Rained quite hard overnight,soup a little later than normal to allow the tent to dry as m
uch as 
possible before packing it away. Last night someone was snoring really loudly - and there were no tents particularly close, so it must have been horrendous in whoever's tent it actually came from. To try and avoid the long slog back up to the main road we thought we'd have a go at the alternative 'off-road route that stayed down more or less at sea level, but had to admit defeat when we saw how muddy the track was - there was no way our bikes would have managed to stay upright on it. So backtracked a little way and made the required effort to go up the hill at the next village south of Inverbervie, called Gourdon - a real steep and long brew that I had to admit defeat on and push the bike up. Lots of up and down once again following the Route 1 signs - both getting very tired legs from all this hill work, and Roger becoming a little black thunder cloud once again by the top of each climb.... Spent a while working out how to get onto a track that took you over a small viaduct over the river just before you get to Montrose, as the guide map said that it should have been finished in 2001 and would be a traffic free route into the town - so cycled over the viaduct but then came to an abrupt stop the other side - track didn't go any further so had to man-handle the two bikes down some steep steps back to the road.
uch as possible before packing it away. Last night someone was snoring really loudly - and there were no tents particularly close, so it must have been horrendous in whoever's tent it actually came from. To try and avoid the long slog back up to the main road we thought we'd have a go at the alternative 'off-road route that stayed down more or less at sea level, but had to admit defeat when we saw how muddy the track was - there was no way our bikes would have managed to stay upright on it. So backtracked a little way and made the required effort to go up the hill at the next village south of Inverbervie, called Gourdon - a real steep and long brew that I had to admit defeat on and push the bike up. Lots of up and down once again following the Route 1 signs - both getting very tired legs from all this hill work, and Roger becoming a little black thunder cloud once again by the top of each climb.... Spent a while working out how to get onto a track that took you over a small viaduct over the river just before you get to Montrose, as the guide map said that it should have been finished in 2001 and would be a traffic free route into the town - so cycled over the viaduct but then came to an abrupt stop the other side - track didn't go any further so had to man-handle the two bikes down some steep steps back to the road.Weather very dull and overcast all morning and quite cool when we stopped at a bench next to the bridge over the Montrose Basin - a statue there of Banse (1937 - 1944) a Norwegian St Bernard Dog (name= teddy bear in Norwegian). The dog belonged to a Norwegian Navy captain who went to sea with his master on the minesweeper Throdd, which was stationed at Montrose and Dundee. He went everywhere with his master, wearing a personalised steel helmet when seeing active service. He would stop fights between men by intervening and putting a paw on a shoulder, would catch the bus around town, he was presented with his own bus pass by the ships crew who paid for it, and the buses would stop for him if he was seen around town. He'd always go and sit on the top deck. He seemed to know when it was time for the seamen to report back on duty and would go round the pubs and nag them to come back to the ship! There is a walk you can do following in his footsteps!!! He would stay on duty throughout all the war time activity. He also saved a couple of sailors from drowning, and was awarded a PDSA Gold Medal (an animal's George Cross for bravery) posthumously for his work in WW2 - the only animal so rewarded.
By the time we had made out very weary way to Arbroath, the sun was out and felt quite warm for a short period. Roger was keen to find a small motorised carriage/bus that he remembered from his childhood days at Morcambe - he'd looked it up on the internet and found that they were now up in Arbroath. Found the miniature railway associated with the owner, but closed with a sign saying 'Closed (for the meantime)' - very informative. I was prepared for Arbroath to be quite a seedy place, but looked fine in the sun with plenty of families enjoying the simple pleasures that you find at seaside resorts. Thought bout staying here at the campsite and exploring the port and seashore more but unfortunately they didn't take tents.... becoming a common theme on this trip. Followed a newly built dedicated cycle-way by the side of the busy A92 dual carriage-way heading south - a pleasant enough way to make our way gradually up the next hill in the weak sunshine. At the top of the hill turned off following the cycle route and lovely ride down into Carnoustie, looking quite prosperous in the evening sun. Very impressed with the camp site - one of the very best so far- the shower was wonderful and I didn't want to get out of it. Sat in the laundry room typing this up and charging all the electrical stuff up.
Our earlobes are looking the worse for wear- Roger's are worse than mine - a bit like a mangy tomcats ragged ears that's had a few too many fights in its time. The weather - cold,frost, hail,wind, sun etc have left their mark. I wouldn't be too surprised if we didn't get a touch of frost nip on the edges of our ears as well - scabs, sores and very itchy - and very mangy looking.....
Looking at a sign here at the campsite I see that Dundee (we'll be passing through there tomorrow) is famous for the 3 J's - jam, jute and journalism. This compares with Wigan, which as anyone who has visited the now closed down 'The Way We Were' exhibition at Wigan Pier and sat in the schoolroom fora lesson, which was built off the back of the 3C's - coal, cotton and canals. I'm also looking forward to cycling along the front at Broughty Ferry, just before we get to Dundee, where it was once the richest square mile in Europe as it was the home of the jute barons. It has also been known as the Brighton of Scotland.
Thanks for the various emails I've had and the comments made on the blog - really enjoy receiving them so keep them coming.
Time to boil the water for the hottie and snuggle into my sleepingbag to read my book.
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