Backlands

Settlement in Morayshire

Scotland

Backlands

Remains of a Star Dune The right foreground is made up of undeformed sandstone layers formed on one slope of a Permo-Triassic star dune when this part of Scotland lay in a windy desert about 250 million years ago. Beyond it is Daisy Rock, where there are many examples of deformation of the sand through dewatering. — Remains of a Star Dune Credit: Anne Burgess

Backlands is a picturesque village located in Morayshire, Scotland. Situated in the northeast region of the country, it lies approximately 20 miles east of Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. Known for its stunning natural beauty and rich history, Backlands attracts visitors from near and far.

The village is nestled amidst rolling hills and lush green landscapes, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. Its idyllic location makes it a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, who can indulge in activities such as hiking, cycling, and fishing. The nearby River Spey, renowned for its salmon fishing, is a particular draw for anglers.

Backlands is also steeped in history, with evidence of human habitation dating back thousands of years. The area is home to several ancient sites, including burial mounds and standing stones, which speak to its long-standing importance. Visitors can explore these archaeological treasures and gain insight into the region's fascinating past.

In terms of amenities, Backlands boasts a charming village center with a selection of shops, cafes, and traditional Scottish pubs. The warm and welcoming locals contribute to the village's friendly atmosphere, making it a delightful place to visit or reside.

Overall, Backlands offers a tranquil retreat for those seeking a peaceful escape amidst Scotland's natural splendor. Its combination of stunning scenery, historical significance, and warm community spirit make it a destination that truly has something for everyone.

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Backlands Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 57.702551/-3.4446751 or Grid Reference NJ1469. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Remains of a Star Dune

The right foreground is made up of undeformed sandstone layers formed on one slope of a Permo-Triassic star dune when this part of Scotland lay in a windy desert about 250 million years ago. Beyond it is Daisy Rock, where there are many examples of deformation of the sand through dewatering.

Anne Burgess

Hopeman Sandstone

The Daisy Rock across a bay formed by a shallow syncline. The smooth profile of the rock to the left of the Daisy Rock is NJ1570 : Remains of a Star Dune.

Anne Burgess

Sandstone Fold

An open syncline with a pop-up anticline above it. As the nearer rocks were compressed, the pop-up took up some of the space created by the folding.

Anne Burgess

Sand Volcano

Sand volcanoes form when water under pressure 'erupts' through higher layers of sand, deforming them as it does so. The ejected sand forms a little cone similar to those produced by ordinary volcanoes, only on a much smaller scale.

Anne Burgess

Harbour Entrance

From the end of the north sea wall, looking shorewards with the west sea wall in the foreground.

Anne Burgess

Getting Afloat

A group of wetsuit-clad people with paddleboards and inflatables in the calm waters of Hopeman harbour.

Anne Burgess

Harbour Wall

Hopeman harbour breakwater looking west.

Andrew Wood

Moray Firth

The Moray Firth from Hopeman harbour mouth.

Andrew Wood

Harbour Pier

The northern wall of Hopeman Harbour.

Andrew Wood

Sandstone Shore

Looking out to sea across the Moray Firth, with Hopeman Sandstone on the foreshore.

Anne Burgess

Westerly view as we approach Hopeman harbour

A quick snapshot taken over the starboard bow as I track south for Hopeman harbour in the last of the evening light. That's the Burghead maltings which you see in the distance.

Des Colhoun

Moray Firth

Looking from Hopeman beach across firth

L Cowieson

Environmental Art

Someone has clearly taken time and trouble to create this neat circle of pebbles. The golden ones are local sandstone, and the blue-grey ones are probably fragments of metamorphic rocks brought here by glaciers from further west. The big question is, will it survive the depredations of yobs and vandals long enough to be destroyed by next winter's storms?

Anne Burgess

Sandstone Formation

Gently dipping sandstones have been weathered into blocky shapes. The gap can easily be ascribed to a weakness in the rock due to cracking or faulting, but the line of blocks standing proud alongside the gap is a little harder to account for.

Anne Burgess

Sandstone Surface

Gently dipping sandstone beds on the shore west of Hopeman. In fact this whole surface has the shap of a gently saucer, though it doesn't show this well in photographs. Besides this, ehere are several features here that are a little puzzling to me, in particular why the sandstone breaks up into such rectangular blocks, and why the least eroded part of it is that closest to the sea, where you would expect the effects of erosion to be greatest.

Anne Burgess

Plaque on Daisy Rock

This plaque is more interesting for what it doesn't say than for what it does say. It talks about 'milk daisies' growing around it, none of which were in evidence when I took this photograph. I have never heard of a milk daisy, and neither, it seems, had the late Mary McCallum Webster, who wrote the definitive book on 'The Flora of Moray' (1978). Nor has Clive Stace, author of 'The New Flora of the British Isles' (1991). (Searching online was not enlightening; the words 'milk' and 'daisy' together produced a plethora of bovine references but no botanical ones.) What it doesn't mention at all is the significant and fascinating geology on the Hopeman coast. It doesn't say there is geological interest, let alone the nature of that interest. It doesn't even mention the theft of the fine specimen of a Permo-Triassic reptile footprint from the shore nearby by a selfish vandal with a rock saw in 1996. Maybe the plaque was here before 1996, but nevertheless it is a major omission.

Anne Burgess

Daisy Rock

This is the west face of the Daisy Rock. You can see that the sand layers making up the rock lie relatively horizontal at either side, but that they curve upwards to become vertical in the middle. This is a very fine example of a dewatering structure, one of many to be found along this stretch of coast. When sand is deposited in water, the crevices between the sand grains are, naturally, filled with water. Over time, the weight of the sand building up compresses the lower layers, and sometimes the pressure becomes so great that the accumulated water squirts out from the lower layers, disrupting the layers above in a sort of eruption. These structures are also referred to as sand volcanoes. The nature of the sand grains, and their red colour from iron oxide staining, tell us that the sand was blown around in a desert before being deposited, and the sand volcano tells us that it was laid down in water. Therefore this was some sort of water body close to a desert. In fact these sandstones, plus other features including the beds of fossil fish at various places around the Moray Firth, reveal that in Permo-Triassic times, 250 million years or so ago, when what is now Scotland lay roughly at the same latitude as the Sahara Desert now, there was a vast sheet of water occupying what is now the Moray Firth; this sheet of water has been given the name 'Lake Orcadie', but some geologists think that it may have been a semi-enclosed arm of the sea rather than a totally separate lake.

Anne Burgess

Barnacles and a Sea Slater

I think the mobile invertebrate is a sea slater, but it's not a subject I know much about, and the book offers a rather bewildering number of possibilities, saying that these are just a few of many similar species. Barnacles are also invertebrates, of course, but not generally mobile. These could be Semibalanus balanoides.

Anne Burgess

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Backlands is located at Grid Ref: NJ1469 (Lat: 57.702551, Lng: -3.4446751)

Unitary Authority: Moray

Police Authority: North East