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As I have previously mentioned in my blogs, I am a big fan of swimming outdoors. While I used to do a lot of sea swimming when I lived in Aberdeen, I prefer fresh water and am always on the lookout for good lochs or rivers to go for a dip in. One of my favourite swim spots in the area is Linn Falls in Aberlour. Last week I went for a well-deserved dip while out on one of the DDCA eBikes.

I really like cycling over the Blue hill via the public footpath, as that means I can get to Aberlour without having to cycle on the main road. I mapped out the route a few months back. Last time I went up there, it was spring time and the bushes and trees were still bare. This time, nature was in full bloom. It is amazing how different everything looks depending on the season.

Once in Aberlour, I went down to the River Spey, along the graveyard and crossed the main street by Aberlour distillery. From here, I followed the trail into the woods that take you to Linn Falls. The trail actually continues up the falls and you can follow the burn in a circular loop that eventually takes you back to the top of Aberlour. Once at Linn Falls, the hardest bit of outdoor swimming awaited me – getting out of your clothes and mentally prepare for those first ten seconds of cold water to hit you! I usually do some starjumps and squats to warm the body up first. You look a bit silly but I find that it helps to get in the right mindset. Then it’s the process of actually getting in the water. My strategy is less thinking – more doing. If you think too much about it, the risk of talking yourself out of it is much bigger. Once you are in, concentrate on getting your breathing in control and just enjoy the feeling. Remember to keep an eye on your body temperature and get out before you get too cold. It is always best to increase the time you are in the water slowly over several swims as your body learns to cope with cold temperatures.

Why I love outdoor swimming so much is the mental boost I get from it. It’s a chance to improve your self-confidence by doing something despite it being a bit uncomfortable. The feeling has a lasting effect and makes you more likely to get out of your comfort zone in other areas of your life. I’ll be going for swims regularly this summer, so just get in touch if you want to come along.

Last week I was invited along to a workshop hosted by tsiMoray where we shared ideas of what a Moray Climate Action Hub would look like. 

The Scottish Government is supporting the development of a network of regional community climate action hubs. These hubs will provide a regional approach to climate change action. As the Hubs should be shaped by and be responsive to the needs of their communities, various stakeholders in Moray were invited to the workshop to help shape the proposal for a hub here in Moray. 

The main activity of the session was to discuss in groups what we want the climate action hub to do for us, and what we can do for the hub. Below is a photo of what my group wanted the hub to provide. We identified functions related to engagement, such as education opportunities. We also discussed the need for a joined-up approach, where the hub can help with coordination and collaboration between various groups, businesses and public bodies. Lastly, my group identified that it would be very useful if the hub could provide expertise and best practice for capacity building in new projects. 

On the second question, regarding what different stakeholders can bring to the hub, I unfortunately forgot to take a photo of our ideas but they centred around three aspects. Firstly, we can bring the communities to the hub. To make sure that the hub is responsive to the specific needs of Moray, it is vital that communities are part of shaping the agenda and work of the hub. Secondly, stakeholders can bring experience, case studies and best practice to the hub. This encourages shared learning and ensures different groups don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Thirdly, we can bring creativity to the climate action hub. Thinking about, and tackling, climate change can easily become overwhelming due to technical jargon, masses of information and complex connections between the economy, nature and people. Creativity and art is a fantastic way to approach difficult issues and make them more relatable. 

I look forward to seeing how the proposal for a Moray climate action hub takes shape. If you have any ideas or want to get involved with the Moray Climate Action Hub work, please get in touch with me. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are.

Based on a skills needs survey conducted by DDCA in 2022, it was identified that outdoor training was one of the top desired services in the community. I reached out to the environmental education organisation Wild Things and during the past month, Dufftown residents have learnt new, practical bushcraft skills. This week I went along to their workshops to learn everything from plant identification to tying different types of knots. 

We met at Megs Widd and gathered our kits and tools for the day. After a short walk into the woods we found a clearing suitable to set up a shelter. Paul the instructor showed me how to tie a Siberian hitch knot and a tautline hitch knot. With just a tarp and some string we managed to make a great little shelter! 

With our base camp set up, we ventured further into the woods to find material for making various crafts. We collected elder branches and nettles, and identified some of the plants around us. As a kid, I always used to snack on wood sorrel when I was in the woods, and I was pleasantly surprised that Megs Widd is full of it! It also contains plenty of blaeberry bushes but last year the crop was rather sparse up there. Hopefully there will be more this year. 

Once back under our shelter, we learnt how to make beads and nettle cord. You cut the elder branches up in inch-long pieces and poke out the soft wood in the middle, which leaves you with a bead that you can paint or carve patterns on. I focused on the nettles, which I stripped the leaves off and split the stalk with a stone. I then twinned the inner fibres together to make a cord. Using the cord and the beads together, you can make lots of different things! 

Paul and the other participants showed me their nature diaries. This is a notebook you can take with you when you are outdoors and use as you like. One participant had drawn sketches of the plants and wildlife they had come across during the workshops. Another participant had used it to make notes of the different activities and skills they have covered so far. I really like the idea of a nature diary that you can use both as a log book of what you see in the woods as well as your thoughts and feelings. Anyone that has spent time outdoors will know that it is a great way to clear your head and re-charge the mental batteries.

I’m thankful that Wild Things has provided this bushcraft course in Dufftown and I hope the participants have found it valuable.

This week I made my way to Tomintoul to meet the team at the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust. Having a look at their projects they have worked on for the past 10 years was really inspiring.

Starting at the Discovery Centre, I learned about how they renovated and modernised the heritage museum into a multi-use space with exhibitions, local crafts and souvenirs, as well as office space. I particularly enjoyed the current Cairngorm Dark Sky experience exhibition they have on, and can recommend it to adults and children alike. 

After lunch at the Whisky Castle, we went to have a look at the Smugglers Hostel. It is a great set-up with a communal area and dorms – perfect for walkers and visitors exploring the area. 

To finish off our tour, we went along to have a look at their latest big project, which is an affordable housing development. Where the old school once was, there are now 12 houses being built. Some of these will be sold and some of them will be rented out on a significant discount against market rates. Any income generated will be reinvested into the trust for other local projects. 

Great work like this takes time and effort, and the team at the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust has worked closely with partner groups and volunteers to deliver all these impressive projects. I left Tomintoul feeling very motivated and I look forward to coming back for my next visit. 

For the past two weeks I have been out helping out and learning more about the incredible work done by Dufftown in Bloom. This is a group that volunteers their time and effort to ensure the town has bonny flower beds and baskets in the summer.

In the spring and summer time, the Bloomers usually meets up on Monday and Thursday mornings. A while back, they planted four thousand flower seeds. With a group of helpers, the planting took them a few hours. The seeds have since then been growing in their polytunnels. Last Monday, we transferred some of the flowers to the cold stores to make more room. This week, we met at the Clocktower to pull out all the daffodils to keep over winter. Despite the very rainy weather, it was great to see so many people come out to give a hand! I had a really good time. The bulbs had been donated by Glenfiddich last year and thanks to Dufftown in Bloom the same bulbs made Dufftown pretty again for another year.

Now, the flower beds are cleared and ready for bedding plants to go in. Hanging baskets are also being prepared to go up around the town for the summer. I look forward to seeing Dufftown Bloom again!

/Viktoria

As COVID restrictions have eased up, a lot of us are keen to meet new people and start new hobbies. If you want to do exercise, there is no need to drive all the way into Elgin. There are many beautiful walks here in Dufftown (big shout-out to the Dufftown & Mortlach Development Trust for their recent path upgrades by the Giant’s Chair and Gordon’s Cross). For those that are interested in guided exercise, I have compiled a list below of some of the things happening in the area:

Kettlebells

Hazelwood Kettlebell Club started in 2017 and has grown from strength to strength since then. With nearly 80 members, they offer classes in Aberlour, Rothes and Elgin. Their certified instructors will teach you all the techniques in a safe and friendly environment. The classes are suitable for all ages and abilities. Being a member myself, I can with confidence say that it hasn’t just given me improved fitness but also new friends and many laughs. First session is free and monthly membership is £22. Get in touch with Linda to give it a go!  

Pilates

Lindsay runs one hour pilates sessions at Mortlach Memorial Hall every Monday 6.30pm. She is an experienced qualified instructor and has been running classes since 2004. All you need to bring is an exercise mat and Lindsay will provide the rest. These classes are suitable for all ages and abilities, and are great for people with back problems and arthritis. You can come along and try it for £4 taster sessions. If you like it, you can book blocks of 6 weeks of classes for £48. If you want more information, you can visit her facebook page. 

Scottish Country Dancing

Long-running since 1952, the Scottish Country Dance Club offers social dances and classes for all ages and abilities. During the summer, they hold social dances every month. The first one took place on the 3rd of May. If you missed that one, you have another chance to attend on 7th June, 5th July, 2nd August and 6th September. They meet in the Memorial Hall at 7.30pm and it’s £6. For the social dances, some previous knowledge is needed, although there will be a tutor there. Wear comfortable clothing and footwear. Weekly classes, which are beginner friendly, start again on the 20th of September. These classes cost £5 and run between 7.30-9pm. Visit their facebook for more information. 

Bowling

The Dufftown Bowling Club meets every Monday on the green by Tininver Park at 6.30pm. It is free on the night and beginners are more than welcome. There are also friendly games on a Wednesday afternoon. Just remember to bring flat shoes and bowls can be provided. You can also become a member. Not only will you improve your bowling skills but you will also meet new friends. The club goes to other clubs for friendly games and usually finish with a tea and sandwich. For more information go to their facebook group. 

Do you run exercise classes in Dufftown? Get in touch to list it on our website!

This week, I was invited over to Portgordon Community Trust to meet their newly appointed Community Development Officer, Michelle. It was my first time in Portgordon and it was so inspiring to get an insight into some of their projects.

Michelle gave me a tour of their beautiful community garden by the harbour. The land is owned by the Trust and stewarded by volunteers. Having only started the project last summer, I was amazed how much they have accomplished already. There is a strong focus on sustainability, with the majority of materials being recycled and solar panels used for electricity. 

Two polytunnels have been built and several cold stores and raised beds have been placed outside. They have created a path with donated slabs and re-pointed the garden walls. Inside the polytunnels, various raised beds have been made from recycled materials and are now full of growing vegetables. Connecting the land with the sea, they re-purposed the front of a boat to turn the middle section of the beds into a vegetable boat. The space is used by the primary school on Tuesdays for growing and storytelling. It is amazing what you can achieve with passionate people proud of their community. 

Thanks to the fact that the Portgordon community garden is run and designed by the community itself, the opportunities to expand the project are plenty. Michelle told me that some of the next ideas they have for the space include a community barbeque area and a petanque court. 

What I took with me from my visit to Portgordon was the importance of community connection and working together. One person can’t do everything but if we help each other, great things happen. I can’t wait to invite Michelle and the Portgordon Trust over to Dufftown to share their experience and stories with us all. Have any ideas for a community project in Dufftown? Let me know!

One of DDCA’s strategic aims is to advance the education of the local population in Dufftown and District by promoting and/or providing training or skills of all kinds. In March, we carried out a short online survey to identify what kind of skills training people want to see in Dufftown. The results should not be interpreted as fully representative of Dufftown and District as a whole since relatively few responses (17) were received. However, the results give a useful insight into which areas of training are most desired. Among those who responded to the survey, over half were interested in taking part in Arts and Crafts training. Just under 50% indicated that they wanted to improve their outdoor skills. The third most popular training is related to cooking. Lastly, around two in five people said they wanted to improve their skills in music, IT, and helping with homework. 

With the DDCA Skills and Learning Survey in mind, we have approached various adult learning providers in Moray to bring community skills training to Dufftown. I’m delighted  to share with you some upcoming training that you can sign up to today:

Outdoor skills

Wild Things – an award winning environmental education charity – is running a free 8-week ‘Introduction to Bushcraft’ course in Dufftown, starting May 6th. It is designed to support physical health and wellbeing as well as skills development. You will learn skills like animal and plant identification, safe fire lighting, tool use and shelter building. You will even gain an accredited qualification from the course. Sign up by e-mail.

IT Training

tsiMoray is providing free digital training in Dufftown on April 27th at the Royal British Legion. The event runs between 09.30 and 12.30. The session aims to help you do the everyday stuff you want to do on your computer, tablet or phone. From Face time to Zoom, from shopping online to paying bills, or even creating an email account, you’ll be helped to unlock the most from your device. There will be plenty of time for questions. Sign up online or call 01343 541713.

Wellbeing events

DDCA has received funding to run a series of wellbeing workshops in Dufftown throughout the rest of the year. We are still in the planning stages of what the programme will look like. Watch this space for future updates, and get in touch if you have any specific events you would like to run or attend. 

In this week’s blog post I’m calling fellow Dufftown gardeners for advice on how to be successful with vegetables and flowers in my garden. 

One of the most exciting things about moving to Dufftown was that I got my own proper garden for the first time. It was quite overgrown when we moved in so last summer was dedicated to re-claiming it back to a usable state. This summer, we are keen to grow our own vegetables and plant more native species that also attract wildlife.  

In March, we turned some of the grass in the garden into a vegetable patch. Our loyal garden blackbird had a great time finding lots of worms to eat. Now I’m trying to figure out which vegetable plants do well in Dufftown weather. 

I started sowing seeds inside about two weeks ago. So far, it seems to go well. We planted a lot of sunflower seeds (probably too many for the size of our garden) that have all taken well. I also planted Snapdragon flowers, but I’m not sure if I put too many seeds in each pot. They have come up and are a few millimetres tall so far. We also planted lettuce inside, but after some Googling, I have come to understand that they prefer colder temperatures so I will transplant them outside in the vegetable patch this weekend and keep my fingers crossed they don’t mind the disruption. 

As a slightly different project, I got grow-at-home mushroom kits for Christmas since one of my favourite hobbies is to forage chanterelles in late summer. I successfully harvested lots of Oyster mushrooms from the kits in February. It felt pretty surreal to see them grow from nothing to monster-sizes on my windowsill. Below are photos of last year’s chanterelle luck and my Oyster mushrooms. 

 

As you can probably tell, there is a lot of trial-and-error involved in my gardening attempts at the moment. If you have any advice to share on which plants do well in our Dufftown climate, and how to attract wildlife into the garden, please let me know!

 

My New Years resolution for 2020 was to swim outdoors once per month. Back then, I was still living in Aberdeen so most of my swims were in the North Sea or the rivers Don and Dee. For the first seven months, I didn’t have a wetsuit so I braved it in just a swimsuit. With spring sea temperatures at around 4 degrees Celsius, those swims were not longer than 10 minutes! However, coinciding with the Covid pandemic and lockdowns, those 10 minutes really helped with my mental wellbeing. It was a great way to get out of the house and meet up with fellow swimmers in a Covid-safe way. During the past two and a half years, I have kept going for outdoor swims (and purchased a warm wetsuit). Below is a photo of me and my friends at Aberdeen beach.

Since I moved to Dufftown in July 2021, I have been on the lookout for good swim spots in the area. At first, my first thought was the River Spey that you can access from Craigellachie but as it is the fastest river in the UK, it is not safe for swimming. For days when I have time to drive a bit further, I have swam with the Broch Selkies in Burghead, and I know that some folk in Dufftown go along to the swims in Cullen organised by the Wild Dookers. For days when there are good waves, I go to Sandend to surf. Below is a photo of last year’s Christmas dook, which was VERY cold. 

People have told me that a good local swim spot in Dufftown is the Dufftown Doubles down by the turn-off toward Huntly where the river Dullan meets the river Fiddich. I have been down to check it out but am unsure where the best spot is to get into the water. If you have swam there before, please give me a shout and let me know! Also, I’d love to hear if you have any stories about the Dufftown Doubles. Perhaps you even have old photos of this local swim spot you would like to share?