Fun in the sun

After a comfortable night in the Boyne Hotel in Portsoy we were up early and enjoying a good Scottish breakfast which would keep us going nearly all day. I did keep waking during the night though to have a glimpse at the sea view through the window as an Aurora was forecast. I did nt really expect to see anything as it barely gets dark and it seemed no time at all after the last colours of sunset that the colours of dawn started. I could see tiny fishing boats bobbing about with their lights on surrounded by birds. Swifts and swallows chattered away , flying above the colourful rooftops.
We drove straight to Troup Head , managed t park in the small carpark, applied our 50 factor suncream and started the walk. Yellow hammers sang from fence posts,  a meadow pipit had a bath in the last remaining puddles and butterlies and moths fluttered above the grasses and flowers. Not to easy to walk along the edge on the field though as the barley was right up to the edge and the 'wild'bit abit too wild with stingers and thistles. We took the red route which took us over the cliffs. I did nt get too close, I'm a whoosh and hate heights especially after seeing the signs for hazardous cliffs, unfenced and dangerous, yiks. Just seeing those words makes my legs wobble. I enjoyed the walk though and photographed the six spotted burnet moth that were numerous.
I made it to the viewing point and the sound of the birds filled the air. Plenty of gannets ( around 1500 nesting pairs on the only mainland Gannetry in Scotland). Kittiwakes were nesting lower down, Razor bills and gulliemots further down and the odd puffin although it looked like there were a few more at sea. The RSPB wardens were busy doing a bird count.
It was really hot but worth it, the sound and seeing a swirl of gannets above the blue water was amazing.
We found a pottery that served tea so had a cuppa there in the garden. We also bought a book about the local area and the author signed it for us as he was there just dropping them off.
On to Pennan another great fishing village on the waters edge at the bottom of high cliffs. The film 'Local Hero' was filmed here. We found the iconic phone box,with a working phone, and did the touristy thing and had our photo taken in it.
A nice icecream at the little hut and then the journey home. Stopped in Elgin for a Burger King, too hot to eat in any where.