Day 49 Carnoustie to Arbroath

My pack has felt very heavy today. I have just discovered the reason, I bought a big lump of Dundee cake when we were in Dundee and only ate a small proportion of it. I had better get stuck in to lighten the load.

We realised today that we are not that far from Aberdeen. Our faded forms have nearly made it.
Our weather forecast told us that by setting out a bit later than usual we would get good weather all day. With this in mind we set out at 10:15 from Carnoustie. I am sure that golfers and residents love Carnoustie.
Our weather forecast was more or less right but the less bit hit us as we left Carnoustie. A sudden sharp shower fell from the heavens and we quickly put on our rainproof coats and kilts. A bloke in a white van shouted “Hey, where’d ye get yer watterproof kilt? I’ve gotta have one.” I gave him the sad news that it was unique and he reckoned that Janet could sell them in thousands to Scottish walkers.

The short sharp shower was soon over and we could take off our waterproof coats and, now sought-after, kilts. We enjoyed a lovely sunny day from then on.

I believe that the people of East Haven must all be particularly nice. East Haven is between Carnoustie and Arbroath on the coastal path. The first evidence of their niceness was of an assortment of jugs of soft drinks and an honesty box. But, the best thing of all was yet to make itself known.

The car park at East Haven has a gentlemen’s public convenience. Those of you of the masculine pursuasion will know that these important buildings are not usually places of beauty or fragrance. The exception to this rule is the gents’ in East Haven car park. I don’t make a habit of taking photos in men’s loos for all sorts of reasons but I made an exception today. On the walls were paintings produced by local artists. On the wash stand were flowers. The entrance hall had a book in which visitors could inscribe their comments about the lavatory. How nice it was to enter a place with such a welcoming atmosphere.

The final proof that East Haven is a nice place was the sight of some Fordson Tractors. I think that I could live happily here.

Today’s stroll has been a coastal stroll with views of the sea and sand. People we have met have told us that the midges are bad in the west at the moment so our decision to go east seems to have been a good one. I think that it will also give us more pleasure in the long run as we drive up the east every year and so will be able to relive the stroll each time we come.

The coastal path even provided us with a bench. We threw off our heavy encumbrances and relaxed after our exertions. We may have eaten something but I don’t remember.

There, glistening in the sun, Arbroath.

We expected to have difficulties today as the map did not show a full path along the coast. We may have had to walk along the shoreline which would have been difficult as small, but deepish, rivulets flowed down to the sea. None of this actually occurred. The stroll was gentle, sunny and altogether delightful. Tomorrow things might be different. A cyclist stopped for a chat and told us that the first bit of our planned route would be OK and, indeed, very nice but he didn’t think that the last bit would be so easy. Tomorrow will come and then we’ll know.