Cycling Scotland #4 on National Cycling Route 1. The route to Aberdeen was exhausting. The most exhausting part of National Cycling Route 1. Nothing particular to see, no places to stop, no places to eat. I cycled into Aberdeen so hungry… 

Hungry always angry

Drying in McDonald’s

Couldn’t wait for McDonald’s on the main street, keeping in mind my standard and favorite food, big mac and milkshake. What?! Their ice-cream machine was broken… I could only hiss, “I thought about that the whole day of cycling… Just give me milkshake!” The manager hissed back, “I will, OK, just don’r show it to other customers.”

Aberdeen tonight

Aberdeen

So I observed the University area, very beautiful old streets and buildings, being not hungry and angry, which let me take a few pictures and videos. Though it was a bit scary at night.

Next morning I got wet, cycling under the short shower, end up at the next McDonald’s, and spent a half of a day, drying and working with my computer.

Bed or Breakfast

Night in Maud

I reached Maud, the old rail station, which is closed since 1960s, before the it started raining again. And again. I was sitting in the pub, enjoying my computer, while people talk to me. So word by word I was invited to stay in a tiny summer house. I cleaned my two square metres from kids’ toys and had a sleep, surrounded by plastic bikes and trolleys. I got up too early for Saturday, so left my “bedroom” on English manner, not to wake up a family with kids, and without breakfast.

The story about rain, pub, and summer house repeated next day, but luckily I slept till breakfast, shower, and sandwiches for the whole day road, from a nice retired couple from Whitehills.

Cranachan and Coracle

Portsoy. Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

A few miles later I cycled into Portsoy, straight to the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival. And I want to say, it was a big fun, unlike many other local events. The most fun was to test all food at the market, including famous Portsoy ice-cream, and to watch different kind of antic and not too antic traditional boats. Some of them looked like sinks or pots, which you never see anywhere else. Great Scottish folk music was everywhere, I regretted I didn’t come a day earlier to listen it all.

In Ice Cream shop they gave me a cosy corner, where I eat a tone of different types of ice cream, while was making a video about their famous product. And yes, number one is what was particularly mentioned in the video, Cranachan. And Station Hotel Portsoy just couldn’t let me tent under the rain and offered me a room!