We head out for a local drive in the afternoon to a seaside village which had a reputation of being very picturesque . . . and we were not disappointed by either the views or the lunch !

The following day we leave Peter to enjoy his golf and then with Danielle, they headed off for an extended holiday on the west coast of Scotland.

That day we headed across country via Dundee for lunch with Margaret and Ron at Murthly good friends of Loes, before heading back to Cumbria, as we had only planned a few days away from home.

- - - o o o - - -

The narrow streets took us down to the old harbour at Crail.

We passed the Crail Gallery and Tearooms on the way down, and enjoyed lunch there before we departed, some hours later.

The harbour is still very much in use as a small fishing port and is home for numerous lobster boats.

A compact but very workable harbour, with perfect protection from any easterly storms off the North Sea.

A fuller panorama of the harbour, taken from the top of the wall . . . with my back to a 30ft drop !

Should the storm be southerly and too much for the boats inside then baulks of timber could be lowered into place to block the entrance.

The primary use of the crane on the jetty would have been to lift the stout timber, but sadly the ravishes of time and the high salt environment has rendered it inoperative.

With details for lunch worked out, we were joined by the ladies and dogs, then walked down onto the sandy beach that occupied the rest of the bay.

Time to climb back up the hill and enjoy that lunch . . . the house on the hill, with the nameplate, was called Brodie's Grannie's.

From the tearoom, the views out to sea were superb. Just over five miles offshore was the nature reserve of The Isle of May

About a mile long, the long, thin island has a chapel dedicated to St.Adrian and buildings include the Lighthouse and a large fog horn tower seen here.

Away from the seal breeding season, boat trips take day visitors out to see the bird colonies that thrive on the island.

- - - o o o - - -

After lunch we headed out past an old airfield, now home to a go-carting school, to explore the headland and its lighthouse that were marked on the map.

A viewing hide occupies the low ground next to the path,

great for seeing passing migrating birds that often follow the coastline north or south.

The "tall lighthouse" turns out to be a low level building but with the classic lamp room, shining clearly out to sea during the hours of darkness.

- - - o o o - - -

Our visit to The Bothy Restaurant in St Andrews last night was so good, that we repeated the experience the second night.

Next day we were heading home but we had time in the morning to briefly explore the harbour at St Andrews.

Before we left Peter had returned from an early morning visit to the Old Course Clubhouse with a smile as broad as his face . . . he has a game booked for the afternoon.

We however, should be heading home and wish him luck when playing the course.

Under overcast skies we drive to the inlet that has played an important part in the history of the town.

Nowadays it seems to survive on the inshore fishing trade . . . lobsters again.

We have a lunchtime appointment with friends near Sterling, which gives us the opportunity to divert slightly north via the Tay Bridge to the city of Dundee.

The wider view across the Firth of Tay with the long road bridge that crosses the river.

On the other side is an North Sea oil platform of some description, moored up adjacent to Dundee docks.

A ship-like building, new since I was here last, sits on the water side as if it was ready to set to sea.

This contemporary architectural design is absolutely stunning and includes a hidden arch underneath the building.

The structure is set amongst a shallow water scape which emphasised its shape and originality. Sadly we didn't have time to go inside.

Alongside the new is an example of the old . . .

Out here, a part of Dundee now called Discovery Point, lies the Royal Research Ship "Discovery".

This was the Ship that Captain Scott took to the Antarctic, originally just to explore and research an area little known to Europeans at that time.

On board were two other men who were destined to become famous, Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson.

The ship was built to withstand the ice and after its return from Antarctica went on to see active service in the First World War.

It returned to the task of Antarctic Research in the 1920's and provided evidence of the life cycle of whales and the evidence needed to preserve them from extinction.

After a brief walk around, it was back to the car to continue our journey west and then south towards home.

The Tay Railway Bridge at two and three quarters of a mile long, is even longer than the road bridge we crossed earlier.

No photos sadly, but at the end of the morning we stopped off at Murthly in the Tay Valley close to Perth,

and enjoyed lunch out with Loes's friends Margaret and Ron.

- - - o o o - - -

Predicted queues on the motorway, and a desire to use the smaller roads where possible, found us taking a more unusual route south.

This was the M74 Services, but we had approached it from the old A74.

The road led us south via Lockerbie to Gretna and the Scottish Border once again.

Not even a bump in the road, just a brief sign welcoming us back to Cumbria.

From Gretna it wa a relatively short hop to Carlisle and then Cockermouth, and our return to Loweswater.