St Cyrus, Scotland We weren’t really sure what we were going to do today. We knew we were driving from Anstruther to Aberdeen, but had left the day open so we could get suggestions from locals and we feel very blessed that we did. Shout out again to Jill for giving us the amazing suggestion of going to St. Cyrus on our way up the coast. It was about an hour long drive, but it took a little longer for us since we are slow on thes windy and tiny roads. Driving on the left side of the road didn’t take too much getting used to, but for us, the curvy roads and tiny lanes definitely did. We wanted to get food when we got closer to the destination but quickly realized that we might not get the chance. Lucky for us RIGHT before we reached the beach we passed The Old Bakery and Coffee Shop and stopped in for lunch. They had a great menu, we both ordered sandwiches which came with crisps and a really good side salad all for about $13 total which is super cheap. We were so happy with our stop here. It’s adorable, the food is really good, and the staff was so lovely. When we left, we headed up to what our GPS said was St. Cyrus beach but it was actually the cliffs above the beach. We are so glad we made this mistake because the views were amazing. There actually was a path down to the beach but it seemed a little treacherous and it had been raining so we decided to find a place to park down on the beach instead. We went back to the coffee shop and they gave us directions to the St. Cyrus National Nature Reserve which is where the path started! If you put St Cyrus National Nature Reserve in your GPS you should definitely be able to get to the beach. If you want to go above to the lookout point, just follow Beach Road from The Old Bakery and Coffee Shop, park at the church, and walk down the path. At the Nature Reserve, you can park in the lot and then follow the trail (pictures below) and you’ll quickly be on the beach. If you head to your left and walk a little ways, you’ll eventually come to a waterfall which is absolutely beautiful . Unfortunately because of the tide we couldn’t make it all the way up to the waterfall but we did make it far enough to be able to see it and the rocks on that part of the beach were stunning. If you do decide to take a trip here just make sure to pay attention to where the path joins the beach because we had a little bit of a hard time finding the entrance to the path from the beach and it isn’t well marked on our way back. I could go on and on but really the pictures say everything that needs to be said about this area, absolutely stunning.
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Isle of May, ScotlandToday was the day that I (Annette) was most anticipating, PUFFIN DAY!!! We were lucky enough to walk on down to the harbor where the Anstruther Pleasure Cruises boat leaves in about 5 minutes since we were staying so close. The line forms pretty early so if you’re picky about where you sit then get there about 45 minutes early. We were so lucky that the weather was warm and beautiful, it was about 70°F out but still it got pretty chilly on the boat so you might want to bring a jacket even in nice weather. The ride to the island was about an hour. We were lucky that the tides were with us so we had 3 hours to explore the island. It’s reminiscent of Ahch-To from Star Wars: The Force Awakens which is of course an actual island off the coast of Ireland, so it makes sense that it would be similar. The island has so much scenery and we were VERY lucky that the puffins were there late this year. The island was full of puffins, guillemots, and so many other seabirds that we felt very lucky that we made it off the island without guano dropping out of the sky and onto our heads! The island itself is beautiful to explore, stunning views of the oceans from the cliffs. Three hours is the perfect amount of time to explore, we were just getting tired when it was time to head back to the boat. There isn’t any food on the island, but there is a snack bar aboard the ship where you can purchase drinks and snacks. I’d advise taking a lunch. We were lucky that Jill, our Airbnb host, suggested that we bring a lunch with us and she was nice enough to drive us to the local co-op the night before. We bought bread, cheese, and some salami and it was the perfect quick lunch! If you take the cruise, they will give you a great map of the island, our favorite part to see was the South Plateau. That side had (in our humble opinion) the best views and definitely had the most puffins. The North Plateau had a pretty walk as well leading down to a beautiful lighthouse. There are some staff on the island, they greet you with a speech at the beginning and then they are around the island to answer any questions you may have. They are so knowledgeable and friendly, and answered all the questions that we had like What sound do puffins make? The answer is that they sort of moo which is quite different than the other seabirds on the island. On the ride back, we had a special treat. Sometimes, when the pufflings don’t make it to the ocean after they come out of their burrows, the Isle of May staff ask the Cruise operators to take them and release them once they are farther from the island so they are less likely to be attacked by predators and that is jus what happened on our return journey. We got to see the little puffling up close and he was oh so cute (see the picture above.). Puffins are one of my favorite animals, so I felt very very lucky to be able to see them up close and personal. If you’re ever in the area during the time the puffins are supposed to be there which is late spring into early summer, I highly suggest taking the cruise. If you happen to be in Anstruther between September and I think they said November, apparently it’s a great time to see the grey seals! All in all, this day gets 5 out of 5 stars.
Falkirk, ScotlandThe Kelpies were one of the things that I was most excited to see in Scotland so our way to our first Airbnb in Anstruther, we decided to stop by The Helix in Falkirk to see The Kelpies. They were larger than I imagined, and oh so beautiful! They are gorgeous statues made of steel. The visitor center is lovely, there you can buy tickets for a tour, get a bite to eat, or buy souvenirs. We chose to have lunch at the grill just outside of the visitor’s center. The weather was beautiful today, we actually were very warm at a certain point which is not what we were expecting from Scotland. When we arrived at The Helix, we were lucky to find a spot as somebody was leaving in the first parking lot. We walked up the hill to where The Kelpies are and realized that there is actually a larger less crowded lot closer to the sculptures. We didn’t mind the nice walk though after such a long flight. The park is beautiful with walking trails, bike trails, rivers, and boats. If you want to take a tour, it’s £7.50 for adults, and it’s a roughly 30 minute tour with a guide giving you a history of the area nd the sculptures for about 15 minutes and then taking you inside of of the sculptures for about 15 minutes and talking more about the architecture. We didn’t take the tour, so we don’t know if it’s good or not, but that’s how it was explained to us when we asked at the desk. The Helix is easy to get to, it’s about 45 minutes from Edinburgh airport and the roads are easy to navigate (once you get used to the roundabouts!). ~Annette
Anstruther, ScotlandThe second half of our first day in Scotland was spent in Anstruther, a beautiful seaside town on the east coast of Scotland. It was about an hour and a half from Falkirk. The drive was definitely a little challenging towards the end, there were a lot of sharp curves and very tiny streets. The GPS in our car got us to the town quite easily, but after that we had to follow instructions from our Airbnb host to find her home. Her home is LOVELY and we feel so lucky that we picked so well. She helped us find parking and had tea and cookies for us when we arrived. She is so friendly and we definitely suggest that anybody stay with her if you end up in Anstruther, the bed is so comfortable and her home is warm, she even served us breakfast in the morning. We got lucky she was up for dinner when we were and she walked us down to Anstruther’s famous fish house, Anstruther Fish Bar where we ordered fish and chips. If you’re like us, the child size was plenty and we got breaded instead of battered for the fish. The chips (french fries for the Americans) were perfectly seasoned with salt and vinegar. Our favorite thing about this restaurant is that they let you know not just where your fish came from, but WHICH BOAT caught your fish that day! For us, it was Boy John. The town is full of locals of course and Scottish “vacation makers” as our host calls them. The wait for Fish and Chips was long, but we ordered take out and took it back to our Airbnb. Our second night, we were very hungry after touring the Isle of May and we walked down to the Waterfront to eat at The Waterfront restaurant. We didn’t realize that it most places on the strip in front of the water would have a wait. We arrived at 7PM and they put us on the list for a table at 8:30. Word to the wise, if you want to eat during the summer in Anstruther, make a reservation for dinner! The wait wasn’t too bad as we walked down to The Boatyard and got a pint of beer while we were waiting. The Boatyard is cute, it has a sports bar feel and they were playing the golf tournament on every screen. When did get back to The Waterfront, we were served quite quickly and were very happy with the food. We’d definitely recommend the Steak and Ale Pie if you are ever in the area!
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