A pub, castle, beach and dolphins
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2006
1
88
100
Trip End
Sep 08, 2008
Broughty Ferry,
Scotland,
United Kingdom
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Following breakfast the rain came down in droves and it looked like we weren't going anywhere. However, as soon as it started it stopped, and we found ourselves at Perth's small bus station getting tickets for the 45 minute trip out to Dundee. We asked a couple of the other teachers to join us, although they decided to stick with their plans to visit Stirling.
We really had no plan for the day, but as we got up to leave the bus when we arrived at Dundee's bus station a lady who overheard us talking about lunch recommended we jump on another bus, our third for the morning, out to a seaside suburb known as Broughty Ferry. She did the hard sell, and even went as far as accompanying us onto the correct bus, claiming she actually had to do some shopping out that way. There was no way we could possibly say no, and even though some of the bystanders at the bus stop weren't quite as enthusiastic about the place as she was, I figured we'd be best following one of the most valuable lessons I'd learned from my travels. Do as the locals do.
By the time we got to 'The Ferry' the sun was shining, and we made our way down the main street to the waterfront. The view was quite surprising, and impressive, looking out behind a small Castle to the Firth of Tay. There was going to be no exploring until we'd had some lunch though, and after checking out a few menus we popped into a small place called the Ferry Inn for a meal. The manager, Phil or Pete his name was, certainly entertained us with his stories, and the food was second to none. This was the break we were looking for, and already the day was panning out pretty well.
Following lunch we made our way back out to Broughty Castle, a 16th century tower house that loomed imposingly over the harbour, guarding the entrance to the Firth of Tay. The exhibitions inside were somewhat interesting, although the highlight was without a doubt the school of dolphins we saw out in the firth from the top level. With binoculars strategically placed on the windowsill we were able to watch them swimming for about 15 minutes, before they went just a little too far out. It was only the third time in my life I'd seen dolphins swimming freely in the sea, and what a truly wonderful sight it was. Fortunately, the sun was still shining, and after taking some snaps of a Scottish man and his Tibetan bride on their multicultural wedding day we made our way down to the beach to relax for a while.
The break was just what we needed following three pretty intense weeks at Strathallan. For all the negative things I'd heard about Dundee I could never have imagined we'd have had so much fun and seen so much just a few minutes down the coast. Interestingly enough, with the cool sea breeze blowing and the seagulls gathering on the docks, Dundee and the Tay road bridge at a distance looked uncannily like Hobart, minus Mt Wellington. I couldn't get much further from home, but it still felt like a homely sort of place. Given another summer in Scotland, I'd probably make it back out that way.
