Day 52 Inverbervie to Stonehaven

Weather forecast for today, heavy, slow moving, showers. Bang on met office, a triumph.

Due to accommodation stuff we needed to catch a bus to Inverbervie this morning. We intend to walk every step/mile so have to return each day to the spot where we finished the day before in order to achieve this lofty aim. We waited at a bus stop but our X7 Coastrider bus driver waved his hands in a strange manner as he passed by. He didn’t stop his bus because our chosen bus stop was a place for other, less important, buses so we had to walk to a more important bus stop and wait for another.If our bus had not been so self important we would not have met an interesting chap who happened to be waiting for his bus too.

Arriving in Inverbervie we headed straight to a tea shop for cake. By this time we were a little off schedule

Having eaten our cake we left the baker as the skies opened. Secure in our waterproof clothing we set off anyway.
Our first encounter was with a scantily dressed maiden posing provocatively in a small enclosure.

Closer inspection of a plaque solved the mystery.

The map showed us a nice way out of Inverbervie via an old road and bridge. We followed the road, crossed the lovely bridge and stopped. The old road was a road no more. We climbed a long staircase to the new road and carried on. Rain still bucketing down I managed to get a photo of this silly old bridge.

By sheer good fortune the busy road on which we had to walk had recently been resurfaced. This meant that instead of driving at the speed of sound drivers were keen to protect their vehicles from stone damage. I would say that 30mph was the maximum speed we had to endure.

The day has been the wettest yet. The showers have been very heavy with little respite. My trusty waterproof jacket let in the rain and our kilts flapped about our knees. From time to time the skies cleared but we knew that all around were the blackest of clouds ready to pounce once more.

With wet everything we detoured into Catterline. On the map we could see a beer mug in Catterline. The beer mug signalled the Creel Inn. The Creel Inn was open. The Creel Inn sold Cullen skink. I have eaten this dish three days on the trot. I could eat it again tomorrow.

Our ways have been, for the most part, on minor roads. The going has been easy with open views when the clouds opened up.

The last mile or so challenged our resolve. We could see a green lane into Stonehaven and decided to go for it as the alternative was the A92. The green lane looked as though it was blocked with gorse but there was a sign inviting cyclists and pedestrians to follow a beautifully surfaced path at the side of the A92. This seemed like a good alternative so we took it. After xome 100 yds the path stopped and the sign said “Cyclists rejoin A92” “What about pedestrians?” We said, plaintively, as by now the heaviest rainstorm I have ever been privileged to stand out in was bouncing off our clothing.

Luckily for us we found another green lane, very wet underfoot but going in the right direction. It was just as well that we were well laced into our boots though or I believe that we would have floated out of them.

We had hoped to visit Dunottar Castle today but decided that we were too wet to enjoy it. That was a pleasure we had to leave for another time, unlike the pleasure of sitting at each end of the bath washing our feet in order to be able to eat in a public place without offending other diners.

Having dried our shoes with a hairdryer we are looking forward to tomorrow’s stroll into Aberdeen. Aberdeen, I can hardly believe it.