On my way into Aberdeen at lunch time to catch a bus I stopped at the Pipers Stone near Oldmeldrum. I didn't know of its existance until Rhiannon's informative links post. (Thank you) Bourtie is a small hamlet just south of Oldmeldrum, about 1 mile west on the minor road from the A947. To be fair road conditions were not good but the car battled away leaving, thankfully, only a short walk.
The Pipers Stone is in the field before before the church and was used by pipers to greet guests at weddings and the odd funeral. Luckily I know the pipe major for the Oldmeldrum Pipe Band and he has offered to look for any interesting stories which I'll hopefully post in the folklore column.
The stone itself is well weathered and surrounded with some field clearance. It has a beautiful location looking up and down the Bourtie valley, behind Barra, home to the famous hillfort. With the visit complete I headed back into Aberdeen to catch the bus.
Several hours on, I would think one or two people might be having a laugh at my expense as I sulk on the way back up the road. Time for a snooze!
Another large boulder to the east of the kirk is called the "Piper's Stane," from its having been, as story avers, the spot where bagpipers waited for marriage parties on their return from church, when their services were required to convoy them home, and to play at "penny bridals."
From v2 of Andrew Jervices's 'Epitaphs and inscriptions from burial grounds and old buildings in the North East of Scotland' (1879).
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Posted by drewbhoy
Posted by Rhiannon
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