Angus Run

Summer is well and truly over…in Scotland anyway. We are very much in "the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" as John Keats put it. But I'll bet he never rode a motorcycle at 70mph along the motorway in a downpour (as I did today) so what does he know? As ever, it was changeable, and did not stop me enjoying a trip to Angus today.  

First stop was Arbroath. This is a monument to the Declaration of Arbroath where Scotland proclaimed its independence.

Arbroath harbour

 

This is an interesting building. It's a signal tower built to communicate with the Bell Rock Lighthouse 12 miles offshore. I say "communicate" but given it dates from 1812 communication was limited to raising a ball on the roof. This meant "is everything ok?" and if the lighthouse did the same they meant "yes".

Arbroath Abbey - I'm sure there's a way in somehow.

An autumn scene - harvesting straw

This village has a very un-Scottish sounding name - Friochheim. Well it's half Scots, fraoch is Gaelic for heather and heim is German for home. Named by Flemish weavers who came here to work in the flax industry. It's pronounced "Free-come" (I understand)

Where Charlie gets his guns

The entrance to Guthrie Castle, but it isn't quite what is seems. This is a railway bridge disguised as a gated entrance.

River Ericht in Blairgowrie

An impressively overgrown farm building

Kinkell Bridge

I didn't come home empty handed. The town of Forfar means only one thing to me - the Forfar bridie. A bridie being a meat pastry like a Cornish pastie. These are sold in every bakery in Scotland but these bridies looked something special so bought a couple. Otherwise it would have been like visiting Naples and not eating pizza!

Forfar Athletic even have a bridie mascot!