Deeside farmers paid their own moving tribute to the late Queen on Sunday as her cortege moved down Deeside on its way to Edinburgh.
Around 40 tractors lined up in fields on both sides of the route as it passed slowly through Uppermills Farm at Crathes.
The tribute was organised at short notice by Banchory farmer Rodney Blackhall. He only thought about the tractor tribute on Saturday at lunch time. A chain of phone calls through friends and neighbours soon resulted in around 40 famers agreeing to take part before hastily cleaning and polishing their tractors.
Mr Blackhall said: “Everyone we contacted was willing to join in and we soon had 10 or 11 parishes represented across a ten mile radius.
“It is not about us though because this is just the sort of thing that farmers do. We wanted to recognise the Queen’s dedication and that of the whole Royal Family to agriculture.”
The Queen’s fondness for Deeside and her Balmoral Estate is well documented but it was obvious from the quiet dignity of the tractor tribute that the affection runs in both directions.
Mr Blackhall said; “ After the cortege had passed we just chatted quietly before we headed home. It was a sombre atmosphere as if we had just been to a funeral.”
