Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Coastwalk

Inverbervie → Muchalls

a92.jpg Distance: 17.93 miles
Ascent: 451 metres
Duration: 5 hours 37 minutes

Births
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The research we did before heading out this week always suggested that today would be tedious. It certainly was. We should have been celebrating our most northerly coast walk so far, but instead found ourselves trudging mile upon mile of road, ranging from quiet back streets to a busy dual carriageway.

wire-boat.jpgSo let's instead consider some local births.

The street signs welcoming you to Inverbervie declare it to be the birthplace of Hercules Linton, the designer of the Cutty Sark. Beside the Bervie Chipper a replica of the ship's figurehead regards the A92 with suspicion.

stonehaven.jpgNot to be beaten, Stonehaven's signs lay claim to the birth of R.W. Thomson, "inventor of the pneumatic tyre". I think the town council would rather that contribution to modern life be remembered more than the one declared on a banner hanging from the side of one of the town's chippies, for it was the Carron Fish Bar that's said to have originated the Deep Fried Mars Bar.

dunnotar-castle.jpg(If you're ever in the area, don't miss Stonehaven. It's the nearest town to where we're staying this week and we've come to really appreciate its large market square full of independent shops and cafés. The Tolbooth Museum — where the staff urged us to come and live north of the border — is also worth a visit, as is Dunnotar Castle. And of course at Hogmanay there's the fireballs.)

To the north of Stonehaven is Cowie. This village seems to be mainly caravans, but it was here ten years ago that a fossil of the world's oldest living creature was found. At 428 million years I don't much fancy putting the candles on this millipede's cake!

Notes for future walkers:

  • We didn't even try to find a coast path out of Inverbervie but instead followed the A92 north, leaving it at NO 838 742 where we began to follow Sustrans route 1 through NO 854 751, NO 857 763, NO 856 772, NO 860 782, NO 865 786 and NO 868 785 to NO 871 799 where the cycle path heads inland to cross the A92. At this point we stayed on the unclassified road through NO 876 805 and rejoined the A92 from NO 873 810 to the next unclassified road at NO 874 834.
  • From the car park (NO 875 837) for Dunnotar Castle an excellent path leads back to the coast and then north to the outskirts of Stonehaven.
  • From behind the Tolbooth Museum in Stonehaven harbour a good board walk then promenade runs along the back of the beach as far as Cowie.
  • At Cowie we picked up a clifftop path to the abandoned chapel at the southern end of the golf course (NO 884 873).
  • From the golf club access road (NO 883 873) we stayed on the road to join the A90 at 889 885)
  • There is a pavement alongside the A90 but it doesn't make for pleasant walking.
  • overgrown-path.jpg
  • We left the A90 at NO 897 913 (signposted Mill of Muchalls) but don't advise this; after walking in a loop around Doonie Point we eventually found the path north from Easter of Muchalls but it was incredibly overgrown. Better to stay on the A90 to Walker Drive (NO 899 919).
Posted by pab at 19:19 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!