Nice healthy birthday outing to the park

 Healthy birthday in the park, well..... healthy except for the angel cake, chocolate brownies and gingerbread men!!

My Birthday Outing to Crombie

Because it was my birthday yesterday my daughters, their children and the dogs all came to take me out. No grand or fancy restaurants for us, we went to Crombie Country Park. We walked the couple of miles around the man made loch, let the children play in the adventure playground, picked up our picnic from the cars and then headed to the enclosed marquee for a splendid birthday tea. They toasted my with fizzy apple juice, sang happy birthday over shop bought angel cake  and tucked into cheese and onion quiche, chocolate brownies, ginger bread men, cherry tomatoes, crisps and cuscus salad……….not necessarily in that order. None of us have very much spare cash at the moment but this was one of the nicest birthdays I can remember.

 
Crombie Parks Past
The park has its origins in this areas growing need for water during the mid 1800’s. A nearby reservoir at Moniki was completed in 1854 but found to be inadequate for the growing needs of the area. In 1866 work began to develop the former quarry and part of Crombie Den as a reservoir, with the construction of an enormous, earthen embankment with puddle clay lining.  The whole thing was completed in 1868 but the combined supply of water from Moniki and Crombie was never really sufficient to meet demand. In 1871 work started on the Lintrathen scheme, which remains the key supplier for Dundee plus much of Angus and Perthshire.  Crombie was last used to supply water to Carnoustie in 1981, and for almost 100 years its future was uncertain.

Crombie Park Today

The Park was officially opened in September 1983. It has 102 hectares includes Crombie Loch as well as broadleafed and coniferous woodlands; it is a welcome haven for wild life and waterfowl. The woodlands are home to red squirrels, woodpeckers and roe deer.

My own personal favourite part of this vast park is a tiny unused crofting cottage. It has been left exactly as it was when it was used by crofters during the last century. My dream is to one day find my self living in a little house that looks exactly like this with the front door looking out onto the sea. I would sit at my door and watch the sun rise over the sea.  The only sounds; the sea crashing against the shore, the sand being dragged back into the sea and the gulls screeching above the wind and the waves, no company, no conversation, no nothing except me and my house and the sea. …… Oh Navada

 

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