Montrose and Edzell

We decided to treat ourselves last month and have a few days away in a hotel rather than taking the motorhome. We chose to go to Montrose because Moira hadn't been there and it had been about twenty years since I had visited that area.
We booked in to the Links Hotel as it had good reviews and was only 5 minutes from the town centre. We were quite pleased with the room we were given as it was reasonably spacious, had a nice bathroom and unlike many hotels these days it had plenty of clothes storage (a wardrobe and three sets of drawers no less!)

Our Room at The Links

It even had double-aspect windows, unfortunately the view out these windows was not quite so good. Out on window was the fire escape at the rear of the building and out the other was a stone wall!

Room with a view (of a stone wall)

It was great that we had more space than in the motorhome, but we are use to better views from the motorhome windows. It was still a nice room though and the rest of the hotel was good as well.
First thing we did was go for a walk down the high street to scout out cafes, shops, restaurants, etc.

Looking down Montrose High Street

James Graham, First Marquis of Montrose (apparently)

The high street was okay but there seemed to be a distinct lack of eateries. A few cafes and take-aways but nothing much in the way of restaurants for an evening meal. Luckily the Links Hotel did very good evening meals so we ate there for the few days we stayed.
In the morning we had a hearty breakfast in the hotel before we headed out to Montrose Basin. This is the estuary of the River South Esk, which has a narrow outlet to the sea, hence forming a large 'basin' of tidal water, which provides an ideal habitat for wading birds, waterfowl, seals and geese.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust have a brilliant visitor centre here and this was our first stop. We picked up a map of the Montrose Basin Reserve and a few tips from the SWT Guide before heading out to the Widgeon hide on the Northwest corner of the basin.
It was a pleasant walk to the hide, despite the fact that the weather was a bit grey, but at least it wasn't raining:

Track leading to Widgeon Hide

Plenty of Elderberries on way to Widgeon Hide

The hide itself is perched on stilts giving you a good view across the basin to the town of Montrose:

View from Widgeon Hide

The tide was pretty far out, so it was very unlikely that we would see any Widgeon, or any type of duck at all. We did have quite good views of a Grey Heron fishing in a little pond of trapped water, just in front of the hide:

Grey Heron at Pond

The following video probably demonstrates the Heron's fishing skills better, it also shows the moment it flew past us to get to the pond:

There were also a few waders about, including this Curlew preening itself on the mudflats..........

........... and this Oystercatcher catching a worm (not an oyster):

Most of the other waders and waterfowl were either on the water (or on the water's edge) which was miles away!............ it was certainly too far away for my little camcorder, as this panoramic view demonstrates:

We spent the best part of an hour at the Widgeon Hide before we made our way back along the track towards the car. When we were in the hide we kept hearing the calls of Pink Footed Geese, but never really seen any until we got out of the hide and a small skene flew overhead:

Bearing in mind that at this time of year over 40,000 Pink-footed Geese roost overnight in and around Montrose Basin, it was a bit surprising this was the first bunch we saw that day. We did however see plenty of other birds on our way back to the car, including this pair of Yellowhammers on the electricity cables:

There was also a Buzzard perched on an electricity pole, before it swooped down to the ground:

Didn't look like it caught anything?
A little further along the track the same Buzzard flew up on to a tree............ then flew off again........... I think it was a bit restless!

Just before we reached the car this Robin popped up to wish us a safe journey back to Montrose:

We drove over to Montrose Beach in the hope of finding somewhere to have a bite of lunch, unfortunately it was 'out of season' and every place was closed. We did however enjoy a pleasant (if cold) stroll along the beachfront:

Moira on Montrose Beachfront

Montrose Beach

Lighthouse and Beach at Montrose

The beach was lovely......... and empty............. but I am sure it is a lot busier in the Summer.
There was also interesting features on the beachfront itself, such as these dinosaurs carved into the slabs:

Dinosaur Slabs

Another point of interest was a bronze statue of a minesweeper crew member, created by local sculptor William Lamb:

Minesweeper Crewman

Minesweeper Crewman close up

It was a very intriguing sculpture, although his forward leaning stance did remind me of something.............

Peg Boy

That's it!............. the pose struck by my grandson Graeme, when his Nana stuck pegs on his sleeves (don't ask why?)
Enough of this nonsense, we were getting hungry by now so headed back to our hotel for a bite of lunch.
After a bite of lunch and a bit of a rest we took a walk down to Montrose Railway Station. We had no intention of catching a train anywhere, but we had been reliably informed that the bridge over the track in the station was one of the best places to view birds at Montrose Basin!

Montrose Basin from Railway Station Bridge

Montrose Basin towards Tayock

That advice did in fact turn out to be very reliable, especially if you wanted close-up views of waders. Here are just some examples, starting with a  Redshank chase:

There were several species of waders to be seen feeding in front of us, including this Curlew which was relatively close..............

......... and this Oystercatcher which seemed to be in a bit of a hurry:

A solitary Turnstone made an appearance, sprinting past some feeding Redshank (I have provide a slo-mo version so you can make it out):

As the tide was coming in the feeding waders were starting to get a bit more frantic, in fact a few of the Redshank decide enough was enough and they flew off:

As the tide rolled in the sandbank in the middle of the basin began to disappear under the water; forcing the Pink-footed Geese on the sandbank to leave for their night-time roost on the far shore of the basin:

Over the next half hour or so we watched hundreds of Pink-footed Geese leave the sandbank and head for the mudflats near Tayock. This was only a few of the 40,000 geese that would eventually roost on the shores of the basin, flying in from all over the Montrose area, but it wasn't getting pretty cold and we were getting hungry so we headed back to the hotel.

The next morning we were up bright and early(ish) and ate another hearty breakfast in the hotel. We then headed out in the car to the little village of Edzell, about a half hour drive from Montrose. The main reason for our trip here was that Moira has always wanted to visit Edzell as it is the place her parents first met, during WW2 when they were both stationed at the nearby RAF airbase.
First thing you notice when you approach Edzell is that you have to pass under an archway:

Approaching the Village of Edzell

Edzell Archway

We drove under the archway and found a place to park on the far side of the village. We then had a mosey back down the High Street, checking out anything of interest:

Edzell High Street

Inglis Memorial Hall

I did notice that the good people of Edzell seemed to like old Landrovers as several were parked in the High Street:

Old Landrover

More Old Landrovers

Landrover Heaven

I know that it is historically a farming community, which might explain the Landrovers............... and the vintage tractors in a couple of the gardens as well.
We headed in to a cafe/gift shop for a snack and a browse; I think it was called Edzell Tweed Warehouse (or Edzell Tweedie to the locals). The food was good but we didn't buy any Tweed, just a couple of postcards.
We walked down to the archway at the start of the village to see if we could find out a bit more about its origins:

Moira at Dalhousie Arch, Edzell

Inscription on Dalhousie Arch

Apparently the arch was erected in 1889 to commemorate the death of the 13th Earl of Dalhousie, a certain John William Maule Ramsay (Lord Ramsay to his friends).  The arch is also lit up at night, courtesy of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board; as this plaque explains:

Lighting for the Dalhousie Arch

This must have been pre-1990 when the NSHEB became Scottish Hydro-Electric plc. It subsequently became Scottish & Southern Electric plc. in 1998 when it merged with Southern Electric.
We had exhausted places to see in Edzell so we went on a mission to find out what (if anything) remained of the airbase where Moira's parents met.
Here's the history bit:

• The site was originally established as a RAF airbase during WW1, and was subsequently disbanded in 1919
• During the 1930's it was a civilian airbase before returning to RAF service in 1940 (this is when Moira's parents were stationed here)
• After WW2 it ceased as an RAF base and from 1950 to 1958 it was used as a motor racing track. The legendary Jim Clark won the final race to be held here.
• In 1960 it reopened as an airbase, but this time for the US Navy. It served as an integral part of the US Navy's Global High Frequency Direction Finding Network (giant listening device) during the Cold War.
• It closed as an airbase in 1997 and for the last twenty years it has been an industrial estate

So there was obviously less to see than in its heyday, most of the land has returned to agriculture and many of the original buildings have gone. At the site of the industrial estate (which was pretty well fortified for an industrial estate) you could still see some of the large hangars from its airbase days:

Remnants of Edzell Airbase

Large Hangars at Edzell Airbase

As we couldn't actually get on to the former airbase we headed back to the hotel, with the intention of visiting Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre in the afternoon. Unfortunately it was closed so we still didn't see any airbase memorabilia.

We instead took a drive to Tayock on the shores of Montrose Basin in the hope of seeing some air-based wildlife.

Mudflats at Tayock, Montrose Basin

This is where the Pink-footed Geese arrived to roost in the evening, however it was only mid-afternoon and the tide was pretty far out, so we were not going to witness geese flying over our heads in huge numbers.

There were still plenty of geese, waders and wildfowl out on the mudflats and sandbanks though, as you can see in this video:

This was our last full day at Montrose so we had a relaxing afternoon at the hotel, a slap-up evening meal, a couple of drinks then off to bed.

The next morning after breakfast we headed for home, stopping on the way at the SWT Reserve for a last look at Montrose Basin:

Montrose Basin from SWT Reserve Hide

Montrose Basin in Autumn Colours

We popped in to the SWT Visitor Centre building to see if there was anything worth seeing and we were not disappointed. There were plenty of birds on their feeders, including some Tree Sparrows (a less common cousin of the House Sparrow) feeding on spilt seed:

We were also lucky enough to see a Kingfisher perch on a branch near one of the tidal ponds............

.........and even luckier to see it come closer and land on the dipping-pond platform just outside the visitor centre:

So it was worth our while checking out the visitor centre before we went home.

Although not everything went to plan during our visit to Montrose it wouldn't stop me from going back there. Maybe next time we would take the motorhome and pitch-up in the caravan park at Tayock, that way we would have the geese and other birds right on our doorstep.

Take Care

Teddyedward

Lancashire Hotspot

In the middle of September we had a little trip down south in Vannie to Lancashire; the town of Southport to be specific. We chose Southport Caravan Park for several reasons:

• It was within walking distance of the town itself, being situated directly on the esplanade.
• It was also within walking distance to a main rail station, which would allow us to visit Moira's relations in Wigan.
• It wasn't in Blackpool, don't get me wrong I love Blackpool, but I wouldn't go there with the motorhome.

The trip down was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It was one of the wettest and windiest days of the year, and my window wipers decided to pack in, just an hour into our journey south. Luckily I always carry some tools with me and I managed to repair them at Abington Services (it was just a bit hairy driving the last couple of miles to Abington in the pouring rain with no wipers).

We got to Southport safely and even benefited from a break in the weather long enough to get the awning set up, then it rained again:

View from Vannie at Southport Caravan Park

It rained most of that night so we were confined to barracks until the morning.
We were up bright and early the next morning and luckily the weather had brightened up a bit. Our plan for the day was to meet up with Moira's cousins in Wigan, so after a quick shower and a bite of breakfast we headed off to Southport Railway Station. The trains to Wigan were fairly regular and it was only a half hour journey, passing mostly through farmland and small town stations.
We arrived in Wigan in plenty of time so we had a walk through the town centre followed by a leisurely stroll in Mesnes Park. We even had time for a trip down memory lane by visiting the house where Moira's Gran use to stay:

Wigan Town Centre

Moira's Gran's Old House

We then headed off to the Brocket Arms to meet up with Moira's cousins Christine and Sue (and her husband Ian) for a spot of lunch and a good blether.
After lunch and a few beers we headed back to the rail station for the return trip to Southport.
That evening I went out for a little walk myself along Marine Drive (which was just outside the caravan park) and enjoyed watching the sun going down:

Marine Drive, Southport

Southport Sunset

Being on the west coast Southport has much better sunsets than we get on the east coast of Scotland......... we have better sunrises though!............ that is when the sun does bother to rise?
The next morning we were up bright and early again, but this time we stayed local. First up was a pleasant walk along Marine Parade, a stroll on the beach then a visit to Southport Pier:

Moira windswept on Southport Pier

The tide was quite far out and there was very few people on the beach at this time of year; there were a couple of birds however, including a Black-headed Gull and an immature Herring Gull:

The pier was also the perfect place to provide a panoramic view of the Ribble Estuary coastline, including the distinctive outline of Blackpool Tower and The Pleasure Beach:

If you look closely at the last video you will see a murmuration (of what I presume to be Starlings) heading towards Blackpool.
After visiting the pier we went for a coffee, then a wander around Marine Lake, where the sailing club were out in force in their dingies (or yachts? I don't know the difference):

Sailing on Marine Lake

Plenty of Dingies/Yachts

I think they may be tacking?

We passed by The Lakeside Inn (which claims to be Britain's Smallest Pub) but we didn't go in as there were four people in there already and I hate crowded pubs.

Britain's Smallest Pub  (Rutherfords in Kelso might be smaller?)

We then reached the Promenade (which is basically the boardwalk leading to the Pier) where we posed for some photos:

Moira on Southport Promenade

Marine Lake viewed from the Promenade

Eddie and the Promenade Express

We completed our stroll along Marine Lake before heading back to the caravan Park:

Swans on Marine Lake

We swanned about the campsite for the rest of the day before enjoying a lovely BBQ cooked by my own fair hand. We then went for an evening stroll to enjoy the sunset:

Southport Sunset 1

Southport Sunset 2

Southport Sunset 3

I even tried to capture on video the point when the sun actually dipped below the horizon, but I got bored holding the camcorder. Here is a speeded up version of what I got:

No patience that's my problem! However by not waiting until the sun fully set and heading back to the campsite we were treated to another wonderful spectacle............... a flock of Pink-footed Geese flying right over our heads as they headed to their roosting site:

You will have heard the old saying 'red sky at night, shepherds delight' foretelling good weather:

Pink Sky over Southport Caravan Park

Vannie in the Sunset

Well the next day it poured from morning to night:

Soggy View from Vannie

The weather was so bad we just had to go clothes shopping in Soutport High Street (apparently). I did get a nice new shirt so I can't really complain.
We also went out at night to the nearby Chinese Restaurant for a meal and that was delicious, so not too a bad day after all.
Luckily the next morning was much brighter so we went on our travels again, this time catching the train to the nearby town of Formby. I loved the architecture of the old Formby station building:

Formby Station Frontage

A nice red brick building, typical of the area.
After a bite to eat in a quaint cafe we headed down to the beach and the National Trust site at Freshfields:

Formby Beach looking North

Formby Beach looking South

The walk along the beach was very relaxing and also revealed some interesting industrial archaeology:

Part of an old brick wall

Old drainage pipework

Apparently these are remains of the Harrington Barracks that once stood here during the Second World War; home to the Infantrymen of the King's Regiment.
The base was demolished after the war and most of the rubble used as substrate for the beach car park and the nearby caravan park. Unused rubble was simply buried in the dunes as subsequently tidal erosion has revealed this.
We pressed on along the beach, basking in the sunshine:

Eddie enjoying the sunshine on Formby Beach

We reached the sign directing us to what we were looking for; Red Squirrels and Toilets of course:

Formby Beach Sign

On our way to the Red Squirrel walk we passed a field with lots of Rabbits in it............  I mean LOTS of Rabbits.......... it was like they were growing them in the field!

We carried on to the toilets (which were most welcome) and then on to the part of the woods known to contain Red Squirrels. We walked around the 'Red Squirrel Loop' and saw absolutely no squirrels of any description, red, grey, pink or blue.
On the way out eagle-eyed Moira spotted this little Red Squirrel on the ground, I knew I wouldn't have long before it disappeared in to the tree-tops so I grabbed my trusty camcorder and started filming:

Phew! Glad I managed to get some footage.
The trip to Formby was very enjoyable and was our last outing in the Southport area before we headed home. Overall we had a really good time in Lancashire, visiting relatives, beach walking, promenading, chasing squirrels, shopping, etc. I sure we will return in the not-too-distant future.
I will leave you with one of my favourite road signs........... found on a little road in Freshfields, Formby:

Of Course They Do!

Take Care

Teddyedward