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Wednesday, 13 June 2007

Dundee's Unicorn


Scotland has a high population of fairies, ghosts, witches, unicorns, vampires, pale white women (walking through walls), dragons or even monster. Be aware, that every now and than one of those persons may cross your way. For example this unicorn, to be found in Dundee harbor. Located only two minutes west from North Sea Cycle Route.

Time Schedule for UK

Here is my schedule for the northbound route.
Finishing line is at Stonecircle of Brodgar, shown on the pic.

Day #1 Hull-Whitby
Day #2 Whitby - Robin Hood Bay - Whitby
Day #3 Whitby - Newcastle
Day #4, 5, 6 Newcastle- Edinburgh
Day # 7 Edinburgh - Kingdom of Fife - Perth
D4y # 8,9 Perth - Aberdeenshire
Day # 10 Aberdeen, Aberdeen - Kirkwall
Day # 11 - 15 Kirkwall and Orkney
Day # 16 Scrabster
Day # 17 Scrabster - Bergen

Cycling southbound from Bergen on.

Rotterdam vs. Hull

Started day in a splendid mood. Finished my planning and booked ferry to Norway and passage to Hull. I bought a bed in a 4 bed cabin to Norway. And same for Rotterdam - Hull plus dinner and breakfast.
Checked on Google Maps Rotterdam harbor: To reach the ship on bike looks like a major challenge. Ferry terminal seems to be placed in between a huge number of oil tanks, sixway motorways, cranes, trains, bridges, tunnel and lorry lanes. P&O Lady old me on the telephone check in is located 40 kilometer west of Rotterdam - or 80 kilometer south of Amsterdam, right in the Center of Europoort. To go there I will have to cross river Rhine.
Hehe: I have stolen a satellite photo from Google, to give you an idea, what is expecting me in Rotterdam harbor. Ship is north of green arrow.
Luckily Hull harbor does not look confussing at all. I will arrive on Sunday and cycle north for a huge fish&chips dinner in Whitby.
Crossing Northsea on Rotterdam-Hull passage is not a regular North Sea Cycle Route fullfillment. Correct Ferry is the Hoek van Holland-Harwich line.

Tuesday, 12 June 2007

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.