Day 9 Good Friday 18 April

 Off to Aberdeen today. Drove down to Leigh first to look at harbour in Edinburgh and Firth of Forth. Then across the Forth Bridge following the Fife Coastal Route. 

This was at harbour and remembered reading about them being here as the new port down Geelong way wasn’t ready! Little touch of home! Took Mum and Dad over to Tassie on the Princess back in 2003!

Forth Bridge

First stop was at Aberdour - the home of the most powerful man in Scotland. - not sure who that was but it may be William Douglas, the 8th Earl of Morton.

Aberdour Castle

Then onto Silver Sands at Aberdour, it’s apparently one of the finest in Scotland and overlooks the Firth of Forth towards Edinburgh?

From here onto Burnt Island (not an island at all!) 

Went for walk around headland, not sure what this is but looks old!

View of Burnt Island from headland

Walk to headland

Another view of town from headland

On to Kirkcaldy. Their waterfront was closed off and they have a fair that goes along the whole road! Obviously is open later in afternoon as we were there in morning and nothing open but looked like a lot of fun!

Some of the rides

My level of Ferris wheel - no higher!

It just went on forever! We didn’t even walk down the whole road!

Onto to Anstruther for fish and chips at the world famous Fish Bar! 🥴 crumbed haddock and chips - quite yummy! Apparently Camilla popped in here for some legendary fish and chips!

They get their fish fresh from the trawlers each day!

Quite an unassuming little shop!

Drove through St Andrew’s, home of the famous golf course. We think we saw it but this whole coastline is full of golf courses! St Andrew’s was a really pretty town but very busy!

This was on side of road but had no idea what it was!

Then on to Arbroath Abbey where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed. It is the most eloquent statement of a nations right to freedom produced anywhere in medieval Europe. Developed in 1320 and associated with Robert the Bruce! The Abbey must have been magnificent in its day because it is pretty impressive now!

View of the Abbey ruins

On to Dundee and Dunnottar Catle, just south of Stonehaven. This was truly magnificent! The castle  was the home of the Earls of Marischal, once one of the most powerful families in the land. William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and the future King Charles 11 all graced the castle with their presence. It was here that a small garrison held out against the might of Oliver Cromwell’s army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels! 

Sheep grazing in fields

View of castle on left

The bakery in the castle, allegedly haunted!

Castle 

Explanation about haunting

Chapel at Castle

Walk up to castle

Ruins of castle

Brewery in castle

Panoramic of castle

More castle views

Castle behind us!

Cistern at castle

View of castle

After long day of driving, left Edinburgh at 730am and arrived in Aberdeen at 530pm, ready for a nice glass of red and a rest in front of telly!