User talk:D.M. Edgar/Millbuies

Millbuies Estate Country Park, Elgin, Moray, Scotland. This is an article about Millbuies Estate, located approximately 4 miles south of Elgin, in the North East of Scotland. Today, the Estate is described locally as a "Country Park" which all things considered is a fair description. The Estate comprises approximately 160 acres and is comprised of two adjoined lochs located in a heavily wooded valley. The walk from the parking area around the two lochs is approximately two miles and with the uphill/downhill terrain, is a worthwhile workout for most.

Millbuies is a place of beauty 12 months of the year, but in May it excels when the rhododendrons are in full bloom. Mauves, dark reds, light reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, whites - a mass of colour throughout. Millbuies ground is so fertile that the rhodo's easily self seed, and they grow to gigantic sizes. The Estate was gifted to the City and Royal Burgh of Elgin in 1956 by George Boyd Anderson, at the time, a resident of Lossiemouth, a fishing village located approximately 6 miles north of Elgin on the coast of the Moray Firth. Boyd Anderson was originally a resident of Elgin, but spent his working years in Singapore. He acquired Millbuies in the mid-1930’s. There is a cairn located at the entrance to Millbuies to commemorate the gift.

For several years after the original gift to Elgin, there was very little information or knowledge about Millbuies shared with the local community. But during this time, much work was being done on the estate to make it accessible and useable by the community. George Edgar, who at the time of Boyd Anderson's gift to Elgin was Convener of Lands and Parks on the Town Council, made it his personal crusade to make Millbuies available and accessible to the community. Over a number of years on many Saturday and Sunday afternoons, he personally dug and built the footpaths around the two Millbuies lochs so that visitors would be able to see the beauty for themselves. This "project" took almost four years, during which time Councilor Edgar was visited by many friends during his weekends at Millbuies. Many brought sandwiches, biscuits tea, and the occasional dram. Word of the beauty of the estate and of the work that was being done spread through the community such that by the time he had largely completed the approximately two miles of footpaths, the Estate had a regular flow of visitors. George Edgar travelled quite a bit throughout Scotland and parts of Europe. He always travelled with a penknife and plastic bag at hand so that he could obtain cuttings of trees, bushes and plants to relocate to his beloved Millbuies. These efforts resulted in many new species being introduced to the estate in the 1960's, most of which have flourished and are clearly identified for visitors today.

The current bridge between the two lochs was made from part of a bridge that used to cross the River Lossie at Deanshaugh, providing access between Bishopmill and Elgin through the Cooper Park. When this bridge was replaced with a new bridge in [confirm year - likely either 1964 or 1965], Councilor Edgar arranged for it to be "cut to size" in the Elgin Council yards and to be hauled across country and down hill to fill a gap caused by collapse of the original bridge. This bridge is a well-photographed spot.

Councilor Edgar also organized many seats or benches to be built by the Council and installed around the lochs. He named many of these for the "friends" who had visited and supported him over the years he spent digging paths. Meggie's, Megan's, Thesma's (his daughter), Geordie's, Ned's, Bill's, and many others became well known locations at Millbuies. Megan's seat was particularly interesting since he personally relocated it from one side of the south loch to the other during a particularly cold December by pushing it the approximately 100 yards across the ice one Saturday afternoon. He had to do it himself !

Millbuies has been a favourite spot for local Boy Scouts and other groups to set up camps and is generally a popular picnic spot. In the mid-1960’s the fields around the Millbuies parking lot were home to Shetland Ponies owned by Min Dunbar which became a popular draw.

George Edgar died in 1971. At the time of his death he was Lord Provost of the City and Royal Burgh of Elgin. A cairn was erected at Millbuies in his memory and sits close to the junction of the two lochs. The inscription on the cairn reads “To the memory of the Late Lord Provost George Edgar who gave so much of his time and energy to beautifying Millbuies for Elgin – 1972”.

Millbuies was and is a tranquil sanctuary. It is a place of beauty and peace enjoyed by many. For the patient fisherman who enjoys a challenge, the lochs provide a perfect opportunity for sport and relaxation. There are lots of fish in the two lochs, but many have been there long enough to know the difference between a real fly and one connected to a hook. So Millbuies presents a real challenge for the fortunate few.

D.M. Edgar (talk) 00:26, 08 February 2009 (UTC)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:D.M._Edgar/Millbuies" D.M. Edgar (talk) 00:14, 9 February 2009 (UTC)