Aberdeen Exploration

Sunday I discovered Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve just to the north of Hillhead while I was on a walk. Five habitats are within the reserve: bog, moor, scrub, grassland and woodland. Common gorse (Ulex europaeus), a spiny shrub with yellow, bilabiate flowers perfumed of coconut are scattered across the downy field of grass along with dark gray boulders covered in green and yellow lichens and mosses. The gorse, though native, is an invasive threat to the heathland, which is not surprising to hear, since like daffodils, it is everywhere in this city.
It was comforting to find a natural area complete with educational signs telling me about the natural history of the area. Scotstown Moor is an SSSI: Site of Special Scientific Interest. SSSIs include nature reserves and geological wonders. On the other side of a patch of trees was the countryside. I was surprised to find how close it actually was, although only mildly so as I recognize it is easy for people here to slip into three main areas: Hillhead, uni, and City Centre (splash in the beach every once in a while and call Seaton Park part of Hillhead and uni).

Aberdeen has an area known as Belmont Street, which is a street of pubs and clubs and late-night Indian fast food/kebab shops. (Drunk food = kebabs and chips.) Aberdeen has a very lively nightlife. Students will go out any given night of the week which means that Belmont Street is always alive with people running from place to place or just hanging out in the street. The bus to Hillhead runs until 3 o'clock on weekends, but if you miss that you queue for a taxi on Union Street. I have decided that I am not really the clubbing type. It is too expensive to go out more than once or twice a month but really, that is about enough for me; especially now that it is warm out and light until 9pm-ish I'd much rather spend my time outside and sleep when it's dark.

Saturday I spent on an optional field trip for my Celtic class. We went to visit a stone circle, a cairn in the Grampian mountains, a few Pictish stones at Aberlemno, and a souterrain. It wasn't the most exciting day- there were about 11 of us and we didn't know each other and most of them were pretty quiet. But I got to see my first stone circle! This one was tucked away in the woods and when we stopped there we were the only ones around. Everything was still and the pine trees dappled the sunlight onto the crumbling rocks. It would be the perfect spot to sit by oneself and read or write, sleep or picnic, or just daydream . . .