Saturday, 19 September 2015

Coastwalk

Carnoustie → Arbroath

pab-arbroath.jpg Distance: 6.92 miles
Ascent: 35 metres
Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes

An Angus Prelude
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em-east-haven.jpgWe hadn't expected to walk today. Our coastal adventure has got to the point that it takes an entire day to travel from home to the starting point for the next leg. But getting half of the driving out of the way last night and an early start this morning after a restful night at a superb B&B delivered us to the Angus coast by lunchtime.

arbroath-harbour.jpgAs names, Carnoustie and Arbroath are associated indelibly with golf and fish respectively. But walking north from Carnoustie railway station there's scant evidence of any impact brought by wealthy golfers strutting round the links to the south. Similarly while Arbroath's "smokies" do indeed exist, they don't seem representative of the town; fishmongers almost seemed embarrassed to present them. Perhaps like Burgh Island the idea of the smokie is more appealing than the fact.

Beyond the trappings of tourism, both towns seemed gritty and hardworking. Small blocks of flats dotted the fringes.

east-haven-snacks.jpgAbout a third of the way between the towns lies a village with an altogether different character. As we approached East Haven we came across a carefully tended help-yourself refreshments table collecting for a children's meals charity. Down on the beach was an even more surprising sign of a proud community: in the public convenience on the beach a vase of fresh flowers stood on a table beside the sink, and original works of art were hung on the walls outside the cubicles. The contrast between the utilitarian function of the building and the beauty of its presentation couldn't have been more striking.

Notes for future walkers:

  • There's a well-signposted cycle path all the way from Carnoustie to Arbroath. Between Carnoustie and East Haven it's alongside the road inland of the railway. At East Haven it runs across the dunes on the estuary side of the line.
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