Double disaster!
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I tried to put a bit of air into my front tyre, but the pump had the reverse effect and all the air hissed out. Something pinged out of the top of the pump and fell over the ledge of the platform. Whatever this small thing was its disappearance permanently malfunctioned the pump.
My bike was out of action and I hadn’t even started cycling! I was waiting for the train to Aberdeen to take me to the start of my route and now I had a limp tyre and no means to fix it. In fact, this was triple disaster! It was pouring with rain and I was dripping wet.
Sometimes travel does not turn out the way that you planned for, but there is almost always a way to rescue it.
At first I was miserable and almost gave up. I thought there was no point in getting on the train if I couldn’t actually cycle once I arrived. What possible pleasure could be derived from cycling in heavy rain anyway? But I conjured up plan B, thanks to the miracle of mobile Internet. Whilst on the train I tracked down a shop near to the station that had bicycle pumps in stock. It was not the perfect plan B, they never are perfect- I would have to wait 40 minutes for the shop to open and I would miss my connecting train to my final destination, Dyce.
.
I tried to put a bit of air into my front tyre, but the pump had the reverse effect and all the air hissed out. Something pinged out of the top of the pump and fell over the ledge of the platform. Whatever this small thing was its disappearance permanently malfunctioned the pump.
My bike was out of action and I hadn’t even started cycling! I was waiting for the train to Aberdeen to take me to the start of my route and now I had a limp tyre and no means to fix it. In fact, this was triple disaster! It was pouring with rain and I was dripping wet.
Sometimes travel does not turn out the way that you planned for, but there is almost always a way to rescue it.
At first I was miserable and almost gave up. I thought there was no point in getting on the train if I couldn’t actually cycle once I arrived. What possible pleasure could be derived from cycling in heavy rain anyway? But I conjured up plan B, thanks to the miracle of mobile Internet. Whilst on the train I tracked down a shop near to the station that had bicycle pumps in stock. It was not the perfect plan B, they never are perfect- I would have to wait 40 minutes for the shop to open and I would miss my connecting train to my final destination, Dyce.
Aberdeen station
In Aberdeen Station seagulls swooped and squawked. Through the glass canopy I caught glimpses of the granite buildings that this city is famous for. I killed time with a coffee and very dry, bland blueberry muffin. Then I pushed my wounded bicycle to Union Street as commuters rushed by with hoods and umbrellas and buses splashed through puddles.
I was the first customer of the day at the store. I think the staff could detect my desperation when I asked for a bicycle pump- I was walked straight to the product’s location, rather than being given directions. On the way I made small talk about the weather and said I hoped that it would stop raining for my bike ride. The woman’s cheery voice was at odds with her prediction, “Oh, I doubt that. It’ll be pouring all day!”
I was the first customer of the day at the store. I think the staff could detect my desperation when I asked for a bicycle pump- I was walked straight to the product’s location, rather than being given directions. On the way I made small talk about the weather and said I hoped that it would stop raining for my bike ride. The woman’s cheery voice was at odds with her prediction, “Oh, I doubt that. It’ll be pouring all day!”
Fluttering goldfinches
I had to wait almost one hour for the next train to Dyce. A long wait for the sake of a short ten minute train journey, but my bike was back in action and that was all that mattered. At Dyce I started on the Formartine and Buchan cycle way, each pedal stroke all the sweeter because Plan B had worked out.
This path used to be a railway line that connected Aberdeen to the towns of Fraserburgh and Peterhead. The route is 53 miles and I planned to travel all of it over the next few days. This was familiar ground for me as I had previously ridden the section from Dyce to Ellon, which can be read in Riding the rails.
My newly repaired tyre got me as far as Udny (9 miles) when I discovered it had gone flat again. I carried out the repair under the shelter of a bridge that steam trains once chugged under. My bike looked pathetic, like some sort of carcass with the wheel off, and inner tube spilling out.
The heavy rain became light drizzle. For a while it annoyed me because my clothes and face were constantly wet, but then I thought about it differently. I compared this light spray to one of those aromatherapy “facial mists” that come in bottles and are quite expensive. My facial mist was free, would not run out and would keep my face refreshed without the need to press on an aerosol pump.
It was more challenging to think positively about the mud. My clothes and panniers were totally caked in it. The faster I went the more I got splattered. But then it started to feel liberating to be a mess. I was not going into work and did not need to be neat and smart.
There were rabbits everywhere. Every few hundred meters I saw them scampering off, a flash of their white tail as they leapt into foliage. Tiny goldfinches fluttered in flocks from branch to branch. Their yellow wing patch and pointy beak made them look exotic as if they belonged in some far off temperate jungle. I felt like they were teasing me as each time I came close to seeing their colors in detail they moved away at lightening speed. “Let me see you little bird!”
I had to wait almost one hour for the next train to Dyce. A long wait for the sake of a short ten minute train journey, but my bike was back in action and that was all that mattered. At Dyce I started on the Formartine and Buchan cycle way, each pedal stroke all the sweeter because Plan B had worked out.
This path used to be a railway line that connected Aberdeen to the towns of Fraserburgh and Peterhead. The route is 53 miles and I planned to travel all of it over the next few days. This was familiar ground for me as I had previously ridden the section from Dyce to Ellon, which can be read in Riding the rails.
My newly repaired tyre got me as far as Udny (9 miles) when I discovered it had gone flat again. I carried out the repair under the shelter of a bridge that steam trains once chugged under. My bike looked pathetic, like some sort of carcass with the wheel off, and inner tube spilling out.
The heavy rain became light drizzle. For a while it annoyed me because my clothes and face were constantly wet, but then I thought about it differently. I compared this light spray to one of those aromatherapy “facial mists” that come in bottles and are quite expensive. My facial mist was free, would not run out and would keep my face refreshed without the need to press on an aerosol pump.
It was more challenging to think positively about the mud. My clothes and panniers were totally caked in it. The faster I went the more I got splattered. But then it started to feel liberating to be a mess. I was not going into work and did not need to be neat and smart.
There were rabbits everywhere. Every few hundred meters I saw them scampering off, a flash of their white tail as they leapt into foliage. Tiny goldfinches fluttered in flocks from branch to branch. Their yellow wing patch and pointy beak made them look exotic as if they belonged in some far off temperate jungle. I felt like they were teasing me as each time I came close to seeing their colors in detail they moved away at lightening speed. “Let me see you little bird!”
The Formartine and Buchan Way features many remains from its life as a railway, including these shelters for workers who maintained the track
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My bike was churning the gravel path and startled a Peregrine Falcon to launch from a branch as I approached. He was already a distant speck by the time I reached the branch- this is the fastest animal on the planet and can reach speeds of over 200 mph.
Although nature has reclaimed most of the line there are signs of railway everywhere- it was only in 1979 that the Fraserburgh section closed. There are tunnels, bridges, overgrown platforms and telegraph poles- even some of the ceramic insulators from the poles are still in situ. There are wooden or concrete shelters that had once been used by maintenance men looking after the line. Some are dilapidated and overgrown with tall grass and nettles, others still have roofs, chimneys and doors. But the biggest hint of the railway past is at Maud Station.
Although nature has reclaimed most of the line there are signs of railway everywhere- it was only in 1979 that the Fraserburgh section closed. There are tunnels, bridges, overgrown platforms and telegraph poles- even some of the ceramic insulators from the poles are still in situ. There are wooden or concrete shelters that had once been used by maintenance men looking after the line. Some are dilapidated and overgrown with tall grass and nettles, others still have roofs, chimneys and doors. But the biggest hint of the railway past is at Maud Station.
“It was our platform of life, our chance to gaze at the in-coming stranger, to sense the ebb and flow of a throbbing world that lay out yonder..Our little station was grand enough to have a John Menzies bookstall, run by Tibby Bruce, who was as blind as a bat.” Jack Webster reminiscing about Maud Station in 'Another grain of truth'
A train could easily pull up at that moment and not look out of place. I was the one out of place, cycling between the platforms where the track should have been. The stone buildings look ready for passengers to come inside and buy tickets. There is even a white picket fence. I could easily imagine a polished boot stamping out a cigarette on the faded white edging, before the owner of the boot steps aboard the morning express.
It felt unnatural to be swinging my legs over the sides of the platform whilst eating a chocolate fudge slice bought from the nearby grocery store. At one time there would have been shouting, clanging and chugging. This had been a place of activity, a focal point of the community where many conversations took place, goodbyes and hellos were exchanged. Nowadays the stillness is only interrupted by crows making a fuss and the occasional car pulling up at the grocery store.
A train could easily pull up at that moment and not look out of place. I was the one out of place, cycling between the platforms where the track should have been. The stone buildings look ready for passengers to come inside and buy tickets. There is even a white picket fence. I could easily imagine a polished boot stamping out a cigarette on the faded white edging, before the owner of the boot steps aboard the morning express.
It felt unnatural to be swinging my legs over the sides of the platform whilst eating a chocolate fudge slice bought from the nearby grocery store. At one time there would have been shouting, clanging and chugging. This had been a place of activity, a focal point of the community where many conversations took place, goodbyes and hellos were exchanged. Nowadays the stillness is only interrupted by crows making a fuss and the occasional car pulling up at the grocery store.
Maud Station
I was enjoying the fact that this was easy cycling and there was nothing to concentrate on. It was almost armchair cycling, sit back, point straight ahead and peddle with no effort. However, I began to feel a little unnerved because I was totally alone. I had not seen a single other person since leaving the outskirts of Dyce. I scribbled in my notebook, “could be the longest cycle without seeing other people.”
Normally I enjoy being on my own, but the drizzle gave way to an eerie mist which dramatically changed the atmosphere. It cut visibility and I felt like I was travelling into an abyss because I could not make out the landscape, only the straight gravel path. The mist seemed to stifle all sounds. It intensified a feeling that I could easily be the last person left in the world.
Normally I enjoy being on my own, but the drizzle gave way to an eerie mist which dramatically changed the atmosphere. It cut visibility and I felt like I was travelling into an abyss because I could not make out the landscape, only the straight gravel path. The mist seemed to stifle all sounds. It intensified a feeling that I could easily be the last person left in the world.
Not again!
It was another puncture! I had to replace the inner tube and it took me half an hour. I decided that this must be a sign to give up on reaching Peterhead. I had to double back anyway because my accommodation for the night was near Mintlaw which I had earlier sped through. I was possibly only 4 miles from my goal, but I could not risk another puncture, it was getting late and the mist was increasingly spooky. Peterhead would have to wait for another day.
The Old Shooting Lodge is made of granite and has antlers on the walls. The owners were getting a new kitchen put in, so had moved me into their self-catering cottage called Willow Lodge. This definitely worked in my favour as I had lots of space to spread out, including a kitchen and living room with a skylight.
The Lodge is located behind the Saplinbrae House Hotel where I could get something to eat in the “snug bar”.
“Order food in five minutes or its beans and toast. Chef’s orders!” Luckily this was not directed at me, but a local man. I had walked in on some banter. There were children running and playing. Everyone seemed to know each other and I felt like the odd one out. I sat quietly with creamy Cullen skink and chunky Arbroath smokie fishcakes.
It was another puncture! I had to replace the inner tube and it took me half an hour. I decided that this must be a sign to give up on reaching Peterhead. I had to double back anyway because my accommodation for the night was near Mintlaw which I had earlier sped through. I was possibly only 4 miles from my goal, but I could not risk another puncture, it was getting late and the mist was increasingly spooky. Peterhead would have to wait for another day.
The Old Shooting Lodge is made of granite and has antlers on the walls. The owners were getting a new kitchen put in, so had moved me into their self-catering cottage called Willow Lodge. This definitely worked in my favour as I had lots of space to spread out, including a kitchen and living room with a skylight.
The Lodge is located behind the Saplinbrae House Hotel where I could get something to eat in the “snug bar”.
“Order food in five minutes or its beans and toast. Chef’s orders!” Luckily this was not directed at me, but a local man. I had walked in on some banter. There were children running and playing. Everyone seemed to know each other and I felt like the odd one out. I sat quietly with creamy Cullen skink and chunky Arbroath smokie fishcakes.
Saplinbrae House Hotel
An Australian man was telling the barman about his search for a USB in Mintlaw. He had asked in the Costcutter shop where they did not have them, but the man there suggested he tried the Garden Centre. They also did not have them. He was about to give up when he saw the man from Costcutter running towards him, clutching a USB and saying “I forgot, somebody gave it to me and I don’t need it. I went home to get it. You can have it.” The Australian was amazed at this kindness.
I returned to Willow Lodge and made use of the breakfast table to finish my note taking and hoped that tomorrow would bring sunshine and no more punctures.
Read part two of my trip on the Formartine and Buchan Way: Journey to the Sea
I returned to Willow Lodge and made use of the breakfast table to finish my note taking and hoped that tomorrow would bring sunshine and no more punctures.
Read part two of my trip on the Formartine and Buchan Way: Journey to the Sea
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View Dyce to Mintlaw on the Formartine and Buchan Way in a larger map |
Getting there
Dyce is a 10 minute train journey from Aberdeen. Aberdeen can be reached by train from Edinburgh in around 2 hours 20 minutes. From London journey time to Aberdeen is around 7 to 8 hours. The Formartine and Buchan Way begins at the back of the car park in Dyce station. There is a blue sign marking the start of the Way. Cycling distances and terrain This map does not show the actual Formartine and Buchan Way, but the route by road. The map function does not yet cover the Formartine and Buchan Way, but it gives you a good idea of where places are in relation to each other. |
It is 25 miles to Maud where the path splits. The north path heads to Fraserburgh (15 miles) and the east path takes you to Peterhead (13 miles).
My original plan was to cycle to Peterhead and then return to Mintlaw where I had booked a room, but I did not quite make it because of punctures. Mintlaw is 5.5 miles from Maud.
This is as easy as cycling gets. Flat, no traffic and impossible to get lost. The surface varies from tarmac to gravel and paths that turn to mud in wet weather. It can be slow going on some of the surfaces, particularly the chunky gravel. In the sections near the bigger towns like Dyce and Ellon they can be busy with joggers and dog walkers.
Things to see and do
At each former train station there is an information panel describing the history of the railway, wildlife that can be spotted and what there is to see and do nearby.
There is a great book about the history of the line, crammed full of photos, called Story and Tales of the Buchan Line.
Haddo House is near Ellon and can be visited only on a guided tour, but is free to visit the grounds. There is a tearoom in the stables. You can read about my visit to Haddo House in Riding the rails.
Maud station has a museum about the Formartine and Buchan railway. The opening hours are limited as it is run by volunteers. It tends to be open once a month at weekends April to October.
My original plan was to cycle to Peterhead and then return to Mintlaw where I had booked a room, but I did not quite make it because of punctures. Mintlaw is 5.5 miles from Maud.
This is as easy as cycling gets. Flat, no traffic and impossible to get lost. The surface varies from tarmac to gravel and paths that turn to mud in wet weather. It can be slow going on some of the surfaces, particularly the chunky gravel. In the sections near the bigger towns like Dyce and Ellon they can be busy with joggers and dog walkers.
Things to see and do
At each former train station there is an information panel describing the history of the railway, wildlife that can be spotted and what there is to see and do nearby.
There is a great book about the history of the line, crammed full of photos, called Story and Tales of the Buchan Line.
Haddo House is near Ellon and can be visited only on a guided tour, but is free to visit the grounds. There is a tearoom in the stables. You can read about my visit to Haddo House in Riding the rails.
Maud station has a museum about the Formartine and Buchan railway. The opening hours are limited as it is run by volunteers. It tends to be open once a month at weekends April to October.
Where to stay and eat
I stayed at the Old Shooting Lodge in Mintlaw. Mintlaw is a good place to spend the night if you plan to see both Peterhead and Fraserburgh. I had Willow Lodge the self-catering cottage which was very cosy and spacious. The skylight over the kitchen and living room is a nice feature. Upated July 2017.: It looks like the Old Shooting Lodge is now part of the Saplinbrae House Hotel
To reach the Old Shooting Lodge It is better to leave the cycle path at Old Deer because the Lodge is located nearer Old Deer than Mintlaw. If you get off the path at Mintlaw there are busy roads and you have to take the A950. Just look for the sign for the Saplinbrae House Hotel- the Old Shooting Lodge is behind the hotel. The Saplinbrae House Hotel is convienient for dinner, otherwise you face cycling along the A950 into Mintlaw. This might be worth it because the chip shop in Mintlaw has won the British Fish and Chip Shop of the year competition.
I stayed at the Old Shooting Lodge in Mintlaw. Mintlaw is a good place to spend the night if you plan to see both Peterhead and Fraserburgh. I had Willow Lodge the self-catering cottage which was very cosy and spacious. The skylight over the kitchen and living room is a nice feature. Upated July 2017.: It looks like the Old Shooting Lodge is now part of the Saplinbrae House Hotel
To reach the Old Shooting Lodge It is better to leave the cycle path at Old Deer because the Lodge is located nearer Old Deer than Mintlaw. If you get off the path at Mintlaw there are busy roads and you have to take the A950. Just look for the sign for the Saplinbrae House Hotel- the Old Shooting Lodge is behind the hotel. The Saplinbrae House Hotel is convienient for dinner, otherwise you face cycling along the A950 into Mintlaw. This might be worth it because the chip shop in Mintlaw has won the British Fish and Chip Shop of the year competition.
