Dundee - Kingdom of Fife

Cycling southward on the North Sea Cycle Route I found it confussing how to arrive at Tay Road Bridge in Dundee. Cause cyclists are asked to follow a wild course leading them back and forward through and aroundbound bigcity traffic. Finally 1 gets simply lost in a huge number of bridges over the head and a puzzling number of crisscrossing streets and and shining traffic lights right in front of the nose.

It may not be shown on the map, but: There is a park located on the banks of the river, thats obiverously the place where NSCR traffic planners want to guide you to. What you can expect, when you are through the labyrinth: Right at the foot of the bridge an elevator will lift your cycle and yourself up onto the rivercrossway.

Cycleway and footpath is inbetween the motorways. Finally upstairs it is a pretty long way to cross the river. To give you an idea, please find pic on top of this text.

Pic shows Tay Bridge, build for trains, famous for being destroyd by three witches several centuries ago. Tay Road Bridge is two kilometers or so upstream and looks more stable, I tend to say.

Uh, may be I should add: Picture is taken in Kingdom of Fife. So tennis court is located on the southside of the river. Dear readers are looking north, name of the city its Dundeee, of course. Further north u see Sidlaws Hills.

Kinross' Nasty Monsters

Kinross is located north of Edinburgh, the North Sea Cycle Route is passing through the town. Kinross is historical place because of it's castle, Mary Stuart was imprisoned there. And town is well known in German literatur because of it's Salvation Inn. A strange but famous prussion author - named Theodore Fontane - stayed there, while he had had visited Kinross a 150 years ago or so.

Between castle and Inn you might find Kinross' monsters, protecting water of the well.

Hoy - Orkney Mainland

Hoy island is not part of the North Sea Cycle Route. But if you are visiting Orkney islands or stay in Stromness you might consider it as a interesting site to visit. For example for birdwatching or checking the seals.

There is a place at Moaness on Hoy island, where the ship travel to Stromness. Stromness is the harbor, located at the southwest coast of Orkney Mainland.

Hoy's northern shipstop is not too easy to find. I asked the only two locals I met in Hoy, sadly enough they could not remember the spot where to embark the ship. Hm, and today - a year has passed - I can not remember how I found it in the end.

But finally I reached a small house and an outdated pier. Ship shown on the pic picks up three birdwatchers and me to tansport us back to Mainland. As I remember it as challenging to find pier in Moaness, I have no idea where to search for this ship in Stormness harbor.

Orkney Mainland - Hoy

The old man of Houton is watching the ferry being loaded and prepared to leave terminal for Hoy.

Hoy?

Hoy is the second biggest island of Orkney. Literally two big mountains south of Mainland in the sea. There are two shipping routes connecting Hoy to the Orkney Mainland. This pic shows carferry @ Houton. Ferry travel to southhalf of the island - a place called Lyness.

It is a 2 hours cycling to drive the distance Kirkwall to Houton. I find it a perfect tour to start after breakfast in Kirkwall, cycle to Houton change over to Lyness, paddlebike to Moaness, cross Scapa Flow again to Stromness, passing the stones of Brodgar etc. and be back in Kirkwell for a biiiiig dinner.