Hi, Happy to see you back.
Today, Sunday, Anne and I went to service in Cullen’s Auld Kirk: Old Church. It dates from the 13th century; somewhere around 1236. 
Of course it has been altered and repaired numerous times in those years, but some part of the original church walls remains. At one time, many years ago, the town was built up outside the church walls. Now, however, it is on the outskirts of town, up a very long path on a very high hill.
There were two main ways to get to the church from our cottage in SeaTown. One, was to go up the very, very steep sidewalk toward the co-op; pass the co-op and continue another mile or so; turn right down a path of about another half mile. The other was to cross Castle Terrace Road; climb about 47 steps; turn right; follow a path about 3/4 mile to the church. We opted for the second way.
That proved to be by far the best way. The lane wound around through the woods belonging to a big estate. On the way, we saw a pheasant fly off into the field. A little way further on, two deer leapt across our path and ran off into the woods on the right. It was a bright sunny day and a pleasant walk. The view of the sea from the top was spectacular: blue and calm.
It took us about half a hour to reach the church. We walked around the outside for a little and then entered, as the service was slated to start at 10:30. Everyone was very friendly and were happy to have visitors. The pastor even mentioned from the pulpit that there were two visitors from America, from Florida. An important pastor from Saint Andrews was also visiting and took quite a ribbing about being able to play golf on the Auld Course for free. Not so, he said.
It is Church of Scotland, the national church in Scotland, which accepted the Presbyterian faith during the 16th-century Reformation. The pastor is The Rev. Douglas Stevenson, an eloquent and engaging speaker, He spoke on the story of Jesus calming the sea of Galilee. He also has a very inclusive Welcome to his church printed in the bulletin. I will put the text of that in the next post.
The organist, Rachel, told us that the pipe organ is about 200 years old. It still has a sweet sound and the organist very talented. 
There was a choir of four people who led the singing. They made quite a sound so I think the church acoustics must be quite live.
After the service, one of the parishioners, Sheila, offered us a “wee tour”. We agreed, of course, and it turned into quite a tour, and anything but “wee.” She is very knowledgeable and willing to share what she knows. If you find yourself in Cullen, it is well worth the visit. Or you can visit on line. Just Google The Auld Kirk of Cullen, UK.
The tomb of John McDuff is interesting for it’s false information. The date on the tomb is 1404, although he died in 1539. It is said that his brother-in-law was given permission to make the change in an attempt to lend greater esteem and status to his ancestry.
Here are some URL’s for those of you who would like to know more about the history of this lovely place.
https://www.cullen-deskford-church.org.uk/cullen-auld-kirk-history.php
http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/452/name/Cullen+Auld+Kirk+Cullen+Grampian