Around Britain

Set off about 0910 from the Premier Inn on the Tay waterfront near Dundee Station. I had taken my breakfast with a view of Tay Road Bridge. Outside the station, a Cycle Network sign indicated a distance of 93 miles to Aberdeen. My map measurer (perhaps seeking a more direct route) had prepared me for a journey of 71 miles over the next four days.

I posted my vote for the London local government elections on 3rd May and took on some cash from RBS. The Arbroath Road was indicated on my map as the cycle route so I followed it out of Dundee. Arbroath was my destination for the day and it was encouraging to find it mentioned so early.

At Craigie the road aimed for the river. Works kept me on the A930 away from the riverside. That reminded me that the Manager of the hotel told me at breakfast that there were massive development works near the hotel that might go on for ten years. The station was to be modernized. Out on the Tay, near where Discovery is docked, there's to be a large museum shaped like an iceberg.

Near Broughty Castle a shower made me consider donning my heavy waterproof jacket but it abated and the day turned out well. I saw several people with a large number of dogs (one had nine). I stopped to speak to a woman with only three. She explained that I had seen professional dog walkers who looked after the animals whilst their owners were at work. She also told me when I asked that Broughty Ferry was pronounced “Brotty Ferry”. Later I saw a small van with “Walkies” on the side and the website address of the van owner. The next day I saw another such van with the name “Muddy Paws”. Clearly dog walking is a significant business round here.

Beyond Monifieth there was a large area of MOD land. It was a firing range and the red flags were flying. I looked enquiringly at a soldier who had just admitted a vehicle through a gate. He came over asking “Can I help you pal”. It seemed that I could continue on the Cycle track as it was separated by a fence from the range. I could hear the firing practice going on.

The path followed the railway all the way to Carnoustie. I stopped briefly just after the large hotel next to the course to have a snack. After Westhaven and East Haven, the road took me to the A92 alongside which ran a Cycle Track. This took me into Arbroath. Clearly my map measurer had under recorded the distance as I covered 20.62 miles to reach Ogston's Hotel instead of the 17 indicated. My left small toe was a bit sore. My time was 7:08:04.

Arbroath was a flax town in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Mills along a stream turned flax grown by local farmers into coarse cloth (some of this used for sails). 1454.07

I didn't hurry this morning as this was to be a short day and I didn't want to arrive too early at the B & B tonight. The forecast was poor and it did look overcast and damp from my first floor window. Breakfast was interrupted by the fire alarm so the guests had to wait outside in the street whilst the staff dealt with it. The noise was too loud to endure for long.

My room at Ogston's has been decorated and furnished to a good standard, the bar and restaurant likewise. There were at least two screens downstairs and last night I watched Chelsea's heroic victory in the Champions' League semi-final despite John Terry being sent off in the first half. The breakfast experience was odd. I was served a perfectly decent cooked breakfast but the choice of cereal was very limited, there was no yoghurt, limited fruit and no butter or jam on my table for the toast. When you're charging £75 for B & B you need staff who are trained, not just willing.

Outside the rain was falling steadily without a break in the clouds so I put on my waterproof jacket. I'd taped my sore toe with Mefix and that worked quite well with the thicker socks I wore today.

I left the town on the cycle route. As I left Arbroath there was a high stone wall to my right concealing what lay beyond. Noisy machinery aroused my curiosity. Eventually I was able to look over the top of the wall and I saw that a tractor was working just on the other side. Deep into the trees there was a jumble of mobile homes closely packed. I discovered soon after that they were holiday homes in the grounds of Seaton House.

At the end of the pavement just outside the town, I followed a path through a belt of trees that ran alongside the road. This path had been used by cyclists. It was muddy and criss-crossed by tree roots. I was glad of it as the alternative was facing traffic on a narrow straight road.

The practice of using aids to promote growth was common in the fields I passed on my way out of Arbroath. Translucent covers had been placed on semi-circular hoops to bring on the plants underneath. There were fields with row after row of these constructions. The materials are not cheap so this method of agriculture must make a significant difference. I also saw crops planted on long raised strips between furrows. The strips were covered by plastic and the plants were growing through holes in the plastic along the top of the strips of earth.

Deep in the trees on my path, I missed a left turn so diverged from the cycle route. Instead I had taken the road to Auchmithie. This is a dead end for vehicles so I was surprised at the number that came to and fro. It was a larger village than I expected. The properties were well maintained. There was a public convenience with loo paper and paper hand towels. The village hall was a substantial building and there was a café that opened at 12 noon. I couldn't see a shop. Strangely there was no one about nor could I see anyone in the houses or gardens. Granted it was a blustery day but the rain had stopped.

I followed Angus Coastal Path for a while then diverged to pass near Ethie Castle. I rejoined the road between Redcastle and Anniston. Later I passed Red Castle and entered Lunan. This was a strange place. The chapel had a War Memorial in its cemetery. There was a substantial Care Home, a Farm and very few houses. I stopped by a house that was for sale to eat my nuts and dried fruit. The house seemed unoccupied although there were curtains. The grass in the garden was overgrown. Who would buy such a place unless they valued isolation above all things.

Shortly after I went up to the monument at Breahead Lunan. It's a tall stone pinnacle, surrounded by railings, set in a group of very modest bungalows. In faded lettering it commemorates Lieutenant Colonel James Blair of the Bengal Army who died in 1843. Why he should be commemorated and why at this spot is not recorded. A foot or two off the top and the budget might have stretched to making this monument meaningful to subsequent generations.

I now passed a barn called Seaton of Usan. All around were related names – Scotston of Usan, Usan, Usan House and Mains of Usan. The names seemed grander than the buildings altogether deserved.

At Ferrydown there were signs of industry along the last stretch of the South Esk River before it reached the sea. Ships were moored on the far side and there were industrial sheds on the south side. Montrose looked like a busyish port. On the landward side of Montrose there's a huge tidal basin through which the river flows.

Once across the river, I had to find my B & B. I asked three people who had little idea when I mentioned Chapel Street. The last was leant up against a wall outside a pub smoking. He suggested that I asked inside. The pub was a mean looking place with the public area hardly more capacious than the confined space behind the bar. There were about six people drinking at 4 pm. The man outside (I assume it must have been him) had left a bank note and some coins on the counter next to his empty bar stool (his drinks allowance for that day?). The young girl serving was a live wire with an I-phone. She found Chapel Street on the I-phone map then hurried out into the street to give me directions. These were to help me find the vicinity of Chapel Street where I needed to ask again as it was hard to explain. She bounced up and down and side to side in her eagerness to communicate. I was so grateful to her for taking the trouble. In the High Street a postman directed me with more precision but suggested I asked for final directions at a particular newsagent. I didn't need to as I saw the chapel and the street was next to it. The young woman at Chapel House (Kate) was also lively. She served breakfast from 7 am but had once served someone at 4.30 am. I settled for 7.15 which should give me an early enough start tomorrow.

16.7 miles today in 6.07.30. 1470.77

Set off at 0835. Weather fine enough but forecast bad. I left Montrose on the A937 but turned off it at Hillside. I crossed the River North Esk on the old railway bridge which is now on the Cycle Network, this branch line having been closed. At the Nature Reserve Visitor Centre I elected to take the coastal path to St Cyrus. This followed a route just above the beach and below the cliffs. I passed a number of fishermen's bothies. The path up from the shore to the top of the cliffs was constructed in the late 19th century. A plaque commemorated both this and two subsequent occasions when the path was repaired by the same person.

St Cyrus didn't seem much of a place on the map but it had a primary school with a full playground. Shortly afterwards I joined the A92, believing that there would be a separate cycle way I could use. Unfortunately cyclists had to use the road so I was forced, in the absence of an alternative, to walk into oncoming traffic on a main road with only two carriageways. Every time a lorry passed I had to hold onto my hat otherwise the blast of air would have swept it off. At Johnshaven I escaped the A92 and stopped for ten minutes on a bench next to the harbour for a snack. This was at about 12 noon.

I now followed a coastal path that took me all the way to Inverbervie. There I was again forced back onto the A92 and this coincided with a shower. A car pulled over ahead of me and parked on the minor road where I intended to turn off. To my surprise a single woman offered me a lift. It was an extraordinarily kind (?foolhardy) act and I thanked her profusely. Obviously I couldn't accept as that would have negated my entire project. Virtuously I continued on my way passing by Kineff and Catterline.

I crossed the A92 near the Mill of Uras and turned onto a long straight road stretching endlessly ahead. When I again encountered the A92, I followed a cycle track alongside it. This abruptly ended forcing me to walk on the verge for a while. I passed Dunnotar Castle and saw a Road Closed sign. I assumed this was aimed at cars. There's usually a way for walkers to get through. Just when Stonehaven was spread out beneath me, I realized my mistake. This was a serious closure to deal with subsidence. Steel barriers up the embankment on the landward side stopped my getting round the high barriers across the road. I tried to get through on the seaward side above a steep slope down to the harbour. Carefully I followed a high fence downhill enclosing the working area. It got narrower as it encountered a wall running parallel to the fence. I squeezed through until I reached a barrier which was perhaps climbable but difficult with a pack and a bit risky. I returned to the steep slope and descended next to a high fence over rough ground. I didn't know what to expect at the bottom; a long drop perhaps or an insurmountable wall or fence? In fact I found a short flight of steps which brought me to the harbour side. I stopped a couple of women runners for directions to my B & B and received a warm welcome there from Liz Molloy. She insisted on making me a proper pot of tea and served it with a couple of chocolaty biscuits. I took a bath and felt restored. Later I went to the Ship Hotel by the harbour and had the best meal of this and many other visits to Scotland. Parsnip soup was followed by Haddock Mornay, boiled potatoes and vegetables and accompanied by a pint of Red Cuillin.

26.16 miles 9 hrs 35 mins 1496.93

I asked my hostess at the B & B what she thought about independence for Scotland. She said she was against and so were all her friends. They did not want Scotland to stand alone and thought little of Salmond who ‘had his own agenda'. I commented that I had seen a few SNP posters in the town but none for the other parties. She said that this was a Lib/Dem area having once been conservative.

I set off at 9 and left Stonehaven on the B979. At breakfast I'd been dazzled by the sun reflecting off the sea but it soon became showery and breezy again. I took minor roads via Hill of Muchalls. The most direct route was a white road (defined as ‘other road, drive or track'). It started badly as a quagmire. I had to climb over a broken down gate and approached a large group of agricultural buildings including a house. There had been no ‘Private' sign but it didn't look as if the public ever came this way. The track skirted round the buildings and then it became a regular unmade drive. After Berryhill House it became a path. Soon after I had to cross the A90 to reach Portleven. After the station I turned back towards the A90 and passed underneath it into Hillside where extensive housing estates (executive dwellings) had recently been built. I crossed back underneath the A90 to reach Maywell. Around here there was more residential development by Barratt Homes, Church, Milne and Bett. These were blank areas just south west of Aberdeen on my new map. Now they were on the way to being covered. Aberdeen must be doing well in the oil industry for all this to be worth while.

I crossed the A956 into Charleston. As I crossed I noticed someone in a long black coat cross the road behind me. He followed me through Charleston. I expected him to enter one of the houses there but he kept on walking. I took the long lonely road to Nigg. There were industrial buildings far over to the right but only one house near the road. My distant companion was only 50 yards behind and didn't seem to be hurrying. Nevertheless it seemed odd that he should be walking this long road to Aberdeen. He didn't seem to be carrying a rucksack. I speeded up to almost 4 mph rather than my usual 3 mph. This seemed to increase the distance between us. Then I reached houses in the Nigg area of Aberdeen. Perhaps he was aiming for one of these houses as I didn't see him again although I continued to look back for a while.

I crossed the River Dee and passed Duthie Park which was being restored. Huge mounds of bare earth, upon which nothing had yet grown, covered the ground. I went through the district of Ferryhill and reached the station. The ticket clerk told me that all trains south, whether to Edinburgh or Glasgow, went through Dundee. I returned to the same hotel as I stayed in last Monday.

17.24 miles in 5 hrs 50 mins. 1514.17