Facts of the Day:
Date: 07/August/2002
From: Atlantic Ocean
Via: North Sea
To: Aberdeen
Miles: 6 (land), 100 (nautical)
Midges: none
Weather: Fog and rain, some sun later
Mood: Improving

After a night out on sea I arrived in Aberdeen early in the morning. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very nice during most of the morning: The coast was mostly covered in fog while we were still at sea and soon after we arrived in Aberdeen it started to rain. Having arrived in Aberdeen I first went to the tourist information to arrange a place to stay for the next two nights. They found me a very nice guest house, the Allan Guest House near Duthie Park. The rest of the morning I spent at a laundrette, two loads of laundry had to be done (this should be the last one though, I should have enough clean clothes now until the tour ends). Early in the afternoon I was ready to explore Aberdeen, making my way to Union Street. After a few weeks in more remote areas of Scotland and sometimes having beaches for myself it was strange to see so many people in one place... Along Union Street I walked to Castlegate, from where you have a nice view down Union Street and over the Town House and The Tolbooth. Aberdeen City Council have four museums, all with free admission. The first one I visited was The Tollbooth. It is one of Aberdeen's oldest buildings, with its oldest parts being from the 17th century. It used to be a prison, with the history of crime and punishment documented in the museum. You also get a quite good overview of Aberdeen's history.

My next stop (and last for the day) was the Aberdeen Maritime Museum overlooking the harbour in Shiprow. On various levels linked through stairs and walkways it gives a very good overview about Aberdeen's maritime history. Main focus and probably also the most impressive exhibit cover the oil industry. The model of the Murchison Oil Platform was built and used during its real construction, before it was given to the museum. It is 27ft high and you need to visit all levels to see all of it, with the most interesting parts on the top levels. I found the museum very interesting, in particular the part about the oil industry, something not covered much in other maritime museums I visited.