Day 20 - Aberdeen to Airdrie
We both had a good night's sleep and docked in Aberdeen on time. Our car was on the lower deck so we had to wait an extra 30 minutes before getting off as they unload the main deck first. Paul spent the time having a second breakfast. We had use of the business lounge which is included if you book a cabin.
First stop was the car wash which we had used before going over to Shetland as the car is now covered in dust, sand and seagull cr@p .
A Samsung news item appeared on my phone saying Shetlanders were angry that a cruise ship had allowed nearly 4000 passengers to disembark in Lerwick knowing that a severe sickness bug was circulating around the ship and many were in quarantine. It was only realised when one of the ships tour guides told the coach driver about it after passengers had boarded his bus and he alerted his boss who halted all tours. That is why we saw so many of them at The Knab yesterday. Apparently the town centre was heaving as all the bus companies then refused to take them on tours. Shops and cafe owners had no way of knowing who was from the cruise ship and then had to disinfect their premises after. Link below - I took a photo for a German lady so hope I didnt catch anything from her.
https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2025/05/20/anger-cruise-passengers-allowed-ashore/
We had a stop in Brechin but weren't too impressed. Several shops have shut down and it didn't have a good feel to it. There was scaffolding on many buildings including the cathedral which has a round tower. Also lots of barriers around pavement works. I am not sure if it was bin day or whether bins are permanently kept on the street as there is no-where else to leave them. We counted at least 5 different coloured bins. There was a very nice park and riverside walk but it meant walking down many steps so I left Paul on a bench while I went off to explore.. We went into "The Auld Bakehouse" a nice looking cafe but before we had both sat down the waitress came over and waited while we looked at the drinks menu. The cafe phone kept ringing with an irritating, very loud rendition of Eine Kleine Nacht Musik. It was funny the first time but not on the 3rd and 4th times.
We moved on to Dunblane which was totally different and really lovely. It has a nice shopping street, cathedral and picturesque riverside walk. There is a gold coloured post box to celebrate the towns famous tennus player, Andy Murrays gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics. There is no memorial to the horrific events of 1996 as the town hold private memorials.
On the way to Airdrie we got a good view of Stirling Castle. It looks like a miniture Edinburgh Castle, perched high on a rock.
We arrived at our overnight accommodation in Aidrie and ate in a local Italian restaurant. The meal was excellent. However I was tempted by their cocktail list and chose a Strawberry Daiquri. It wasnt what I expected and was frozen. It didnt thaw out while we were there and every time I took a drink I got "brain freeze". I couldnt finish it!
We then went for a walk around the town. It is a bit run down and we saw a few examples of anti social behaviour. We had a drink in a pub called "The Tipsy Cow" which was quite nice. Most of the shops have black shutters which makes it feel unsafe. However we didnt feel intimidated or uncomfortable while walking around and many people that we passed were very friendly and said hello. There were a few nice buildings.
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