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A BUCKIE student’s blue-sky thinking shows how a north-east ruin could be transformed into a tourist attraction.
Set back from the A98 road between Portsoy and Cullen, the "Cup and Saucer", as it is known locally, has the remains of what was an early windmill.
Award-winning interior and spatial design student Amy McLeod has turned the focus on the landmark's potential as part of her exhibit at the Edinburgh Napier Degree Show.
Amy has imagined a design that could see the ruin transformed into a viewing platform for the Northern Lights.
The attraction – which would sit along the North East 250 tourist route – would also pay homage to the nearby Glenglasssaugh Distillery with an underground whisky bar.
A staircase made from industrial materials inspired by whisky cask making would link the underground bar to the viewing platform.
Amy’s design scooped the Best in Show Award for the Interior and Spatial Design programme at the launch of Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show this month.
The ruin is believed to date back to the mid-18th century, with the windmill built on the site of a large burial cairn. The scheduled monument is up for sale and Amy hopes that by highlighting its potential, a buyer won’t be far away.
She said: "Growing up in Buckie and the surrounding area, I’ve always been aware of the Cup and Saucer, passing it on a number of occasions while driving to Portsoy, often for ice cream in the summer months.
"The site combines three things for which Scotland is known – a stunning sea view, uninterrupted sight lines of the sky and beautiful land all around, so it ticked a lot of boxes when it came to selecting a site for my final-year project at Edinburgh Napier.
"The north-east has so much to offer in terms of tourism and things to do as well as being one of the best areas in Scotland to view the Northern Lights – so if the Cup and Saucer site was developed into something like my idea I think it could be a great addition to what is already a special part of the country."
