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This is part 2 of the 150 mile coastal walk I completed this summer with my granddaughter aged 11. Part 1 can be read here
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=45130We were raising money for FOP action, to help fund research into this extremely rare and painful disease. E's cousin Dylan suffers from this and there is no Government funding for the research the results of which are also helping in treatments of other, more common bone diseases such as osteoporosis and bone cancer,
NB the photos are a mixture of photos taken by Elemental, Chris, myself and others. As they were all posted on our FB page by my daughter and then subsequently uploaded to Flickr they are wrongly all ascribed to me.
Day 8 Guardbridge to Dundee 06/07/2014No lie in today as we had to be at Tentsmuir Forest Car Park by 12.00 in time to meet with our companions for the afternoon: Dave and his 6 yr old granddaughter Freya, my son and his girlfriend. As we had walked the St Andrew's /Guardbridge section the night before with Elemental's mum I felt that we could justify getting a taxi to the carpark at the outskirts of Guardbridge. Elemental certainly wasn't complaining.
The section from Guardbridge to Leuchars ( 2 miles) then seemed to pass quite quickly but following that it felt twice as long to pass the Leuchars airfield. The day was already very hot and muggy but there were butterflies aplenty - ringlets, meadow brown, common blue and small heath but no damsel or dragon flies .
Small Heath , Tentsmuir by
Seal54, on Flickr
Unfortunately we discovered other things on the wing in the form of mosquitoes ( much bigger than the usual midge) and cleggs. Much slapping and drawing of blood. Before getting into the forest proper we passed through a pleasant mixed wood of birch etc.
Approaching tentsmuir by
Seal54, on Flickr
No midges on the walk but cleggs and mosquitos here by
Seal54, on Flickr
Approaching the car park Tentsmuir by
Seal54, on Flickr
We arrived at the car park just as everyone else was arriving and half an hour before our planned time. Euan and Katie had driven through a torrential, thundery downpour and although more was forecast for the time being the sun was shining. Freya had raised £50.00 in sponsor money and also made a loom band for Elemental, both of which E wrote in the diary entry for the day ( along with having lunch!)
"Today we set off early to meet Freya and Dave, Euan and Katy (sic) at Tentsmuir Car Park. We all ate lunch & Freya gave me a loom band and told me she had raised £50 for FOP action!!!!!"
The company at Tentsmuir by
Seal54, on Flickr
We showed Freya the different butterflies and heard about Euan and Katie's recent holiday. E told Dave about the chain walk and all in all the time passed quickly. We were also given a cryptic clue in a bottle by 2 people walking the other way.We all had a go at solving it with little success. Freya and Dave had planned to walk 2 miles out with us giving Freya a 4 mile walk in all. Katie and Euan continued on until we reached Tentsmuir Point and the Firth of Tay. Shortly before they turned round there was a brief heavy shower. They were just out of hailing distance when we solved the clue in the bottle.
message in a bottle by
Seal54, on Flickr
The clue ;
PERSISTENT INVESTIGATION SEES BISHOP AMONGST WALKERS ? (6) *E*R*T HELP!
walking through tentsmuir by
Seal54, on Flickr
The temperature rose again and we stopped for a break at a group of lovely sand dunes. E didn't rest much and flung herself up and down these having great fun.
loving this dune by
Seal54, on Flickr
Whheeee by
Seal54, on Flickr
Still we had a way to go and reluctantly she came away with the promise of an ice cream at Tayport . There was another caravan site on the outskirts of Tayport but we both agreed it was slightly better than some with trees breaking up the lines and friendly residents. We were hot and sticky and I didn't feel like climbing up the steep streets in search of a shop but we found the Bell Rock Tavern just off our route and the bar staff confirmed that we could get ice-cream.
Stop here for Icecream by
Seal54, on Flickr
The cool interior was also a bit of a relief from the hot sun. Suitably refreshed with icecream and soft drinks I paid the bill and the usual conversation ensued with the bar staff. "Where are you walking to?" E did her speil at which the young woman bartender said "Ratho, that's where my brother lives". It turns out that not only does he live on the same street as E but his daughter , Emily is a friend of E's younger brother. "Auntie Angie" donated her tip to the cause!
The route then did a bit of climbing and out onto what looked like an old railway line. We passed both East and West lighthouses but couldn't see much of them through the trees.
East (low) Light Tayport by
Seal54, on Flickr
West lighthouse tayport by
Seal54, on Flickr
As we were approaching the Tay Bridge there was another massive downpour. Short-lived but heavy and for us made worse by the spray from the passing cars. Tempers were a little frayed by the time we reached the toilets at the southern end of the Tay Bridge. To our dismay they were closed. They shut at 6.00 pm and we reached them at 10 past. Needless to say we found alternatives before crossing the silvery Tay leaving the Fife Coastal Path behind us. We both agreed that although less scary than the Forth Road Bridge, the Tay was considerably less interesting and Dundee took a long time acoming. We had to watch out for the occasional cyclist who zoomed past.
crossing the Tay bridge by
Seal54, on Flickr
The Holiday Inn is just across the road from the end of the TRB. Although a bit pricey I had booked us in for our 3rd night away from the tent. We could dry off and wash out a few clothes and we looked forward to getting a Indian takeaway. Being the centre of Dundee I didn't think there would be a problem ordering a delivery but I reckoned without the lack of information in the 'Inn' about local outlets and the lack of help from disinterested staff. As a result we ended up with a very, poor substandard meal; lukewarm and grumps inducing. Still we had breakfast to look forward to didn't we? Tomorrow we would also be joined by E's Dad. He had always planned to do some of the walk with us and we had made plans whilst in St Andrews that he would get the train up after dropping off E's brother at the After School Club on Monday morning. We figured he would catch up with us around Broughty Ferry.
(total for the day 15.6 Grand total 94.1)
Day 9 Dundee to Arbroath Links After a comfy night and all our clothes dried we made our way to breakfast. Here my patience with the poor service in the Holiday in almost snapped. We were faced with filthy and cracked crockery - coffee dregs in a whole tray of "clean" cups, baked beans encrusted on the plates followed by a lack of response from an uninterested staff member when I raised it . There were a number of foreign visitors staying there and goodness knows what they think of the the standard of cleanliness in Scottish hotels. I have since received mealy-mouthed platitudes from the management but no sense that they wanted to make things right. I did, a number of times mention that we were walking for charity but there was not one offer of a single penny for that in way of compensation ( I wasn't particularly looking for a donation but felt that they should have the opportunity). This in contrast to the all the other people in cafes and restaurants that we stopped in giving a donation or handing back the tip. We had no regrets leaving the H.I. at least when you are camping you are in control of your own cleanliness. We were now following the North Sea Coastal Route, this often coincides with cycle route 1 and we started following this through the docks only to reach a checkpoint where cyclists ( with id ) are allowed through but Grannies with 11 year olds are clearly a threat to security are not. Once again we had to resort to car bingo to get us along the next bit of the route along the A92 and A930. This and keeping in contact with E's Dad who was coming to join us by train distracted me and we could have dropped back down to the edge of the Tay at the first roundabout on the A930. We did rejoin the coastal path about 1/2 mile further on. There was a display about sea eagles, introduced into Fife. We didn't see any sign of the remaining pair over Tentsmuir.
We speculated whether Chris's train would reach Broughty Ferry before we did and it did but by the time we had found each other it didn't matter much, Chris confessed to having packed in a hurry and not planning things very well. He had a tiny 25 litre rucksack ( E's first walking one) with sleeping mat and bag hanging off it. The tent he had in a carrier bag. E and I weren't impressed and I suggested that he contact his mum as soon as possible as she was coming to join us in Arbroath next day for our rest day. I knew that she had a much larger rucksack available. Anyway we needed to stop in BF cos the choc croissants for breakfast hadn't been that good. Chocolate milkshakes and donuts on Chris and then we were off to walk along the beach to Monifieth.
I've got my Dad by
Seal54, on Flickr
Broughty Ferry Castle by
Seal54, on Flickr
BF looked an interesting place with its castle, yet another for our list of "lets come back". We had other growing lists too. On the Walk we had come across some very large examples of ordinary beasties and plants e.g. enormous grass hopper (Camp 2), and later a toad (Fife Ness to St Andrews). Also we had found enough "stuff " to equip ourselves all over again. Toothbrushes and boxer shorts being the most commonly found. Today was no exception on both these "lists" . E found a wooden toy mallet almost as soon as we hit the beach ( later tried on tent pegs) and just at Balmossie there was a gathering of over 100 mute swans. I have never seen such a large number all in one place ( which was at a stream outlet so there would have been rich pickings food-wise). I have been told that they are probably juvenile males who have yet to mate. Then on the outskirts of Monifieth E found an enormous "dandelion " clock. I am not sure what plant species produce these.
is this a hammer by
Seal54, on Flickr
NB in photo above note Barry Budden Lighthouse in the distance
largest flock of swans 90-100 by
Seal54, on Flickr
I couldn't fit the whole flock in
Largest dandelion clock by
Seal54, on Flickr
Not the largest grasshopper by
Seal54, on Flickr
We decided to have lunch in Monifeith as the next stretch to Carnoustie was along between Barry Budden ( army firing range) and the railway line with nowhere suitable for lunch. The cafe was very nice but I probably blotted my copy book as my platypus leaked all over the floor. Possibly why they told us we should be alright going through Barry Links as there wouldn't be any shooting. Fortunately we took notice of the red flags and later heard the gunfire. This meant we couldn't get near the lighthouse though.
redflag flying by
Seal54, on Flickr
Well warned by
Seal54, on Flickr
The soldier on duty at the gate helped us out with the last letter of the phonetic alphabet I had forgotten when teaching E this. She had been fascinated hearing me spell my surname this way when booking the H.I. But I had totally forgotten that M was "Mike"
Today we walked for most of the time next to the railway line. At times we got a toot or a wave.
No she's not hitching a lift by
Seal54, on Flickr
Carnoustie that a way without the TNT van by
Seal54, on Flickr
hot Hot HOT by
Seal54, on Flickr
I should mention that it was another very hot and sunny day. We promised E a stop at the beach in Carnoustie which was actually about 5 miles from the cafe in Monifieth. There had been no complaints as she had enjoyed the novelty of having her Dad for company. He also decided that instead of doing just 2 days he would stay and complete the walk with us. Carnoustie was preparing for hosting the shooting for the Commonwealth games, so there were barriers etc going up but nothing to hinder our way to the beach. I left E and Chris here and went to the co-op to get supplies for tea.
getting rid of the sand by
Seal54, on Flickr
Another train to wave at by
Seal54, on Flickr
We then had 2 miles of road to East Haven and a final 1.5 approximately along a path through rough pasture and fixed dunes. Our campsite was just 3 miles from Arbroath harbour where we were meeting with everyone else that was joining us on our rest day the next day.
E and Chris collected the wood for the bonfire whilst I pitched the tents. E didn't record in the diary what we ate and I now can't remember but she describes a MASSIVE bonfire ( in capitals and outlined in a box) and said we cooked dinner on it. Chris was also asked to contribute to the diary and he also drew a picture of a dead seagull. E
drew the bonfire
the bonfire at Arbroath by
Seal54, on Flickr
Arbroath camp by
Seal54, on Flickr
( total for the day 15.6. Grand total 109.7)
Day 10 rest dayAlthough this was a rest day with a planned boat trip out to the Bell Rock we still had 3 miles to walk into Arbroath where we were meeting up with the rest of the boat load at 10.00. I had set the alarm but Chris and E had wakened and packed everything but their tent ( to fool me) before it went off. E thought this was great and I thought of all the slow starts she had put me through up until now. We set off into Arbroath wearing waterproofs as we thought it was going to be very wet.
Father and daughter by
Seal54, on Flickr
There is a small stretch of reserve and information about the small blue butterfly. This is near the end of thei flight time but I really wanted to see one which would be a first for me ( and E and Chris). Not many people were about except the odd dog walker ( or should that be occasional). E had a go at the flying monkey with her full pack on as we passed the swing park.
full load by
Seal54, on Flickr
Signal Tower museum Arbroath by
Seal54, on Flickr
Chris and E went off to look for a likely breakfast place whilst I waited with the packs outside the Tourist information as this is where the rest were gathering. Joining us on the boat were Grandma and Grandad, my brother and his 2 boys, my sister and a friend and her boyfriend. We were using the company Abroath Angling and they were super. There was a torrential rain storm as we sailed out of the harbour and one or 2 people mentioned seeing a big lightening flash over Arbroath. It turned out later that this had struck a house and started a fire, fortunately no one was hurt.
Ever hopeful by
Seal54, on Flickr
The sun soon came out and although the rocks were covered at the lighthouse we all enjoyed the trip . We had one brief glimpse of dolphins but also saw young guillemots diving alongside their parents.
The Bell rock by
Seal54, on Flickr
We also saw back to the Fife Coast and was that the Bass Rock aaarghhh??!! On way back to the harbour John and David took us up the coast showing us the cliffs North of Arbroath and telling us a wee bit of history, including the fact that Seaton Den was used as a camping ground for the folk of Arbroath over the summer so they didn't have to pay rent.
The deil's Head Rock, seaward view by
Seal54, on Flickr
Then we were asked if we wanted to do a spot of fishing.... on board were 6 vegetarians and 5 meat eaters. The latter included E and YES she wanted to fish so we did. No prizes for guessing who caught the only fish which John duly filleted and that was supper sorted for E & her Dad.
fishing by
Seal54, on Flickr
Ellie's first mackerel by
Seal54, on Flickr
At one stage a yacht Tanera Mor sailed passed us having left Arbroath to head north. Later it turned out that this was owned by friends of my sister and they were sailing North . All in all we were out in the boat for 4 hours. The long cruises are £30 per head for 5 hours. The lovely Arbroath Angling only charged us £15 per head and waived E's fare, putting it into our charity pot. Take note Holiday Inn!
The (borrowed) camera that I was using suddenly stopped working and we still haven't been able to figure what is wrong with it as even a fully charged battery produces nothing.
The group dispersed when we landed, but Chris, E, Mary, the other grandparents and I went to the Signal Museum, this is a free museum and excellent, all about the Bell Rock and other lighthouses and Arbroath related stuff. We then set off to walk to Seaton Den. We needed to stock up on food and here I made a bit of an error with communicating with Chris our route for the next 2 days. Chris and E had fish for tonight and I had some dried something or other. We passed a wee corner shop with not the best selection of food but I got some tatties to roast in the fire and cheese and oatcakes. Chris got one pack of noodles between him and E for the following night as we weren't passing another shop before Montrose. He thought it would be enough. Chris now had everything in the larger pack his mother had brought along and would have had room for more food especially snacks which are good to keep energy levels up.
leaving Arbroath by
Seal54, on Flickr
Grandma and Granddad walked the 2 miles to Seaton den along the cliffs with us. Everyone was looking out for small blue butterflies but we only saw common blue. We met my friend and her partner coming back from their walk along the cliffs also on the look out for small blue. We looked down on the red sandstone rock formations that earlier in the day we had seen from the seaward side.
Common Blue by
Seal54, on Flickr
Tullochs on the move by
Seal54, on Flickr
The deil's Head Rock, landward view by
Seal54, on Flickr
Castlsea bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
There were a couple of other large tents at Seaton but plenty of room. Driftwood appeared scarce but with all of us on the collection game we managed enough to get a decent fire going.
Evening bonfire by
Seal54, on Flickr
The other grands said cheerio, they would ,meet up with us again on Friday to do the last bit of the walk from Johnshaven to Bervie then onto the lighthouse. We really felt that we had cracked it and for E eating her mackerel with her dad, cooked on the open fire at the end of yet another superb day, it was bliss.
I had tried to find a fresh water spring, rising in the inter-tidal zone on the South end of the bay but Iwasn't successful but we did have plenty of tap water.
this mackerel is so good. by
Seal54, on Flickr
Total for day 5.1 miles Grand total 114.8 Fish caught- one,
Day 11 Seaton Den to Lunan's Bay E and Chris were again up and exploring the caves at the North end of the beach before I stirred. We had realised over tea the night before that we were a tad low on food but there was nothing we could do about this now. I had oatcakes that I am fine with for breakfast but Chris and E weren't so enamoured. They had porridge but it would be the last. We set off up the cliff about 11.00 as this was a short day mileage wise , again we were walking along the cliff tops and followed the twists and turns as the sea cut into the land and streams cut down through the rocks. We could see right back to the Fife Coast and it felt so good to see how far we had come. Later in the day we would be able to see almost all of our remaining route.
We've come that far and further by
Seal54, on Flickr
Looking back beyond The Deils Head to the coast of Fife by
Seal54, on Flickr
Another glorious day and always looking for the elusive small blue. We were subjected to Chris's brand of humour "Why did the scarecrow get promotion?........Because he was outstanding in his field." which was grounds for abandoning our walk
Outstanding Scarecrow by
Seal54, on Flickr
We weren't however making outstanding progress but as we approached Auchmithie we saw a van delivery supplies, could this mean that there was a pub or cafe? if so it would be fine and handy. What we didn't realise was that it was an exceptionally good restaurant, the But 'n' Ben We arrived on its doorstep just as it opened at 12.00. Had we booked? no, but they could squeeze us it ( I thought they were kidding, it was Wednesday and Auchmithie isn't exactly on the main road, but the place filled rapidly.) Auchmithie is the original home of the Smokie, but better conditions in Arbroath tempted the fisher folk to settle there.
The But n Ben by
Seal54, on Flickr
We stuffed ourselves , no expense spared and it was delicious. E found room choc cake and icecream after 2 courses. The staff even managed to rustle up some scones that we could have for breakfast the following morning. 2 hours later we continued to Lunan's bay, passing on route Craig Park ( same name as E's road).
Leaving Auchmithie by
Seal54, on Flickr
After 11 days we are back at the start by
Seal54, on Flickr
We skirted a lot of barley fields by
Seal54, on Flickr
No Barley was trampled in this photo by
Seal54, on Flickr
After skirting some barley fields on tracks the next section was mainly by minor roads and not desperately interesting. The last bit before Lunan's bay is an improvement and we could see right up to the headland beyond Inverbervie (Bervie), this is just a few miles south of the lighthouse, only 2 1/2 days to go!
We can see the cliffs beyond Bervie! by
Seal54, on Flickr
After a short break to take off our boots, E and Chris headed for the sea but as quickly headed back, there were enormous Lion's mane jelly fish all over the beach and more coming in with every wave. It was very disappointing but we managed to paddle in the remnant pools in the sand.
Break at start of Lunan Bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
A wee rest at start of Lunan Bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
Best feet forward by
Seal54, on Flickr
Walking amongst the jellies at Lunan Bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
Crossing Lunan Water by
Seal54, on Flickr
Chris had his first experience of being fooled into thinking we were almost there as the distances are so hard to judge on a large expanse of sand but finally we crossed the river (Lunan water) and a Chris and E went to find a suitable campsite. They found an excellent one in the woods opposite the old castle but not before E got stung by a wasp, her first ever sting and not nice at the end of the day. This topped the smell of the dead seal we came across just before St Andrew's as her worst experience on the walk.
Camp Lunan Bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
Chris went very short on food as E polished off the whole of the packet of noodles he had thought would do the 2 of them. As ever he made no complaints and if he had been really hungry there were marshmallows and oatcakes!
Day Total 8 miles Grand Total 122.8. Jellies -5 billion Chocolate was available to compensate for wasp stings.
Day 12 Lunan Bay to St Cyrus
Red Castle Lunan Bay by
Seal54, on Flickr
As usual Chris and E were up at the crack of dawn and as we didn't have an awful lot for breakfast ( cheese scones) we had an early start. As we left Lunan Bay ( there doesn't appear to be a coastal path at this bit) we saw that there is now a cafe by the car park. We were too early for it and had arrived too late the night before to make use of it but. E enjoyed the horses, donkey , goats and pigs at Home Farm.
Farmlife at Home Farm by
Seal54, on Flickr
Looking Scottish feeling Mediterranean by
Seal54, on Flickr
Up the hill to Braehead of Lunan we came across Mog's double, an exceptionally friendly cat that made E's morning as she had seen very few cats on the walk and was missing her own dear Daisy.
Mog the friendly cat by
Seal54, on Flickr
We were following cycle route 1 but had intended to divert out to Scurdie Ness Lighthouse. Due to the necessity of getting some food we had to miss out on this unfortunately.
Scurdie Ness across the Barley by
Seal54, on Flickr
Only 17 miles to Bervie by
Seal54, on Flickr
I had high hopes that Ferryden would have a shop or something where we could at least get crisps or a bar of chocolate to keep us going into Montrose. It was not to be. The only pub was closed ( due to a bereavement) and in anycase it didn't exactly look as if food was on its agenda. We debated one or all of us getting a bus into Montrose , grabbing some food then coming back out again but this did not go down well so we all headed on into Montrose and found a snack bar just before the bridge. E's mood had been diving all the way and she wasn't impressed with what was on offer ( although it was actually fine). We continued on into Montrose and hit the high street looking for a food outlet to stock up for the evening meal and breakfast. It looked a bit run down. I suggested that this meant that there would be a big supermarket near at hand, sure enough we spotted a Tescos and headed there (guilty about not supporting small local shops but that would have meant a trail around with a grumpy 11 yr old). Chris and I left very morose, monosyllabic E in the cafe and went to look for food. We had instructions from E that she wanted chocolate belvita for breakfast the next day but horrors of horrors they appeared to be out of stock. Sure enough when I went to break the news she wasn't a happy bunny but the day was saved by an assistant finding that they had been moved to a special display.
Well stocked with food we headed for Montrose links. E's mood lifted when a local stopped and spoke to us about what we were doing. He was very impressed with what E had achieved so far. He said we weren't far from the links and there we found a good play park for E to have some fun in.
RandR at Montrose by
Seal54, on Flickr
Plenty of other children were there too. E was a lot happier by the time we left 2 hours later . We were soon onto the beach wowing at the huge lion's manes (numbers and size).
Largest Jelly, Montrose by
Seal54, on Flickr
Scurdie Ness from Montrose Beach by
Seal54, on Flickr
No more swimming though. I wasn't sure if we would be able to walk across the Esk at the end of Montrose Links but a chat with a local coming from that direction confirmed that we needed to head inland and cross by the bridge.
E had been delighted that her dad joined us, she was a bit fed up with Granny day in day out but they fell out on Montrose Links as she had started texting on her phone and was dawdling behind. We had never had to tell her not to do this before, although she had free reign to do it when we were camped or stopped. Chris pointed out that she had just been stopped for 2 hours and could have texted her friends then. This brought wails of outraged indignation " I was texting Mum " ( Mum later confirmed that the the text had been "having a great time"). E stopped speaking to her Dad and started to trail behind. I dropped back with her and suggested we played grandmothers footsteps. i.e. we would walk as quickly as possible up to Chris but freeze if he turned round. It took a couple of times before Chris twigged what we were doing but it soon had a happy E back. Another game we had played was the one word at a time story, each person saying one word, then the next person etc. I now introduced a variation , maybe not the best with a heavy pack but if any one followed before the tide came in they would have wondered what it was about. Each of us drew a word in the sand in turn. I can't remember the full story but it involved a shrimp called pooh and had us laughing.
I wasn't sure how I would know when to turn off the beach and head off through the dunes but with a bit of luck I hit it dead on.
Leaving Montrose beach by
Seal54, on Flickr
There is a track that takes you towards the main road. Now I have driven up and down this road many a time and wondered how the North Sea Coastal trail crossed the Esk. There was only the road bridge and what I thought was the rail bridge. The road bridge had no pavement. As we headed for the main road (A92) I expected to cross the railway line ( I had printed off the OS maps and it looked like a railway with embankments etc) just before we reached the road. I was therefore surprised when we didn't. We did pass a signposted path but I didn't look at it closely. The road was quite busy and the pavement was on the other side. I was thinking that this was not a good route but we head on up the A92. The lack of railway was nagging me though so I got the map out again and the penny dropped. The "railway" bridge was no more a railway. This was part of the now defunct coastal railway that we would pick up later outside Johnshaven. We had walked across the "railway" at the point where I had seen the signpost for a footpath. DUH, DUH and DUH again. Fortunately it was very easy to rejoin the path a couple hundred yards further on.
Once we had crossed the road there was a field of rather cute calves and E went running over to say hello. Next minute she let out a howl of surprised pain. She had grabbed hold of the fence with both hands and it was electrified. I think it was the unpleasant surprise more than anything that upset her. I suggested to her father that I had managed to get her through the first 7 days of the walk with only a transient sore bit to her back. He had been with us for 3 days and she had been stung by wasp and shocked by an electric fence! Both Chris and I told E that as children we had touched electric fences to get the shock for fun but never with both hands. She wasn't amused. We crossed the defunct railway bridge into Aberdeenshire and I would have to say from now on the paths were not clear except in unlinked sections. Aberdeenshire is letting down the North Sea Coastal Trail route from a walkers perspective.
Its a long bridge by
Seal54, on Flickr
River North Esk Road Bridge by
Seal54, on Flickr
We had a bit under 2 miles to go, first along the road to the St Cyrus NNR Visitors Centre where we had our tea of chicken or cheese rolls, blueberries and chocolate biscuits. This was to be our penultimate night and really the next 1.5 days walking was going to be very light compared to what we had done already. It had been another hot ,hot day and no chance of cooling in the sea (should have taken a dip in the Esk!). At St Cyrus there were warning signs about the lion's mane and again they covered the beach.
We didn't need this warning by
Seal54, on Flickr
St Cyrus by
Seal54, on Flickr
We found a level spot in the dunes and also a beautiful garden tiger moth and pitched the tents.
Garden Tiger moth at St Cyrus by
Seal54, on Flickr
Apologies for the blur.... I could blame the camera (E's) but it twas me that operated it.
Day's total, 13. Grand total 135.8 Electrocution 1, Jellies - another few billion
Day 13 St Cyrus to BervieOur last full day of walking. It was unbelievable. We were to meet Grandma and Grandad somewhere between Johnshaven and Bervie. Also walking towards us was my friend Viv. The weather was a bit dull to start with but it wasn't long before we were walking in blazing sunshine, we were becoming accustomed to this!
Not certain of the route as there was talk of the cliff being unstable due to previous 2 winters weather erosion we headed towards the North end of the beach. Chris had seen two people going this route the night before. We stopped to draw a map of Great Britain and our route just before we left this last stretch of sand on our walk.
Map of UK with our walk by
Seal54, on Flickr
jumping the water by
Seal54, on Flickr
E found a bit of driftwood that gave her the milkmaid look. Knowing that it was our last full day and not that far she suggested ( jokingly I hope) that she bring it along. She later settled on a pebble she named "Bob"
Can I take this home. by
Seal54, on Flickr
Just at the base of the cliff was a dumped television. We speculated on the mentality of someone who would just throw this over the cliff.
Goal! by
Seal54, on Flickr
This would be a day of" lasts" but we had seen some spectacular beaches on the way and now we were leaving our last big sandy bay.There was no problem with the path up the cliff but the weather had been very dry, possibly not an advisable route in rain.
Path up the cliff by
Seal54, on Flickr
Last sandy beach by
Seal54, on Flickr
Kaim of Mathers castle by
Seal54, on Flickr
Last Castle?
At the top there did appear to be a very overgrown path hugging the cliff path but we would have had to fight our way for goodness know how far. It is probably a good winter/spring route but not for summer. Instead we went 100 yards inland and picked up a track across a field. This ended at a wee, gorse filled gully with a stream at the bottom. I suggested that I went ahead and see if I could forge a route whilst E and Chris waited.
Gorse filled gorge by
Seal54, on Flickr
E wasn't convinced ( being a bit smaller and getting your face whacked by gorse is not pleasant) but I persuaded her that it would be better than going a much longer way round inland. After the gorge there was a bit of rough edging round a barley field or 2 and then nipping through someone's garden by mistake before we were crossing grazed fields to Tangleha.
Field edge by
Seal54, on Flickr
After that the path was straightforward ( as long as you avoided the caravan site... no entry signs) and at Seagreens we stopped and chatted with a resident, Ewen who gave us a £10.00 donation for Fop.
Occasionally we came across rather redundant signs and speculated that we would have to go all the way back, ha ha!
do we need to go all the way back by
Seal54, on Flickr
Nb Note "Bob" the pebble in E's left hand.
Just before Cove Hill we passed a limekiln. Apparently there used to be an extensive (natural) limestone breakwater that protected the villages here but this was mined extensively for the burgeoning agriculture and without the limestone barrier flooding laid waste to the villages.
Passing the limekiln Seagreens by
Seal54, on Flickr
Just over the hill whilst I was in the process of photographing butterflies my friend Viv appeared. She had left her bike at Bervie then driven on to Johnshaven. She would walk back to Bervie with us along the disused railway line which is now the coastal path and cycle route. She would then cycle back again to her van. She had brought goodies of fresh strawberries and blueberries
Heading towards Johnshaven by
Seal54, on Flickr
Grandma and Granddad were at Johnshaven and somehow we all ended up at the Anchor where we had lunch. I went up to settle the bill only to find that George ( Granddad) had already paid it. Chris also tried to pay for it, luckily the pub was honest!
Passing our last load of statics - Johnshaven by
Seal54, on Flickr
We headed on to Bervie at a leisurely pace. It is very easy walking along the flat. Chris and his dad did their party trick of throwing one stone out to sea then trying to hit it with another. Chris managed it George didn't.
The 2 pebbles game by
Seal54, on Flickr
We were really taking all this good weather for granted and apparently the forecast was good for the morrow as well. Happy days. We passed the pigs (Pumba and Wilbur) outside Gourdon,
Pumba and Wilbur the pigs by
Seal54, on Flickr
With fresh company the miles passed quickly and we reached Bervie late afternoon.
delicious strawbs by
Seal54, on Flickr
Grandad needs a rest at Bervie campsite by
Seal54, on Flickr
Grandma and Granddad had booked us into the small community run camp-site. Tent sites were right on the banks of the river where Chris and I spotted an eel swimming against the current. We said farewell to Viv who could not join us on the final day. After pitching the tents for the last time I went to get supplies for our last ever bonfire. We chose a spot on the opposite bank of the river and soon had collected a big pile of driftwood. The menu was eggs cooked in oranges, baked potatoes, dampers, haribos ( E’s wish) and chocolate. We saw a group of young people carrying tents and supplies on, round the cliff and hoped that they enjoyed their wild camp.
Last bonfire by
Seal54, on Flickr
Last bonfire, last night by
Seal54, on Flickr
The bonfire ( as always on photos) looks a lot smaller than it was. E was showing us how to roast haribos!
It was a fine feast and we watched the fish jumping in the river, skimmed stones ( last time) and went over the route for the next day. This would be mainly off-piste and would involve some crossing of barbed wire fences. I had a previous less than good experience with some young, excitable coos that barred the way up at Kinghornie. I wasn’t keen to repeat the experience and there was a path round by the rocks below the cliffs to Rob's cave so I preferred to start along this way first until the cliffs barred further progress. My brother and his youngest were joining us again and the other grandparents felt that they were up for the challenge. It was a mere 4 miles to the lighthouse. The other grandparents were staying in an excellent B&B and arranged for Chris and E to join them for breakfast. I declined as I wanted to do a final wash. E’s camera ran out of battery so it had to go to be charged at the B&B.
We got the grandparents to complete the diary for day 12th which exposed us to Granddad’s jokes. Now we know where Chris gets his from.
Our campsite was very good bar one drawback, it had bright orange arc lights that were on all night.
Miles today 8.7 Miles in total 144.5, Jellies -none, chocolate , as much as you can eat!
Last Day Bervie to Todhead whoop! whoop!We had clean clothes, we had all showered, we had all breakfasted. I bought a lemon drizzle cake (recommended by my builder) from Robertsons the bakers for the get-together at the lighthouse. News from E’s mum was not good. She had hoped to drive up from Edinburgh, arriving around 12 ish , we hoped to get to the end between 12 and 1.00. However E’s younger brother, very recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, had been up during the night being sick. Both were exhausted and she was running late. I told her not to worry we would take our time, the important thing was that they both got to the lighthouse in one piece.
My brother and his youngest arrived and we were all ready to set off. I reckoned that it would take a couple of hours, given that a group is always slower than you think. Granddad took E’s rucksack (although E would have managed it fine) Before the walk I had thought I would want rid of my pack on the last day, but no, the opposite happened and I wanted to carry it the full way. In any case it had become normal.
We passed the sight of our bonfire, all cleared to leave no trace and turned the corner at the mouth of the river. Pretty soon we came across the camp site of the young people of the night before. Surprisingly we had seen them heading back into town at various stages of the morning. They did not appear to have made any attempt at cleaning up their site. Items of clothing, tent pegs, packets of food, empty drink containers had all been left. Not a pretty site and disappointing to see a set of young people giving the rest of their generation a bad name. I am so proud of my own grandchildren who know how to enjoy the outdoor life without trashing the very places they come to enjoy. We couldn't clear up the site and lets hope one or two of the culprits returned later to clean it up.
It is a delightful, if up and down, scramble along the cliff foot. However it soon became apparent that not all of us found the rocky route comfortable. As a result progress was slow. The good weather that we had enjoyed for 95% of our walk did not let us down and the day was again hot with little breeze to cool us off.
A wee scramble up and under the cliff by
Seal54, on Flickr
We faced our first barbed wire fence as we climbed up into the grazings as the shoreline ran into sheer cliffs. E was horrified that I used her sleeping mat to give people some protection from the barbed wire but I suggested to her that she may find that she could cut it down in size in any case. If not I would buy her a new one.
Last day by
Seal54, on Flickr
Shortly after the fence we came across the farmer out tending his sheep. I am not sure how pleased he was to find a mixed bunch of people walking across his land ( climbing fences) but he told us some of the local names for the rocks including Yellow Ark with a huge number of cormorants on it, apparently the largest colony in Aberdeenshire. After the sheep we had a couple of fields of barley including 3 more barbed wire fences. There was a profusion of chamomile around the edges of the fields giving off a lovely ( soothing?) aroma as we brushed past.
chamomile by
Seal54, on Flickr
I sensed unhappiness in the ranks, progress was extremely slow, hot and uncomfortable. E was happy walking with her cousin and they had started a game of I-spy. However we stopped for a rest. When we resumed and arrived at last at Kinneff (about half way) it transpired that the other grandparents had run out of water. They were able to get a refill at friendly house but I was getting worried that I was pushing them too hard. It was now approaching 12.30pm and I had no signal to phone Rachel. Although we only had one more field (but still another “double” barbed wire fence to cross) before we hit the track that would take us most of the way to the Lighthouse, after a quick consultation with the others it was decided that we would take the slightly longer but straightforward walk along the road.
I eventually had a signal on my phone, but Rachel didn’t at the other end. I sent her a text saying that we were on our way but just very, very late. She never got it. Chris also tried but we didn’t want to waste any further time texting. Instead we had a competition to see who would spot the lighthouse first but the signpost came first.
One more mile by
Seal54, on Flickr
I thought we would see it before we turned down to the lighthouse but in fact the first place was just before Hallhill farm. John, the farmer and his wife were out in the yard as we passed so we stopped to chat (they had been invited down to the LH but pled work. My brother had already gone ahead to tell the welcoming committee there that we were coming. E and I led the rest of them and E cooked up one of her infamous plans. “Granny, I think we should run the last bit” She also had another plot which I agreed on. Of course E didn’t have her pack and I had a full pack still!. We could see a banner hanging from the lighthouse gallery with a number of people standing there cheering us on.
Breaking into a run by
Seal54, on Flickr
We're here! by
Seal54, on Flickr
When E said go we broke into a run, not that easy with a full pack and she was soon pulling me along. Her mum came to give her a hug but before she could E carried out plan 2 and looked at me saying “Come on , Granny, time to go back”. We about turned and started heading back up the road. Much laughter, then hugs then more surprises. We knew George, Isabel and their son Dylan (who suffers from FOP) would be there as well as other wellwishers (Claire and Kirk) and neighbour Tracey (who had a wedding to get to!) but Rachel produced a gigantic cheque with the total amount raised including gift aid which had surpassed £3000. This was handed to Dylan.
The Big Cheque by
Seal54, on Flickr
Right back at the start E had thought that our target should be £100, we had persuaded her to go for £1000, we then quickly altered this to £2000 as it was clear that we would more than double that initial target. To reach £3000 just before the end of the walk was incredible and we still had more coming in. In the midst of this someone just sightseeing in the area was told of our walk and she went on and donated to the charity when she got home.
Welcome home, Poster by Joe by
Seal54, on Flickr
All too soon the champagne was drunk, the food was eaten and E was properly reunited with her parents and wee brother. Poor Joe who had painted the poster for the lighthouse was still feeling very poorly and couldn't join in but bravely put up with all the fun going on around him.
People needed to get home and I was left alone at the lighthouse. (no great hardship). I was able to have a proper look at the progress of the work that had started on extending the lighthouse into a home for me in my absence on the walk, then it was off on what l consider to be the best walk to any pub and doesn't involve any road walking but does include burn crossing and rock scrambling.
NB we both forgot to do the diary entry for the last day.
Miles 4.7, Total 149.2 ( Nb this varies each time I calculate it on GPS planner! we easily covered 150 miles as we always did some mini walks around our campsites.
3 months later and we have now reached just under £4000 for FOP including gift aid. I am still massively in chocolate debt to E for the sea glass she collected ( see Part 1) E is definitely growing into an adolescent and some of her enthusiasms are changing. She is not sure if she wants to go on another long walk anytime soon but remains very happy with what she achieved. She doesn't boast about it , leaving that to her proud grandparents. Possibly the worst thing for E was lack of company of her age although this didn't feature in her list of worsts things about the walk ( wasp sting, dead seal smell being the only 2 things she came up with when asked, Granny's snoring and Dad's jokes failed to get a mention. Her 3 favourite things (in order) were the walk itself, catching a fish and the chain walk. Her favourite game was the one word storytelling in the sand.
For myself, I have discovered the freedom of long distance walking. Previously I only tended to do 2-3 day trips , usually involving heading up a mountain or 2. This walk has been instrumental in moving me towards making a life changing decision. Having had no thought of retiring for another few years within 3 weeks of returning to work I made up my mind to leave which took a number of people including myself by surprise. I've still a few weeks to go but remain very happy with this decision and look forward to more walking out from my front door.
Apart from the photos and memories we have a lovely record of walk in the form of the dairy. Below are a selection of the pages from it. The first day we had agreed that we would take turns in writing it up each night but in fact E did most of the first week setting the standard, and I did most of the 2nd- hers are much more interesting and better illustrated.
_MG_9312 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9345 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9315 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9316 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9319 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9320 by
Seal54, on Flickr
_MG_9326 by
Seal54, on Flickr
Maybe a future child of E's will enjoy the diary and even follow in our footsteps just as I did with my mother's 1943 diary, the subject of which is another TR that I did for WH last year.
Thanks for reading.
And the answer to that clue in a bottle.....
The word 'feet' around 'Right Reverend' ( abbreviated) giving FE(RR)ET but we haven't solved the puzzle of why we were handed it.
