Soil Survey of Scotland EASTERN SCOTLAND 1:250 000 SHEET 5 The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research Aberdeen 1982 SOIL SURVEY OF SCOTLAND Soil and Land Capability for Agriculture EASTERN SCOTLAND By A. D. Walker, BSc, C. G. B. Campbell, BSc, R. E. F.-Heslop, BSc, J. H. Gauld, BSc, PhD, D. Laing, BSc, C Chem., M.R.S.C., B. M. Shipley, BSc and G. G. Wright, BSc with a contribution by J. S. Robkrtson, BSc The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research Aberdeen 1982 @The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen 1982 Front cover. Thefertile rnle of Stralhmore from Aldbar CatLe, near Brechin, hOki71g north towarhr the Grampian Highlands TheJlat, arablefielhr in the foreground and middle dGtance are on brown forest soik of map unit 41 (Balroumie Association) and the humw-ironpodzok and brown forest soik of map unit 238 (Forfar Association), both Clarc 2; in the far distance, the undulating lowlanhr are Ch 3.1 and 3.2. On the lower Slope5 andfoothillr are humw-iron podzolr of niap unit 276 (Strathfineh Associalion) and map unit 498 (Stnchen Association), mainly Clacses 4 and 5 Peaty podzolr of map unit 499 (Stnchen Association, Clars 6.2) dominate the upper dope5 and much of the plateau Aerofilms. ISBN 0 7084 0223 2 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY ASTRA PRINT AND DESIGN ABERDEEN Contents Chapter Page PREFACE vii ACKNOw LEDGEMENTS X 1 DESCRIPTIONOF THE AREA '1 Location and extent 1 Physiographic regions- geology, landforms, parent materials and soils 3 The Moray Firth Lowlands 3 The North-East Lowlands 8 The Central Lowlands 13 The North-East Grampian Highlands 19 The North-West Grampian Highlands 24 The South-West Grampian Highlands 27 The Northern Highlands 30 Climate 32 Vegetation 37 Grassland 37 Moorland 39 Oroarcric communities 40 Scrub and woodland 41 Foreshore and dunes 42 Salting 43 2 THESOIL MAP UNITS 44 The Alluvial Soils 44 The Organic Soils 47 The Aberlour Association 54 The Ardvanie Association 59 The Arkaig Association 60 The Balrownie Association 69 The Berriedale Association 70 The Bogtown Association 71 The Braemore/ Kinsteary Associations 71 ... 111 CONTENTS The Brightmony Association 73 The Carpow/Panbride Associations 74 The Corby/Boyndie/Dinnet Associations 74 The Corriebreck Association 78 The Countesswells/Dalbeattie/Priestlaw Associations 79 The Craigellachie/ Polfaden Associations 88 The Cromarty/Kindeace Associations 89 The Darleith/Kirktonmoor Associations 91 The Darvel Association 93 The Deecastle Association 93 The Doune Association 94 The Dreghorn Association 95 The Duke Association 95 The Durnhill Association 99 The Eckfordl Innerwick Associations 103 The Elgin Association 103 The Ethie Association 105 The Forfar Association 105 The Foudland Association 106 The Fraserburgh Association 111 The Gleneagles/Auchenblae/Collieston/Darnaway Associations 112 The Gourdie/Callander/Strathfinella Associations 113 The Hatton/Tomintoul/Kessock Associations 114 The Hindsward Association 117 The Insch Association 118 The Kippen/Larg Associations 122 The Laurencekirk Association 124 The Leslie Association 125 The Links Association 126 The Millbuie Association 128 The Mountboy Association 129 The Nigg/Preston Associations 130 The Nochty Association 132 The North Mormond/Orton Associations 132 The Ordley/Cuminestown Associations 134 The Peterhead Association 135 The Rowanhill/Giffnock/ Winton Associations 136 The SabhaiVMount Eagle Associations 137 The Skelmuir Association 139 The Sorn/Biel/Humbie Associations 140 The Sourhope Association 14 1 The Stirling/Duffus/Pow/Carbrook Associations 144 The Stonehaven Association 146 The Strichen Association 148 The Tarves Association 156 The Tipperty/Carden Associations 162 The Tynet Association 163 Miscellaneous land units 164 Bare rock, scree and cliffs 164 Built-up areas 164 Freshwater lochs 164 iv CONTENTS 3 LANDEVALUATION 165 Land capability classification for agriculture 165 Physical factors and their effect upon aqiculture in Eastern Scotland 166 The classification 169 The classes and divisions in Eastern Scotland 171 Class 1 171 Class 2 171 Class 3 176 Class 4 182 Class 5 186 Class 6 193 Class 7 197 Land capability for non-agriculturaluses 198 Forestry 198 Recreation and other land uses 200 REFERENCES 203 LIST OF PLATES Front cover Vale of Strathmore 1 Eastern Scotland 2 2 Near Strathpeffer, Easter Ross and the Black Isle 6 3 Lowlands near Macduff, Banffshire 9 4 Kippen Muir and Ben Vorlich, Perthshire 14 5 Cairngorm Mountains and Loch Avon, Banffshire 21 6 Hagged peat near the Nairn-Findhorn watershed, Nairnshire 26 7' Upper Glen Lyon, Perthshire 29 8 South of Loch Rannoch, Perthshire 64 9 Lower Spey valley, Morayshire 76 10 Braeriach plateau, Inverness-shire 87 11 Strathspey near Kingussie, Inverness-shire 98 12 Upper Glen Shee, Perthshire 100 13 Insch valley, Aberdeenshire 119 14 Eastern Ochil Hills, Perthshire 142 15 Tay valley, east of Perth 145 16 Ben Lawers, Perthshire 150 17 Fife plain, near St Andrews 177 18 Upper Don valley at Candacraig. Aberdeenshire 183 19 Tay valley near Dunkeld, Perthshire 188 20 Caenlochan, south of Braemar, An,ps 197 LIST OF FIGURES ... 1 Survey teams' map areas v111 2 Physiogaphic regions 3 3 GeoloLgy 4 4 Landforms of the North-East Lowlands and Moray Firth Lowlands 11 5 Landforms of the eastern Central Lowlands 15 6 Landforms of the western Central Lowlands 16 7 Landforms of the North-East Grampian Highlands 20 8 Landforms of the South-West Grampian Highlands 28 CONTJWTS 9 Climate regions 34 10 Rainfall 36 11 Histogram of land capability for agriculture map units in the physiographic regions 172 LIST OF TABLES A Areas of soil map units 51 B Areas of land capability for agriculture map units 175 vi Preface Extensive soil surveys had been undertaken in the lowlands and foothills of Eastern Scotland prior to 1978. The derived maps, published at a scale of 1:63 360, included the following areas: Stirling, Kinross and Elie, Perth and Arbroath, Forfar, Banchory and Stonehaven, Inverurie, Aberdeen, The Black Isle, Nairn and Cromarty, Peterhead and Fraserburgh, Cromarty and Invergordon, Elgin and Banff. Upon approval of the proposal for the soil survey of the remaining parts of Scotland at a scale of 1:250 000, mapping was carried out in 1978, 1979 and 1980 by J. S. Bell, T. W. M. Brown, C. G. B. Campbell, R. E. F. Heslop, J. H. Gauld, D. Laing, B. M. Shipley, A. D. Walker and G. G. Wright. The overlap with Northern Scotland region (Sheet 3) was surveyed by C. G. B. Campbell, D. W. Futty, R. E. F. Heslop, A. J. Nolan, W. Towers, A. D. Walker and G. G. Wright. The western fringe of Sheet 5 lying in the overlap with the Western Scotland region (Sheet 4) was surveyed by J. S. Bell, T. W. M. Brown, J. H. Gauld, B. M. Shipley, A. D. Walker and G. G. Wright. The overlap with the Southern Scotland region (Sheets 6 and 7) was surveyed by J. S. Bell, D. Laing and B. M. Shipley. The areas of responsibility for mapping are shown in Fig. 1. Compilation of the soil maps was carried out during 1981 based on a National Soil Map Legend devised by B. M. Shipley. Analytical data quoted in the text were produced at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen, mostly in the Department of Mineral Soils. The vegetation assessments were carried out by field staff according to a system designed by E. L. Birse and J. S. Robertson; correlation was the responsibility of the latter who also wrote the account of the plant communities. The authors of the Eastern Scotland Handbook were C. G. B. Campbell, R. E. F. Heslop, J. H. Gauld, D. Laing, B. M. Shipley, A. D. Walker and G. G. Wright. The handbook has been compiled by A. D. Walker and edited by D. W. Futty. The base map was compiled and drawn by the Soil Survey cartographic section using modified components from Ordnance Survey 1:250 000 scale topographic and administrative maps. The maps were drafted by W. S. Shirreffs and Miss P. R. Carnegie. The diagrams in this book were drawn by A. D. Moir and Mrs. R. M. J. Fulton. Concurrently with the soil mapping, the staff of the Survey Department carried out assessments of land capability for agriculture using guidelines devised by Bibby, Douglas, Thomasson and Robertson (1982). Advisory groups were . vi1 PREFACE established to assist the surveyors in this task. They consisted of representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, the Scottish Agricultural Colleges and the National Farmers' Union of Scotland. In addition, consultation with the local offices of the various organizations was maintained. The committees proved lively forums for discussion and made valuable contributions to the interpretative maps. The responsibility for the maps, however, remains entirely with the Soil Survey of Scotland. 1 R. E. F. Heslop, D. W. Futty, C. G. B. Campbell, W. Towers and A. J. Nolan 2 R. E. F. Heslop and C. G. B. Campbell 3 A. D. Walker and G. G. Wright 4 J. H. Gauld and J. S. Bell 5 B. M. Shipley and T. W. M. Brown 6 D. Laing 7 D. Laing, B. M. Shipley, R. E. F. Heslop, C. G. B. Campbell and G. G. Wright Figure 1. Sumey teams' map areas. ... VI11 -- -.- - - I_ PREFACE The aerial photographs (scale c. 1:25 000) and copies of the field maps (scale 1:50 000) used in the survey may be inspected by prior arrangement with the Department of Soil Survey, The Macaday Institute for soil Research, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB9 2QJ. ROBERT GRANT Head of the Soil Survey of Scotland ix Acknowledgements The Department of Soil Survey wishes to thank the many landowners and farmers who willingly co-operated in the survey by allowing access to their land. The assistance of various agricultural organizations in the land capability assessments has already been acknowledged, but the Department would like to thank in particular, the following (listed in alphabetical order) for their valuable assistance and contributions to the advisory committees.