I started Hay’s Way in Aberdeenshire at Mar Lodge, in the Cairngorms, and headed east along the Deeside Way through Ballater, Aboyne and Banchory. Once I reached Stonehaven, I made my way down the east coast, then walked inland to Laurencekirk before dipping into Angus.
5. Tullich carved stones
Located just off the Deeside Way between Ballater and Aboyne, in the grounds of the Tullich church and graveyard, lie some extant early medieval carved stones. Some of the stones, which are mostly made from local granite, date back to the Pictish period. There are about 17 on display in a protective shelter, while others are still in place in the church. Most of the stones are personal memorials. Research shows excavations were undertaken in 2013 by Hilary and Charles Murray, who, with Jane Geddes, published a full account of this early medieval church site and its carved stones in 2015. Radiocarbon dates from the graveyard fall in the mid-seventh to late ninth centuries, when there is likely to have been a monastery here.
6. Atlantic salmon in the River Dee
I learnt about the state of the rivers and the salmon population in Aberdeenshire while walking along the river Dee for several days. One ghillie, Robert Harper, was particularly helpful at sharing his insight and local knowledge of the area having worked on the river for almost 50 years. A fisherman who I met on the walk told me the salmon is like the canary in the coal mine for other species that rely on the river, including humans; if they go, others will too. There are multiple reasons playing into the demise of the Atlantic salmon, including human activity at sea, rivers warming up, and seals swimming upstream. Despite ghillies and those in the fishing community shouting for years about the need for better protection of the Atlantic salmon, it seems there's been a lack of urgency from government. Photo: Katharine Hay
7. Sweep
I enjoyed meeting Sweep, who is pictured here sitting proudly on an armchair in Deeside Antiques Emporium. The piece of furniture is one of many antiques found in this treasure trove market-style set up in an old church in Kincardine O'Neil. It's only been open for about a year, and each stand offers a unique collection, including a new one called 'Things With Strings' in the vestry which sells guitars, musicals instruments, vinyls and retro posters. The village is said to be the oldest in Royal Deeside.
8. Fulmars
Heading along the east coast from Stonehaven to Johnsaven in March, the views range from quaint seaside villages with lobster shops and cosy pubs to sprawling fields of daffodils to the dramatic cliff-edge ruins of Dunnottar Castle. On those rocky cliff edges, if you're patient enough, you can spot fulmars, a relative of the albatross, darting through the haar. Known as a 'tubenose' seabird, they have a stumpy beak and a guttural cackle. A census carried out on St Kilda last year, home to one of Europe's most important seabird colonies, showed the fulmar population has dropped by an alarming 69 per cent in just over 20 years. Photo: Katharine Hay