Day 2 Portlethen to Macduff

Leaving Portlethen we head generally north/north-west.  So much for the theory you cycle north so the prevailing wind behind you – we cycled into the teeth of a headwind for much of today’s 66miles.  Still, when it did drop, it rained, so we didn’t complain too much.  A good day for hanging out your washing.

The route from Portlethen to Aberdeen is lined with housebuilding on a grand scale.  I picked up from Michael some 70k houses are planned: Aberdeen feels bigger than its current 250k population.  We skirted around the fish markets to get to Fittie ( Footdee ) a 19C planned township which has adapted organically and survived amongst a tide of oil industry developments.  Fascinating (watch the recent BBC2 Streets programme) juxtusposition of old and new: be interesting to see what the current gentrification does to its long term idiosyncracy.

For some 25miles after Dyce we were on the bed of the Formantine and Buchan railway, a reminder that railways are not flat: if you look at the profile from 19mls onwards you’ll get an idea.  Good to be off road though it is slower on the rough surfaces.  Not too many places along route – where did the trains top up with water?

Most of the land is arable: very few hedges, and very few settlements.  A bit of the agrarian revolution in reverse, compounded by the legacy of the clearances.  I paused near Maud to look carefully: Michael tells me our forebears were land peasants around here. They must have shared the same vast  botanical knowledge which I struggle with!  And then to Macduff, nestled on the coast line.  Mac meand “son of”.  I wonder if “up the duff” originates from around here?

Our route  deviated a lot from NCN 1 – both to stay on the railway and there was no lodges available in Turiff where we had planned originally.  A shorter day tomorrow then!

 

Neatly cut

Just like LA

Holiday shutter

Upward extension

Supersized detergent buy

Telegraph out of fashion too

Pipelines have to be stored somewher

I was here first

Scrubbed up in whites

They view from across the Dee

New look out

Macduff nestling nicely