We enjoyed a sleep in this morning, both of us got about 8hrs sleep which was good. We were on the road heading northeast around 9am. It is Saturday, so the roads in St Andrews were quiet.
Our day started as we crossed the Firth of Tay and drove into Dundee. Our visit to this city turned into a drive through. Like a lot of UK cities and towns parking is very difficult to find, and when you do find a spot it is very expensive. Dundee was Scotland’s first UNESCO City of Design. We drove down to the shores of the Firth of Tay and found Broughty Castle, built in 1490. It was taken by the British without a shot being fired in 1547, taken back by the Scots 2.5 yrs later, and it began changing hands over time. It more recently served as a naval fortress in WWI & WWII. An impressive structure with a drawbridge and all.
Next we drove up to the St Cyrus National Nature Reserve It is regarded as one of Scotland’s most significant habitats for birds and flora because of its unique geography. It is nestled between high granite cliffs and large seaside sand dunes. These serve to protect it from the severe North Sea winter storms and keep the area relatively warm. We didn’t see much birdlife in the reserve but enjoyed the numerous wildflowers over the dunes. We did take the opportunity to go for a walk along the beach, even put our hands into the North Sea! The beach was littered with drift wood, Deb couldn’t help thinking how much Vonnie would enjoy it. The were lots of Lions Mane Jellyfish in the intertidal area up and down the beach. They look pretty with a body in shades of purple and pink, except when they are upside-down, then they look a bit like intestines or other bodily bits! We enjoyed the walk very much.
It was almost noon by now, so we drove up to Stonehaven for lunch. On the way we stopped in Montrose to admire an unusually designed church spire.
The Montrose Church of Scotland Old and St Andrews was built in 1791 and the spire/steeple was built in 1833, had a very gothic look to it. Very ornate and complex designed by Gillespie Graham.
We had crab for lunch from a food van on the breakwater/wharf in Stonehaven, it was a picturesque place to sit and enjoy. Our seat was a plank of wood stretched over two crab pots. ?
We then retraced ourselves a little and went to Dunnotter Castle. It is located high on top of a rocky headland. The site is believed to have been fortified since the early middle ages, but the surviving ruins of Dunnotter Castle are largely from the 15th & 16th centuries. It is an immensely imposing structure with the very obvious qualities of strategic location and its even more obvious defensive strength. It played a prominent role in Scotland’s history through the 18th century Jacobite risings. It is most famously known for being the place chose to hide the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) from the invading armies of Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century. While it lays substantially in ruin, what is left is being well preserved and you can see how grand it once would have been.
We then drove to our accommodation just outside Aberdeen, The Granite City. After dropping our bags in our room and taking a breath, we headed into explore the city. The downside to the Granite City, is just that, Granite buildings everywhere. It gives the city a very grey hue, nothing jumps out at you! We managed to find a 20 minute park and were able to see the worlds second largest granite building, The Marischal College building, the largest is the Escorial Palace near Madrid in Spain. It was big, and very grey. Again parking was a huge issue in downtown Aberdeen, so we decided to take in the two old cities of Aberdeen. Yes, there are two old towns of Aberdeen. First we went to Old Aberdeen, with its cobblestone streets, mature trees, 15th century fortified Cathedral and home to Aberdeen’s first University founded in 1495. Also St Machars Cathedral and University Buildings. We found areas where you could visualise yourself back in the 15th century, the cobblestone streets lined with unaltered houses of the time.
Next we drove to the far end of the port area to find Adberdeen’s 2nd old city, Footdee, or Fittie to the locals. It was originally a fishing village by the waters edge. It has rows of tiny houses with colourful gardens and brightly coloured outhouses. Again, like walking back in history. We decided to have dinner at a seafood restaurant overlooking the port in Footdee. It was a nice way to end our day.
We head further northeast tomorrow.
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Wow you’ve certainly been very busy, hope your seafood dinner was delish.