Auchmithie Beach

Scenes from the Angus Coast

My wife Jo and I went out to Auchmithie Beach on Valentine’s Day. It’s been the rainiest winter in a decade here in Angus and we haven’t seen the sun in four weeks. So when the sun came in the morning of the 14th, I grabbed the camera and we headed to Auchmithie Beach, a rocky old fishing harbour.

This landscape was formed 370 million years ago by a giant river systems that existed at this site off and on for millions of years.

The rivers deposited sediment that was later compacted and cemented into sedimentary rock, including conglomerate.

Conglomerate is basically nature’s concrete. Long ago, rivers or beaches piled up rounded pebbles and sand. Over millions of years, pressure squeezed them together and minerals acted like glue, turning the pile into solid rock.

This is an example of conglomerate at Auchmithie Beach

You’ll find lots of red and yellow Jasper pebbles.

Looking at these cliffs makes me realise how precious life is. These rocks have been telling their story for millions of years, and they’ll continue to tell it long after the world kicks us off.

I can’t help but think of the sorting hat from the Harry Potter series when I see this rock formation.

I love the shapes of these stones! I had to stop myself from bringing 100 lbs of rocks home.

It being Valentine’s Day, we had to find some heart shaped rocks, which was more difficult than we expected!

Photo by Jo Baker