Virtual Walk: Scotland

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 27th March 2021:  41.67km walked today taking the total to 8296.02/8868km. 8% of 71 entries submitting 520.91km. From Carnoustie we walk through Monifieth and Broughty Ferry, then explore Dundee and its huge industrial and cultural past, before crossing the Tay Bridge into Fife to walk the Fife Coastal Path to Leuchars Station.   Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews As we leave Carnoustie behind, we pass Buddon Ness, a headland which sits on the extremity of Barry Links at the mouth of the Tay Estuary. Barry Sands runs around the shore of Buddon Ness and, while the area is a National Scenic Area, most of the land belongs to the Ministry of Defence today; Barry Buddon Training Camp. The Barry Buddon Shooting Centre, located within the training camp, was used in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Shooting events. There are no lookouts these days due to budget cuts, so we don’t venture down the lanes to see the 2 lighthouses at the estuary head; the...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 26th March 2021:  65.24km walked today taking the total to 8254.35/8868km. 11% of 76 entries submitting 593.08km. We are now heading into Scotland’s denser areas of history, industry and population so we’ll reduce the % where necessary so you have a more enjoyable experience and don’t get overloaded with text daily! Today, we wind our way south along the east coast, through Brechin, Montrose, Arbroath and Carnoustie en route to Dundee. Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews As we walk into Brechin we pass the Mechanics Institute founded in 1838, designed by John Henderson, the son of a Brechin Castle gardener, before we head down Church Street and then Church Lane to reach Brechin Cathedral. Christianity is thought to have arrived in Brechin with St Dubhoc sometime around 600 AD. By the late 800s a religious order, known as the Culdees, had set up a monastery here before being replaced by the cathedral built close by. Brechin Cathedral is part of the Church ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 25th March 2021:  102.58km walked today taking the total to 8189.11/8868km. 20% of 70 entries submitting 512.89km. Today our walk takes us past the 8000km mark. We visit Blairgowrie, Alyth and Kirriemuir as well as Glamis Castle, Forfar and the standing stones at Aberlemno. Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews We soon reach the A93 which we follow south passing Dalrulzion Forest where there are the remains of double-walled Iron Age houses. This form of Iron Age house building style is called a Dalrulzion hut because there were so many examples of this ancient building found within this forest. After another 7 kilometres, we reach the Bridge of Cally. This is a small village which sits at the junction of 3 glens: Glenshee, Strathardle and Glenericht. It is built around the bridge over the River Ardle before it joins the Black Water to form the River Ericht. After crossing the bridge, we pass the Bridge of Cally Hotel which was originally a temperance establ...

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021 24th March 2021:  108.60km walked today taking the total to 8086.53/8868km. 17% of 86 entries submitting 638.84km. Today we wander the Balmoral Estate then head south through Glen Muick, which includes Lochnagar on the White Mounth Plateau, before we return north to visit Braemar. Then we head south again along the Old Military Road and the Cateran Trail. Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews We approach the magnificent Balmoral Castle, once through the ticket office, which is really a grand country house and not a castle. It was designed by Aberdonian architect, William Smith, in Scottish baronial style, constructed of local granite and completed in 1856. It sits in a working estate of 50,000 acres of varying landscape; from river valley to mountain peaks (there are 7 Munros on the estate) featuri...