Latest news with #Covenanters
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Explore Ayrshire's fascinating history by walking in the footsteps of Covenanters
A brand new walking trail that charts the history of the Covenanters, a Presbyterian movement in 17th century Scotland who opposed English interference in their religion, will be officially opened in East Ayrshire next Saturday One of life's great simple pleasures is enjoying a walk on a summer's day. But for regular ramblers, it can get quickly repetitive to do the same routes over and over. Good news, then, that there is now a brand-new walking trail set to open next weekend – the Covenanter's Trail in East Ayrshire. On Saturday 19 July, a special event will mark the official opening of this 7.74-mile (12.46 km) walking route that traces the footsteps of Scotland's Covenanting past. The event will begin at 11am at Lochgoin Museum, a site of deep historical significance dedicated to the memory of the Covenanting cause in Ayrshire. So who were the Covenanters? A significant religious movement in 17th-century Scotland, the Covenanters had strong roots in Ayrshire, where they championed Presbyterianism and opposed English interference in Scottish religion, especially royal efforts to impose changes under Charles I. In 1638 thousands of Scots signed the National Covenant, sparking the Bishops' Wars and securing control of the Scottish government. They fiercely fought to keep Scotland's spiritual independence, and many faced persecution and execution until the Church of Scotland was restored as Presbyterian in 1688. My knowledge of this chapter in Scotland's history was admittedly minimal before embarking on the trail. Thankfully then, the walking route started at Lochgoin Covenanters' Museum, an impressively comprehensive venue found in a modest cottage on the site of a working farm. Free to enter, the museum features plenty of information on local Ayrshire Covenanters, as well as artefacts, armoury and an interactive video screen. It's a great place to initiate yourself in the Covenanting cause before beginning the walk – though it's important to note that this is a linear route and does not return to the same starting point. As a result, if you park your car at the Covenanting Museum you will have to be prepared to walk back to the start point, or arrange return transport. With that in mind, East Ayrshire Leisure are arranging opportunities to join the walk at various points, including Waterside and Fenwick, on the day of the official launch. From the museum, the route passes by the Lochgoin Monument, an impressive structure that offers wonderful views across the open farmland and across to the turbines of Whitelee Windfarm. It then winds across the open moorland of the windfarm, a strangely soothing environment that feels a world away from city life. From there, it passes through some truly scenic stretches of countryside, alongside key memorials and points of interest from the history of the Ayrshire Covenanters. Eventually it finishes at the charming village of Fenwick, at the village's historic parish church (built back in 1643). The kirkyard contains various graves and memorials to key figures in the Covenanting cause, and it's a fascinating place to wander around and learn more about the lives of those who gave everything for their religion. I found the route to be both an eye-opening insight into the history of the area, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable route through some gorgeous stretches of untouched countryside. If you think you would like to explore the Covenanters Trail, make sure you head along to the official opening event next weekend. The event will begin at 11am at Lochgoin Museum with a short opening ceremony, before following the trail in its entirety to Fenwick Parish Church. Along the way, there will be moments of reflection at key points on the route, with Rev. Kim Watt, Minister of Fenwick Church, offering walkers the opportunity to pause and consider the sacrifices made by those who lost their lives during this turbulent period in Scottish history. The walk is expected to conclude at Fenwick Parish Church at approximately 2.30pm, where refreshments will be provided and the community will have the chance to gather in reflection. In addition to the walk, a Conventicle Service will be held on Sunday at 3pm on Sunday 20 July at Fenwick Parish Church. This service will commemorate the spirit of the secret outdoor worship gatherings once held by the Covenanters – a fitting conclusion to the weekend's events. To find out more, visit
The Herald Scotland
11-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Explore fascinating history by walking in the footsteps of Covenanters
On Saturday 19 July, a special event will mark the official opening of this 7.74-mile (12.46 km) walking route that traces the footsteps of Scotland's Covenanting past. The event will begin at 11am at Lochgoin Museum, a site of deep historical significance dedicated to the memory of the Covenanting cause in Ayrshire. So who were the Covenanters? A significant religious movement in 17th-century Scotland, the Covenanters had strong roots in Ayrshire, where they championed Presbyterianism and opposed English interference in Scottish religion, especially royal efforts to impose changes under Charles I. In 1638 thousands of Scots signed the National Covenant, sparking the Bishops' Wars and securing control of the Scottish government. They fiercely fought to keep Scotland's spiritual independence, and many faced persecution and execution until the Church of Scotland was restored as Presbyterian in 1688. My knowledge of this chapter in Scotland's history was admittedly minimal before embarking on the trail. Thankfully then, the walking route started at Lochgoin Covenanters' Museum, an impressively comprehensive venue found in a modest cottage on the site of a working farm. Free to enter, the museum features plenty of information on local Ayrshire Covenanters, as well as artefacts, armoury and an interactive video screen. It's a great place to initiate yourself in the Covenanting cause before beginning the walk – though it's important to note that this is a linear route and does not return to the same starting point. As a result, if you park your car at the Covenanting Museum you will have to be prepared to walk back to the start point, or arrange return transport. With that in mind, East Ayrshire Leisure are arranging opportunities to join the walk at various points, including Waterside and Fenwick, on the day of the official launch. From the museum, the route passes by the Lochgoin Monument, an impressive structure that offers wonderful views across the open farmland and across to the turbines of Whitelee Windfarm. It then winds across the open moorland of the windfarm, a strangely soothing environment that feels a world away from city life. From there, it passes through some truly scenic stretches of countryside, alongside key memorials and points of interest from the history of the Ayrshire Covenanters. Eventually it finishes at the charming village of Fenwick, at the village's historic parish church (built back in 1643). The kirkyard contains various graves and memorials to key figures in the Covenanting cause, and it's a fascinating place to wander around and learn more about the lives of those who gave everything for their religion. I found the route to be both an eye-opening insight into the history of the area, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable route through some gorgeous stretches of untouched countryside. If you think you would like to explore the Covenanters Trail, make sure you head along to the official opening event next weekend. The event will begin at 11am at Lochgoin Museum with a short opening ceremony, before following the trail in its entirety to Fenwick Parish Church. Along the way, there will be moments of reflection at key points on the route, with Rev. Kim Watt, Minister of Fenwick Church, offering walkers the opportunity to pause and consider the sacrifices made by those who lost their lives during this turbulent period in Scottish history. The walk is expected to conclude at Fenwick Parish Church at approximately 2.30pm, where refreshments will be provided and the community will have the chance to gather in reflection. In addition to the walk, a Conventicle Service will be held on Sunday at 3pm on Sunday 20 July at Fenwick Parish Church. This service will commemorate the spirit of the secret outdoor worship gatherings once held by the Covenanters – a fitting conclusion to the weekend's events. To find out more, visit
Press and Journal
10-06-2025
- General
- Press and Journal
Turriff field yields a 'treasure trove' for detectorist Cameron
He'd been pottering about with an old metal detector on his parents' farm near Turriff for years with indifferent results. But when Cameron Anderson's wife Emily gave him a fancy new digital detector last Christmas, it was a game-changer. In the past few months the fields have given up ancient coins, buttons, musket balls, even a Viking silver ingot. Exciting finds for Cameron, co-owner of Subsea Tooling Services UK Ltd. His primary intention is to use the metal detector to find out more about the history of the farm, in the family since the 1930s. One week he found 31 coins, including a hammered silver coin from 1563, a 1697 William III shilling, and a fascinating Irish gun metal coin made from melted canon in the 17th century. He's found many love tokens, which were coins bent in a certain way, including one dated 1708, from the reign of Queen Anne. There were also musketballs, evidence of military action, perhaps during the time of the Covenanters in the 17th century. Cameron said: 'There's a big dent in one as if it had definitely hit someone or something.' Handily, he even found a friend's missing Stanley knife. But then came what some archaeologists call the Holy Grail of finds— Cameron discovered nothing less than a Bronze Age axe head, some half a metre below what he describes as 'just an ordinary field'. The bronze axe head wasn't complete; in fact it looked as if it had been intentionally cut up as the back end was missing. None the less, the Turriff detectorist knew at once what it was. He had to sit down for a while to calm his pounding heart and process what had just happened before phoning Emily, who had left minutes beforehand to take the dog home, with the astonishing news. The next night, Cameron detected on, and at the other end of the 10 acre field, turned up what he thought was another small axe head. When he compared it to the first one he realised it matched the cut on the original axe head exactly, all but for another small missing piece. The challenge was on. Cameron simply had to find the rest of the axe head. It took a further two days, five miles of walking and some moments of frustration, but he did it- the missing section that he likened to 'Gandalf's hat' in shape was lying some 10m from the second find. Cameron immediately got in touch with Bruce Mann, Aberdeenshire Council's Historic Environment Officer. Bruce confirmed Turriff detectorist's find. He said: 'It's an early Bronze Age flat axehead, likely to be around 3,800 to 4,200 years old. 'It's undecorated, as is typical, and would have been originally hafted into an L-shaped piece of wood. 'These axes appear at the start of the introduction of metalwork into this part of the world and would have been prestigious items.' Processing what happened has been mind-boggling for Cameron. He said: 'Crazy to think that when this axe head was cast, the Egyptians were building their pyramids, Stonehenge was under construction and it had been lost to time for 1,300 years before King Tutankhamen was even born.' Cameron's axe head was part of a profound change in society at the time, the change between the old world of stone to the new one of metal. Bruce said: 'We are still learning about what those impacts were, and trying to answer basic questions such as just how much metalwork was available initially. 'Whether cast locally or traded from elsewhere, Cameron's axehead is a fascinating glimpse into life at the time.' During his detecting, Cameron has also turned up many fragments of bronze splatter from smelting, so was the site a possible Bronze Age tool factory? Bruce thinks not. He said: 'That is very unlikely as we don't have any other evidence for settlement near to the findspot. 'Direct evidence for metal-working on a site is very rare in the early Bronze Age.' Cameron thinks the axehead was deliberately broken, and Bruce agrees with him. He said: 'The axe more likely represents a deliberate offering to the gods or the ancestors and was deliberately broken as part of that 'sacrifice'.' Meanwhile, as the fields grow over for summer, Cameron has hung up his detector for the next few months. When the crops are in, he'll be back out in his trusty 1961 Land Rover, Pike. 'Pike goes everywhere with me on my metal detector adventures. He's like an old friend, always by my side.' A find as important as the axe head is classed as treasure trove, and must by law go to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh for recording. For the moment it's on temporary display in the window of Turriff museum, and once it's been processed by the Treasure Trove unit, Cameron hopes it will return permanently to the north-east, its home for four millennia. Bruce praised Cameron for his responsible attitude. 'Responsible metal detectorists have an important part to play in researching our past. 'I certainly welcome Mr Anderson's contribution to that research by reporting the axe. If there are others reading this who have found something I simply ask that they do the same. 'Every find helps tell Scotland's story.' The Turriff detectorist added: 'I just want to know more about the history of my parents' farm, and I never thought it would go back that far. 'But we can't rely on anything metal surviving for ever in the fields anymore, as pesticides can corrode and destroy metal.'
