1. Do not equate distance with time when traveling in UK....there are so many villages that are really close together and each has a very low speed limit, so even though the miles are few, the time can stretch out before you know it. Often the speeds through the villages are either 20mph or 30 mph.
2. Do not argue with GMaps.... today I had the plan of what I wanted to do, but GMaps and I had a few disagreements... one of these cost me about half an hour travelling time..
3. Always assume there will be roadworks somewhere... the UK is absolutely full of roadworks at all times..
So, today I set out from my lovely hotel Hawes Inn where I had a wonderful sleep last night. It was so nice to just wake up and take my time after the regimentation of the bus tour.. But I probably took more time than I should have because my eventual arrival time tonight was quite late.
I knew I had a bit of a drive ahead of me today, but my main challenge was to program my GMaps to go where I wanted it to go. My destination tonight was Cruden Bay, north of Aberdeen, but I wanted to go the scenic coastal route, but little GMaps insisted I go the quickest way! So I tried to set her for the way I wanted to go, but I have to admit we had a few disagreements over the course of the day.
There is a great map on on the Visit Scotland site which outlines all the coastal routes and that is what I wanted to do...
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| Today's map |
My first challenge was to get over the Firth of Forth Bridge and we managed to do that quite well. I had set GMaps for a few towns along the way around the coast, but after a while I found myself ignoring GMaps and just following the signs for the Fife Coastal Route. That went really well for a while.... until I missed one of the turnoffs..
This was where I lost half an hour or so, because I think I just went round in a big circle and ended up where i was before. I really have to find a balance between going where I want to go and going where Gmaps takes me!!!
And I wanted to follow the pale blue( which is Fife) and the purple (which is Angus) and then past Aberdeen into Cruden Bay.
That was the theory...
Managed ok to start with and the views were just magnificent. Not many opportunities to stop and take pics, so my photos are very limited today..
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| Coastal views along Fife road |
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| Coastal views along Fife road |
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| Kellie Castle |
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| Kellie Castle |
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| Wood near Kellie Castle |
So I decided to move on to St Andrews for lunch..
One little thing about today... the old "T" word - toilets.... there were hardly any mentioned along the way.... Usually you see the big sign... WC ... but not a mention today. Twice I found comfort (literally) in the big supermarkets... Aldi and Morrisons - they all have toilets, which is really handy for travelers....
Anyway, on to St Andrews..... I would love to have had more time here, as I have been before and seen the golf course and the ruins etc.... But by the time I had some lunch and a little walk, it was nearly 2 o'clock and I still had at least one and a half hours journey to go....
Here's a few pics that I did manage to take in St Andrews...
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| Main street of St Andrews |
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| About BlackFriars Chapel |
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| BlackFriars Chapel Ruins |
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| Wall at the end of the main street |
After St Andrews I did manage to take the coast road along the Angus Coast line and it was just beautiful. It was a contrast between the beautiful yellow Canola fields and the pastures which held both cows and sheep, and the rugged coastline with all the shipping and off shore oil rigs along the coast.
I was cruising at this stage, until I hit the outskirts of Aberdeen.... Blahhhhh..... it took me over an hour to get through the peak hour traffic and the roadworks around the outskirts of Aberdeen. It's a very big city and I arrived about 4.15-ish, and I didn't hit open road again until about 5.15-ish.
Here was I thinking how nice it was to be out of the city and cruising through the Scottish country side... trouble is, there are always big cities somewhere along your route.
My car was lovely today though. Loved having the gears again and only forgot I wasn't in an automatic a few times!!!
Arrived at my hotel for the night - Kilmarnock Arms - about 5.30pm.
It's lovely old pub and my room is good.
Did a quick run down to the sea and this is what it looks like at Cruden Bay (pronounced Crooden Bay!)
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| Cruden Bay |
The journey took a lot longer than I thought, but that is all part of the learning experience!
Perhaps I should get up a little earlier and allow that extra little bit of time..
Wattle is continually learning along the way!!!!
It is so different from driving over here isn't it. All the villages, towns and cities are so close to each other and look very interesting so you really want to stop and check them out. The other thing is it's all in miles which can make quite a difference!
ReplyDeleteYes, as I was driving though each village there seemed to be lots of interesting things to look at. I also passed a few castles on the way that looked interesting, but I didn’t have time to stop. And miles does make a difference too. My Gmaps is in kms which can be tricky!!
DeleteYou'll have to tell Google Maps and Gaby Garmin who is in charge, they are taking advantage of your good nature! Any thoughts on eating Haggis?
ReplyDeleteI wish there was more flexibility in GMaps. It needs to be told sometimes!!! Have tried haggis before and it was ok.... seem to be something they trot out for the coaches full of tourists!!!
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