ning height in that direction for the space of sixty miles. 

 In the Grampian tracts, the climate, during winter and 

 spring, is excessively severe, unless in a few deep glens 

 or vallies, which are uncommonly warm. 



The following Table, communicated to us, and 

 drawn up by Dr. William Young of Fawside, from his 

 own observations between 1805 and 1816 inclusive, 

 shews the state of the weather, on the east coast of the 

 county, in North Latitude 56 58', 500 yards from the 

 sea, and 150 feet above its level. 



There are only two lakes in the county worthy of 

 notice, both of which are in the northern part of the 

 Dee-side district. The one is the loch of Drum, in 

 the parish of Drumoak, but partly lying within the li- 

 mits of Aberdeenshire. The other is the loch of Leys, 

 in the parish of Upper Banchory, the water of which is 

 in general shallow, and capable of being drained, by 

 deepening the channel by which it flows into the Dee. 

 These lakes are nearly of equal extent, each being 

 about three miles in circumference. Both of them are 

 well stored with pike ; and frequented by geese, ducks, 

 and other aquatic wild fowls. 



Kincardineshire is well supplied with rivers and small 

 streams flowing in a multitude of directions. The princi- 

 pal of these are, 1. The Dee, reckoned the sixth river 

 in Scotland ia point of magnitude, which rises at the 

 head of Braemar, and flows nearly due east, through a 

 course of seventy-five miles, eight of which are within 

 the shire of Kincardine, and fourteen more form the 

 boundary line with the county of Aberdeen. It is a 

 pure limpid stream, flowing over a light gravelly bed, 

 and is well stored with salmon, trout, and occasionally 



with eels, which pass up the stream in immense num. Kincurdim 

 bers during the months of May and June, and return to 6llire - 

 the ocean in September and*0ctober. Its "banks, almost 'T" " 

 every where clothed with wood, abound, in the most Rivers - 

 picturesque scenery, and produce some of the largest 

 natural firs in Britain, particularly near the source of 

 the river, where many of these trees are from three to 

 four feet in diameter, and from 50 to 60 in height be- 

 low the branches. 2. The North Esk, which forms the 

 boundary between the counties of Kincardine and For- 

 far, and has already been described in the account given 

 of the latter in this work. 3. Bervie Water, a small 

 river, but good trouting stream, rises in the centre of 

 the county, among the braes of Glenbewie, about 12 

 miles west from Stonehaven, and falls into the sea at 

 the town of Bervie. 4. The Cowie, a small river flow- 

 ing from the foot of Kirloak, through a winding course 

 of 12 miles, and falling into the sea at Stonehaven. 

 There are, besides, the Carron, reaching the coast at 

 Stonehaven ; the Feuch, rising in the forest of Birse ; 

 the Avon, which waters the vale of Strachan, orStrath- 

 avon ; the Dye, which flows from the Grampians into 

 the Fuech, at the church of Strachan ; the Black Burn, 

 which runs into the loch of Drum ; the Canny, which 

 falls into the Dee at Invercanny ; and the Luther, 

 which rises above the castle of Drumtochty, and, pass-' 

 ing the church of Fordoun, flows westward through the 

 How into the North Esk. 



The principal mountains in the county are the Gram. Mountains 

 pians, which, proceeding across the island from Dum- 

 bartonshire, terminate on the north of Stonehaven, 

 within about three miles of the sea. This elevated and 

 dreary ridge of dark brown hills stretches through the 

 whole breadth of the county from west to east, occu- 

 pying a space of above 18 miles in length, and eight in 

 breadth. These hills, at the eastern extremity, are 

 only 500 or 600 feet in height ; but rapidly rising into 

 a range of lofty summits, they reach an elevation, in 

 the west side of the county, of 3500 feet above the le- 

 vel of the sea. The more remarkable of these moun- 

 tains are Mount Battock on the west, the highest 

 in the neighbourhood, on the top of which the three 

 counties of Forfarj Kincardine, and Aberdeen, join 

 their limits; Cloachnabane, or the White-stone-hill, 

 about six miles farther east, remarkable for a protube- 

 rance of solid rock on its summit, about 100 feet in 

 perpendicular height, which appears from the sea like 

 a watch-tower, and forms a decided land-mark to the 

 coasting vessels ; Kerloack, about four miles from the 

 last mentioned, from the top of which a most extensive 

 view may be commanded over the greater part of 

 Aberdeenshire to tbe north, and southwards as far as 

 the hills of Lammer Muir, in the Lothians ; Cairnman- 

 earn, six miles more to the north-east, almost covered 

 over its whole surface with large blocks of hard stone ; 

 Cairnamount, in the south front of the Grampians, 

 about 2500 feet high, over which passes the public 

 road from the How to Dee-side ; Strathfenella, also on 

 the south, remarkable for its being cut off, on the north 

 side, from the main body of the ridge by a narrow but 

 pleasant cultivated vale. Besides the Grampians, there 

 are the Garvoek hills on the south, and the Arbuthnot 

 hills on the east of the How, both of which are low 

 ranges, never rising above 500 feet, and in most places 

 cultivated nearly to their summits. 



To the north of Stonehaven, and over the whole of Mineralo- ' 

 the Grampian district, granite is the most prevalent gy. 

 stone ; and southwards along the coast, and in the 



