Stories of Culbin
On this page you are able to find some of the stories of Culbin, those connected with the Great Sand Drift of 1694 and its aftermath, about the history, myths and legends of that have surrounded it in the centuries since and also about the ecological, environmental, maritime and forestry aspects of Culbin.
|
Read our postcards from CulbinPostcards submitted by visitors to the exhibition |
The Girnel of MorayDiscover how and why the Barony of Culbin was known as the Girnel (or Granary) of Moray before the sand-drift. |
|
Engulfed in Common RuinDiscover the plight of the ordinary crofters and farmers in the Barony of Culbin as sand submerged their dwellings. |
Consequences for Alexander KinnaridFind out about the consequences for Alexander Kinnarid, Laird of Culbin, in the aftermath of the sand-drift.
|
Legends of CulbinFind out about some of the early legends that people used to try to make sense of the calamity.
|
Tales of
|
The Story of a Buried EstateIn 1900, George Bain wrote an account of Culbin and burial of the estate in the Great Sand Drift. You can read his whole description here.
|
Mrs Willoughby's Poem: a pact wi the deil himselRead the poem written by Hon. Mrs Willoughby about the pact the Laird of Culbin made with Devil over a game of cards.
|
From the sands of Culbin to the swamps of DarienRead how the ill-fated Laird of Culbin ended up embroiled in the disastrous Scottish colony at Darien in Panama.
|
Fact, Fiction and treesFind out what is fact and what is fiction and learn how the shifting sands were eventually stabilized by the planting of trees.
|
Accounts of CulbinThrough the centuries, many authors have reported on the mysterious Sands of Culbin. Read some of the accounts here.
|
Secrets from the sandsDiscover some of the amazing objects that the sands have given up over the last three centuries.
|
Meanwhile, in DenmarkLearn about the extraordinary parallels that exist between Culbin and communities in Northern Jutland in Denmark.
|
The Ballad of
|
Forestry memoriesProfessor Paul Mitchell recalls his forestry research at Culbin as post-doctoral research in the early 1970s.
|
Shake Cameron
|
Mr Wilson
|
More
|
View all the exhibition panels
Walking through LandscapeDownload BBC Radio Scotland's Walking Through Landscape when Iain Stewart visits the Culbin Forest to hear stories of sandstorms, seabirds and a constantly evolving landscape.
[Opens in BBC Radio Scotland] |
The Culbin Story Forestry CommissionWatch this archival film from 1955 telling the remarkable story of the Forestry Commission's interventions on the Culbin Sands.
[Opens in YouTube] |
The Land: ITV schools' programmeWatch this archive ITV programme for schools and colleges from 1980 about the story of Culbin, and its landscape and environment.
[Opens in YouTube] |