What a difference a day makes! Woken just after 7 by the sunshine streaming through the curtains I’d left open last night, it looked liked the weather gods were on my side today! I knew it was going to be a short day on the bike, only around the 40 mile mark and I’d pushed onto Dundee yesterday in order for me to have the morning “off” and I’d get the miles done in the afternoon. With the bike packed in the room again and the consumption of a hearty breakfast, I was out into the sunshine and climbing away from the Tay just before 9am.
I was heading for a place the 10 year old me would have been beside himself with excitement to visit. Rewinding back to 1981-2 and the tangerine side of Dundee (United) were pulling up trees in the Scottish premiership and in Europe. Jim McLean’s team featuring players like Paul Sturrock, Morris Malpas, Davy Dodds and Hamish McAlpine, absolutely captivated me and they became my second team. Somehow in a pre internet age, my mam got hold of a replica kit for my birthday and I wore it all the time. I even had it pinned to the wall some 9 years later when I went to Uni! Despite being to Dundee a few times I’d never been up to the ground, so climbing the (Big!!!) hill up to where both stadiums were (they are the closest league grounds in the UK) I was presented with the stand named after Big Jim and after a bit of ferreting about found the statue of the great man. With the club shop over the road and open, it would have been rude not to have gone in…☺️ I was soooo close to buying a shirt, but at £65, made do with a fridge magnet instead! Just had time to take a scoot round the other ground (boooo!) and notice how down at heel Dens Park seemed to Tannadice, and it was back down the hill to the Tay in time for the other thing I wanted to see open…
The last time I’d been to Dundee for work in 2017, the V&A Scotland was nearing completion, but still covered in scaffolding and shuttering. It opened fully in 2018 and this was the first time seeing it in the flesh. In the sunlight, with the Tay shimmering next to it, concrete had never looked so beautiful! Finding somewhere to park the bike I had a small panic as I’d thought I’d lost the keys for the bike lock. Emptying the entire frame bag, I found them right at the bottom where they had fallen out…
Walking through the middle of the building (modelled on a Japanese Toril Gate as I’d later find out) it was in through the entrance and with it just gone 10, promised myself I’d have to leave at 1 so I had 3 hours…☺️ I just about kept to it! Highlights include the story of the design, planning and build of the museum, some stuff from the Falkland Palace I was at yesterday, and in a call back to the John Muir Way I did this time last year, some pottery from the Prestongrange kilns that made up some of the Heritage site I visited.
Just before 1, I was back at the bike, pleased to see it was still there and divesting myself of layers, struck out for Arbroath 20 miles away where I was looking forward to maybe scoping out some famous Arbroath smokies for a late lunch. Missing the turn off for the bike path I ended up on the A92 but was blocked getting back on the cycleway by being on the wrong side of the tracks (not for the first time!) of the mainline. However I was feeing really strong a banging along at 20mph so just carried on until I got to Broughty Ferry and could get across the railway. Where I had to turn back on myself and realised I hadn’t tuned into Tadej Pogacar overnight, but there was, in fact, a howling tailwind…🤣
Once over the disappointment, this was seriously good news! Only 30 miles left, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the route to Arbroath was completely segregated from cars AND a fierce tailwind, I don’t know what I’d done to deserve this but you need to take advantage when it’s on offer! And the route was a belter! Following the Firth of Tay right round the headland the only blight on the landscape were the constant links golf courses, the biggest even I’ve heard of, at Carnoustie. Stopping at the co-op to fill my bottles (I’d forgotten this morning in all the excitement!) and shedding my long sleeved top I was bear kneed and bare elbowed being blown into Arbroath just an hour and a half after leaving Dundee…
I was a bit worried that I might not find anywhere open to get some smokies, but just as I was giving up hope, The Old Brewhouse hoved into view with outside seating sheltered from the wind and still doing lunch and had smokies on the menu! I mean could the day get any better?! I’ll not lie, they weren’t cheap, but they were magnificent! I obviously also had to find Arbroath FC whose ground is the closest to the sea in the UK and get a photo…
Checking the Garmin, I only had 15 miles left and a couple of smallish climbs, the wind had moved a bit but was still more tailwind than crosswind but as I’d cooled down a bit, it was time to cover the elbows up and head inland to Montrose. The gentle climb up from the coast got the heart rate above 140 for the first time today and it was lovely rolling quiet roads for the next 10 miles or so. Seeing the sign for the beach at Lunan, it was too much of a temptation and leaving the route, it was up the very steep wooden walkway to the top of the dunes at Lunan beach. It was lovely and deserted! Very much like a smaller Bamburgh, it was too steep and sandy to get the bike down to the beach, so I left it where I could see it, and off with the shoes and socks and a walk along the sand. Lovely!
It was only 3.30 so I had a quick sit down and got my phone out to see how Andrea (work Andrea, not wife Andrea!) was dealing with all the mess I’d left her with this week with the next Community Shop opening in Swarcliffe on Friday. As usual she’d sorted all of the stuff that I’d been messing about for ages with within a day, and everything was under control until I get back on Wednesday and ruin it all! I might have also had 10 minutes snooze in the sun…
Just 6 miles to go and the 300 ft climb up from Luan meant that it was just gentle downhill into Montrose. I have previous here. Montrose was the scene of one of my first store developments as the newly promoted and clueless Estates Manager of The Original Factory Shop, Montrose was one of the first tranche of Woolworth stores we were offered when they went bust in 2008. I remember going up with contractors, doing the deal with the landlord, then returning when I’d found out, after the deal was done, that the place was riddled with Asbestos and I had no way of delivering to the store on a 17.5 tonne lorry so doubling the transport costs to one of the furthest away stores…😬 I mean I can laugh now…
Apart from the abject feelings of helplessness and the fact I was completely winging it (not much has changed over the years!) my other memory was of how grand Montrose must have been back in its heyday, as I crossed the River Esk into the town, the public spaces here are really stand out and some of the municipal building, outstanding. Obviously the high street has suffered like every other high street in the country (TOFS being one of the more upmarket establishments…😁) and I had a good ride around, photo in front of Montrose FC natch, before heading to the very cheap George Hotel just before 5.
Obviously the cheapest hotel of the tour would not let me take the bike up to the room, so after locking it up in the “function” room, I struggled with all the bags over threadbare carpets to my room complete with 70’s avacado bathroom suite (apart from the toilet seat and bath panel which had been replaced and were white…) sloping floor, I can get my foot under one side of the door, and a mattress 1/2 inch thick. It is clean though! A quick shower and I thought I’d make the most of the evening sunshine and had a lovely walk around the town and to the beach to work up an appetite.
I could only find a couple of restaurants open however and the best looked like the Bangladeshi one in the high street. Given I’d only done 45 miles all day I was conscious that I couldn’t go mad with the calaries so just a chicken Tikka Kalia, some pilau rice and a naan should do the job… OMFG! When it came out it looked like a banquets for 4! I hate leaving food on a plate and I tried my level best to finish it off but I was defeated!
As I waddled back to the hotel, it’s been a pretty special day! I have a tingle on my face from the sun, did a bit of cycling, did a bit of nerding, saw some football grounds, and enjoyed the sunshine and the tailwind. This is all going far too well. Will it last until I get to Aberdeen tomorrow? Probably not, but you’ll have to check in to find out…
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