A place o magic healing in some parts, an ancient corpse road used from the middle ages, evidence of stone age settlers has also been found – this wonderful hill was humanised by Dr JF Tocher (1864-1945) originally fae Fyvie wrote :
” Standing as sentry over Buchan.”
Nae only dis the hill hae strategic importance in the role o providing a lookout for defending our shores but also gave an all roon view o the area below so huntsmen could pinpoint far the hunting wid be good. Did King Malcolm II stand on this very hill and watch as Viking King Canute approach the shores at Cruden Bay in 1012 afore that awful bloody battle? Was he able ti muster enough Buchan warriors in time thanks to the strategic lookout advantage this iconic hill offered? I guess finer points can be left ti yer imagination!
Like I say- Mysteries and Histories! I canna wait ti tell yi some mare..
Tae the fit o the hill far the Hunt Steen stands, all 7ft of massiveness like a hulk o granite staring doon at yi lies a wee collection o steens called the ‘Fountsteen.’ A rectangle dressed granite block in amongst smaa rocks lay aside a wee spring. A place o worship from Pagan times for healing purposes and may have been Christianised in the late 7th century at the time o St Eddren’s Hermitage for baptisms. Tales like this.. ancient magic springs of water completely captivated me as a bairn and even in my 40 years I still get drawn to tales like this!
Folk fa bide in the Doric area will hae nae doubt driven past the iconic Mormond Hill or at least ken o it I’m sure.
For centuries this was a place to meet , so fits in bonny with my intro. Lang afore the days o telecommunications and such, local folks kint that on a certain day at a certain time -perhaps daybreak- yi wid gather at the steen and as the name suggests went hunting. This Steen pre dates the iconic Hunters Lodge which sits a couple mile fae the steen.
Ethel Reid - Pitullie, Aberdeenshire - Oral History. Ethel is of a fishing background, she…