Back to the hills

Upon further exploration, Peterhead has a busy port with trawlers and some funny looking ships, short and fat with a remarkably small helipad - something to do with the oil industry?  Then a scenic exit along the coast.   The mist had lifted slightly and cormorants were 'sunning' themselves on the rocks.

Fast, flattish riding with the wind to Fraserburgh, which is as far as you can go up the coast from Aberdeen, before turning West for over 100 miles to Inverness, and then on up to John O'Groats.  As I arrive there are some hardy folk in the sea, a couple of them kite surfing.   The first leisure activity using the sea for a long time, if you exclude golf and dog-walking.

Another busy port with industrial fishing, and some imposing stone buildings, but cafés are hard to find.  Eventually soup and a sandwich is procured (tatties & leek soup).
So far I've been cycling 'with the grain' of the landscape but that's about to change.  The ride nicely follows Paul Kelly's rule: no hills in the morning: hills after lunch.  Tim pointed out some nasty-looking chevrons on the map. Better have a chocolate crispy slice, to be on the safe side.

Leaving along the coast road, there was a street of low stone cottages right on the water's edge.  Typical local atyle, and they looked new.  I continued along the coast for a while until Rosehearty where the hills started.

Up to now I've avoided villages where you go and return on the same road, but on this part of the ride the road would miss nearly all the villages.  So with some reluctance I turn off the main road, at 72 metres, to visit Pennan.  A very steep road down to a stunningly beautiful village, one row of houses along the waterfront in a cove surrounded by cliffs.

Pennan is where the film Local Hero was filmed.  I look round nervously for moped riders but there were none.  They would never make it up the hill.  I recognised the pub, which was full of beautiful people, ignoring the beauty outside.

Back up the hill.  It's so steep that by the time I've gone round the sidecand back of the hotel, I'm already at roof level.  Legs don't like doing this from a standing start so I follow Ray Dare's hill-climbing advice of starting slowly while the blood getta pumping, adapting it by continuing slowly too.

The main road, another hill, another turning to Crovie, this time from 152 metres.  Further down and up, but less steep, and the village was just as lovely in a more rustic way.  I passed on the third village of Gardenstown.  Sorry: you'll have to visit yourself.

And on to Macduff, a big town wirh a shipbuilding, or is it ship-mending, port.  Nice rocky shoreline, deserted as usual.  It's a hilly town: turns out my hotel is near the top.  Fish and chips for supper: I look out nervously for seagulls but there is only a fierce-looking bunch of sparrows in a bush.  A good day with not too much rain.  The hills certainly made the scenery spectacular.