Scottish Holiday in June (part 2)

 We got to Dundee after seeing the Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel (last post here).  We took the bus into the city centre to explore.  We headed for the riverside and the V&A museum, with its unusual architecture. Alongside that is the ship RRS Discovery.

The sculpture outside was of a whale (that’s the tail end) and there were whale sounds as you walk through.

View across the Tay towards the road bridge 

Outside the V&A Dundee.

The Discovery beside the V&A and reflection in the water.

An impressive building but not so impressed by what was inside. Big reception and shop area, with stairs to the year’s exhibit, which was called Tartan, about the iconic Scottish woven cloth and its use in fashion and everyday life.  That was surprisingly big and we spent a long time there. We thought there would be more of the building to explore, but that was it. Below is a punk outfit by Vivienne Westwood, below that is a Victorian collection.

Debated whether to visit the Discovery, but in the end didn’t as we looked for somewhere for lunch but didn’t get back there. A colourful pebble mosaic on the ground outside there of a Mariner’s Compass, with penguins (The Discovery was at the Antarctic).

Anyway lunch was at the city’s McManus Museum, a Victorian building with history of life and industry of Dundee.  Beautiful stained glass windows and arches which are of the Victorian Gothic style and spent quite a while there too.

The following day we went exploring in the car and after a brief visit to Forfar, we headed towards Perth and Scone Palace (we drove in Perth town centre trying to find our way out to Scone). This is the home of the Stone of Destiny (used recently in the Coronation of King Charles III). We were not allowed to take photos in the house as it is still occupied), but loads of photos outside in its extensive gardens.

I almost forgot to mention that the publishers of the Beano and Dandy Comics are from Dundee, D C Thompson, so we saw Desperate Dan and other comic characters (though not Dennis the Menace) 

Desperate Dan and behind was Minnie the Minx

The printing is done just outside the city and unfortunately the car dealer’s flags got in the way. There’s Desperate Dan and Dennis

And Bananaman

But we didn’t find anywhere that served cow pie!!

On our way from Dundee to Aberdeen we followed the tourist route which followed the east coast.  We managed to visit a heritage railway, in Brechin.

Below is the diesel engine that took us a few miles down the line and back again.

And in the town was this rather impressive drinking fountain.

We stopped at The House of Dun  and had a tour around the house and a wander in the gardens .

It was just an overnight stay in Aberdeen before going onto Inverness and following the tourist route across the Grampians. So I will leave that here and post very soon.