SC500 part 5: from Stonehaven to Kirkcaldy
Via Catterline, Inverbervie, St Combs, Montrose, Lunan Bay, Arbroath, Dundee, Newport-onTay, St Andrews, Crail, Arbroath, Pittenweem, Ely and Methil.
Starting with good friend at pretty harbour with kids sailing school, passing tourist catching ruined castle, ferocious gardener, monument to City Sark designer along this cliff endangered way. On past a lobster factory, haggis infused scotch eggs, mussel encrusted oil pipes, lots of red sandstone cliffs, endless camper vans, and some crazy golfers. 2km bridge, company by arty walkers to prestigious University, past plenty of WW2 pillboxes, seal pups, best fish & chips, Vetriano homeland, mine museum, former glory industries, wellies collection and plenty of sunshine, ice cream and family companionship.
Thanks to Miep for great food and good companionship on the trecherous parts, Judith and Phil for the good nights sleep in Newport, the good people of Forgan arts for the company in Tentsmuir, Michael for spurring us on and Rachel to join us for the last 10k with twins Astrid and Viggo.
Looking at Dunnotar Castle
Thursday 17 August, Day 43: Stonehaven to Inverbervie. 30,836 steps
Black breakfast, frantic cleaning, £100 deposit!, Stoney harbour, kids sailing class, wished, I learned, then, up, up, above, towards Dunnotar, plenty of touries, DANGER signs, path, fizzles oot, hard going, scary rocks, 50m cliffs, electric fence, tramline, through the barley, so many birds, bird camera, bird, RSVP, Catterline, friend Iain, lived here, Crail Inn, knackered, change to road, sunny, jolly, Gordie Muir, flower lover, ‘vegtable’ for sale, little paradise, walk on, Warrierwalker Paul, already on second round of UK, must check oot, busy A92 road, hate cars, Crown Hotel, beer, buy to Miep.
Friday 18 August, Day 44: Inverbervie-Montrose, 32489 steps
Postcard, Cutty Sark designer, sculpture, post box, harbour, old railway, track, Gourdon, smelly harbour, stoney track, Johnshaven, lobster factory, lobster sandwich, tea, yum, big treat, not usual, 2 walkers, from Yorkshire, danger sign, walk anyway, up to St Cyrus, no issues, for once, community group, working/walking, RSPB place, they are really good, the RSPB, Scotsman news, of Creative Scotland, funding demand, double of money available, no surprise, all those Expressions, of Interest, did you do one?, lots of demand, 4 calls, for help, call Mutti, all better, old railway viaduct, North Esk river, golf course, Montrose, Walking Britain’s Lost Railways, on TV.
Saturday 19 August, Day 45: Montrose to Arbroath, 41535 steps
Postbox, Coffee house, pancake, Montrose basin, so misty, fishermen, what do they fish?, London Rule, roads today, massive fields, all barley, Lunan Bay, hotel, onion soup, shit music, the bay, sand, dying seagull, sad, no one there, why not? up again, the nurse, the babies, why?, potato fields, potato farm, thousands of boxes, onion fields, paths laced with brambles, many wild flowers, today, lovely, Auchmithie, arts festival, 16 houses, great path, all dark red, sandstone, scary bits, Arbroath, built with sandstone, all red, Tenants.
Sunday 20 August, Day 46: Arbroath to Carnoustie, 21545 steps
Postbox, bus, return to Arbroath, breakfast, Arbroath smokies, yum, dozens, and dozens of campervans, allowed, and not allowed, can I have a campervan allergy, need to check out, with doctor, long beach, dog walkers, soon nobody, short today, lots of time, for break, for thinking, sunbed war, in Greece, why not come here?, nobody, to war with, Carnoustie, round the corner.
Monday 21 August, Day 47: Carnoustie to Newport on Tay, 34443 steps
Over golf links, over 6km, past women’s golf course, shooting again, red flag again, brambles, everywhere, yum, fire in Tenerife, fire in Canada, Munich also too hot, nice breeze here, drizzle, anorak, on/off, café in Monifieth, wished it was Austria, not the walk, but the cafes, good cycle path, not like Aberdeenshire, Broughty Ferry, icecream, past harbour, wind turbine parts, over bridge, over 2km!, Newport, tres chique, Judith, good chat, Spätzle.
Tuesday 22 August, Day 48: Newport on Tay, few steps
Rest Day, not much rest, chat to Judith, many plans, many ideas, off to Forgan Arts, pretty house, good setting, good money, nice Jennifer, the plans, the Creative Scotland, the confusion, lasagna, 16 Principles, transformational fieldwork, it works, Ukrainian potatoes, school stories, from Phil, the view, like Riviera, an ambulance, in distance, pack rucksack, write card.
Wednesday 23 August, Day 49: Newport on Tay – St Andrews, 42620 steps
Early rise, group today, 10 of us long day ahead, Tayport, carpark, hello, hello, photo, off, heron, rural arts chat, rural transport chat, woods, like a motorway, need to get back, to sea, trick, perfect, woods, many flowers, Bethlehem cross, Leukars church, last Norman, airfield, just massive, lots of signs, no entry ones, long road, beer, pizza, shower, bed.
Thursday 24 August, Day 50, St Andrews to Anstruther, 43777 steps
Wow breakfast, in MacIntosh Hall, but sharing rooms, bit outdated?, glorious day, glorious University, Anthropology Dept, erlaucht!, Looking back, like Riviera, whatsapp Elisabetta, phd-d here, up down, up down, big rocks, all red, golf course, to the horizons, view back, to Arbroath, Carnoustie…, turn round, at Fife Ness, Isle of May, East Lothian, sandy beach, tempting, but no, 30k today, Crail, cute, push on, Anstruther, fish and chips, beer, B+B not in A., wrongly booked, shit, taxi, all good.
Friday 25th August 2023, Day 51, Anstruther to Methil, 36951 steps
Michael!, heart bump, cappuccino, postcard, off, Pittenweem, art festival, never been, all cute, long beach, tourists, all over, farmshop, best shop, since Portobello, Rich, Fife Access officer, looks after path, safety first, lots of stakeholders, butterfly man, butterflies first, not path, tourists in summer, rest other times, long beach, long walk, hot today, M tells about job, carvan city, Alan Faulds, sculptour, oak, colourful and cynical, over the Leven, round roundabout, through council estate, flat, postcard, washing machine, insta, cooking, wine, knackered.
Saturday 26 August 2023, Day 52, Methil to Kirkcaldy, 20045 steps
Vetriano land, born here, hired flat a museum, to him, first kiss, powerplant, Rachel comes, with the baby twins, shorter day, council houses, run-down, why, like this, pink benches, see Portobello, text you, coast, at last, castles, caves, up and down, café, Greek quiche, no Greek taste, hot, schwitz, Rubiales’ World Cup kiss, seal colony, heron, up above, TRUMP WON, the shore, all family good, bus back to Methil, Andrea arrives.
