Heiland Coo

Dover - Shetland Day 32
Aboyne - Dufftown

Distance cycled: today 67.0km, total 1858.9km
Ascent: today 1,056m, total 12,561m

Highlight: good weather and deserted Aberdeenshire B roads made for a nice ride, with the treat of Christine joining me for the evening and buying me supper to boot.

Lowlight: lack of any form of tea stop (or often any kind of shop) in villages across vast swathes of rural Aberdeenshire. Low population density and great countryside is one of the reasons we live living here, but it does make for long and hilly distances between refuels on a bike.

What else? So Dufftown, the self-proclaimed whisky capital of the world has 7 distilleries in its environs, so has a point. The Grouse Inn, a few miles from the town has 270 whiskies on optics, according the elderly lady owner I chatted to on a rare bike stop, so walking the talk there for sure. Dufftown also has the Fife Arms, a hostelry where I asked directions to our AirBnB for the night. Turns out Dufftown itself was founded 199 years ago by the modest James Duff, who was also the 4th Earl of Fife. All part of the MacDuff clan, which includes the misspelt Fyfes. History suggests that one of us gets to crown the King (or Queen) of Scotland, if we ever get one back (wee 'Eck had his eye on that for a bit, I think).

Photo: second time during the trip my photo has had a bovine theme. This time a real one, of a type which undoubtedly confirms I am Scotland.