Our opener for the season and tribute tour to the Black Watch. This favourite in the calendar started and finished at the Black Watch Museum Perth.  An overcast but dry, if rather cold day welcomed the 36 starters, allowing those with drop tops to keep them down throughout, if they wrapped up well. Organisers Ron & Jan Adam new route included visits to interesting places on our tour.

McKay /Turner Golf

McKay / McGuire Golf

Following the obligatory Drivers Briefing from Ron Adam, our regular piper struck up a tune for the first out the blocks, two VW Golf’s, a 2024 example with Kirsty McKay / Adam Turner, the second with soft top down, a 2013 crewed by Gillian McKay / Nicky McGuire. Regulars Peter Holmes and Andrew Isherwood followed in Peter’s 1970 Volvo Amazon, with another favourite Ray and Liz Rollo in Raymond’s instantly recognisable 1972 Ford Capri 3.0GT. Time for our oldest car on the event, the 1954 MG TF of Anne Howitt / Kathleen Thomson.  Reuben and Hope Phillips usually arrive in a Mazda MX5 but last minute change of plan resulted in the day BMW car being brought out on the event. Never say Never is the mantra of this crew!

Holmes Volvo Amazon	Rollo Capri
Howitt / Thomson MG TF	Phillips MX5 turned BMW

The Houghton team was led by John and Lillah in their 19775 Alfa Romeo GT1600 Junior, a last minute change from their Triumph TR6 which developed a dodgy relay just before the event. Son Lewis followed father in his 1990 Alfa Romeo 75.  Was great to see Ken Crombie join again in his 1970 Lotus Cortina Mk2, with Murray Mitchell on the roadbook. Final member of the Houghton team, son Daniel and Avril sported a magnificent 1993 Alfa Romeo Spider. Do you get the feeling the Houghton family have a soft spot for Alfa Romeo?  

Houghton Alfa GT1600	Crombie / Mitchell Lotus Cortina
Lewis Houghton Alfa 75	Daniel Houghton - Alfa Spider
Now it doesn’t take a lot to keep Tom Rae in an open top car, this one his fantastic 1961 Lotus 7, with Justin Kennedy braving it again in the co-driver seat. Thick jacket and warm headgear was the order of the day, covering the ears to prevent frostbite!  Charlie Young brought his 2016 bright red Audi TT, with Eddie Hawke reading the roadbook.
Young / Hawke Audi TT	Rae / Kennedy Lotus 7
Nicolson Jaguar XKR	Wilkie / Spence  Citroën 2CV6 Dolly,
The first of our Jaguar sportscars, this 2013 Jaguar XKR of Sandy and Carol Nicolson with top down. I like their style, and bravery! Following them was the 2008 Mercedes SL of Wilma Johnston in a stunning shiny red. Back to the Jaguars, this time a 2014 F-Type crewed by Graeme and Lesley Hays. Derick Wilkie was at the other end of exciting cars, sporting his beautifully presented 1990 Citroën 2CV6 Dolly, with Gordon Spence joining the left hand seat.
Johnston Mercedes	Hays Jaguar F-Type

I have been promised by Kevin Bax that we will see his Jensen Healey at an event soon. Meantime Anne Bax will keep her 2004 Smart Roadster Coupé in fine fettle while the Jensen awaits final freckling before turning out for a tour. Can’t wait…. Linda Telford brought her Suzuki Cicero, with Jock Millar on the roadbook. Jock needs some help to lift out his MG Midget engine gearbox, something he used to do with his eyes shut. Age however is sapping his strength. If you live around Strathaven way and can offer a bit of elbow grease strength let me know and I’ll pass on your details to Jock.

Bax Smart Coupé	Millar / Telford Suzuki
Petrie / Jones Bond Equipe	Sheridan MGB Roadster

Our other intrepid crew, George Petrie and Janet Jones once again turned out in that rare beast these days a 1969 Bond Equipe GT4S. Stuart and Graeme Sheridan made a fine pair in the 1974 MGB Roadster, always good to see Tony and Shona Leese in their 1968 Lotus Elan. These cars really look tiny so watching your own weight is essential to fit in. Getting rarer these days so wonderful to see them out on the road.

Leese Lotus Elan	Main Mercedes
Bartniczek KIa	Paton Mercedes SLK

Roddie and Sylvia Main were in their regular 1995 Mercedes SL. Roddie had completed a challenging brake sensor repair surfing all the how to diagnose / fix blogs and videos. It paid off as no issues on route. Also from Inverness was Richard and Yvonne Bartniczek, this time in their day Kia car, as the Alfa spider is undergoing welding and a repaint job. I spotted an Alfa windscreen in the back seat, destined to grace the restored spider. Look forward to seeing the finished project back on the road. Chris and Mary Paton arrived in their 2000 Mercedes SLK, and were thinking about dropping the hardtop but not yet!

McMeeking / Baillie toyota MR2

Pollock Triumph TR3

Welcome to our newcomers John McMeeking and Douglas Baillie in a 1998 Toyota MR2 Mk2. First met the crew at the RSAC Spring Run a few weeks ago, so really happy they decided to join our run today. Bill & Val Pollock pulled up after some time under the bonnet wondering why the car would not start. Turned out Bill’s secret fuel pump power switch (Electric Facit pump) was so secret Bill forget where it was. Is here or is it there/ I know the feeling, but eventually he found it, turning it on solved the dilemma.

Club committee member George Shand with wife Jean pulled up in his lates VW Golf GTD, which I’m told does not hang about! Mazda MX5 is always a favourite and good to see Colin and Joanne Jamieson in their 2007 example. Like buses two come along together, Stuart and Shona Lewis in their 2007 MX5.

Shand VW golf GRD	Jamieson Mazda MX5
Fleming MG Midget	Niven / Stuart Passat

Coming up the rear was Tony and Ruaridh Fleming, an event start time miscalculation putting them toward the end of the starters. Being late is better than missing the bus altogether. Their 1970 MG Midget sounded good to go. Pulling up the rear was Tom Niven and John Stuart, both on the CCHMSC committee. The pair should have been in Tom’s 2005 MGF, but that failed to restart after a fuel stop in Dundee. Rescue services diagnosed trailer journey home to Glasgow, so Tom picked up his day car the VW Passat, just like Rueben and Hope Phillips. Always a solution to an unexpected problem!       


The Route

We set off towards the east and Dundee, heading along the Sidlaw hills, continuation of the Ochils. This range of hills in the counties of Perthshire and Angus extend 30 miles from Kinnoull Hill, near Perth, northeast to Forfar. We skirted to the north of Dundee swinging north east, bypassing Forfar to our west before arriving at Letham. From there it was a calm run in to Brechin Garden Centre and our coffee / lunch stop, where we caught up with many of our colleagues taking advantage of the refreshments, with some coming out with a selection of garden plants. Brechin claims the birthplace of many famous people including James Tytler (1747–1805): Known as "Balloon Tytler," he was the first British person to make a hot-air balloon flight. The most recent and well known is Robert Watson-Watt (1892–1973): inventor of Radar as used extensively in WW2, without which the outcome may have been very different.
We continued our tour in our trusty classics, no hot air balloons for us today!  Some 3 miles out we came across the home of Alexander (Sandy) Davidson who was the wright at Netherton Smiddy, where he lived in the two-bedroom smiddy cottage with his wife, Margaret, their six children and two workers. It was from here that Sandy and Margaret travelled to their new life in Wisconsin, USA. There, three of their children, Arthur, Walter and William, along with Englishman Bill Harley, became the founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company®. It took over 3 years of campaigning to save this important piece of motorcycle history and it is now run by the community.

Continuing to Aberlemno we saw the famous  Pictish stones, six of which have been found in or around the village. We skirted around Kirriemuir to avoid the Bon Fest celebrations. Bonfest is an annual celebration honouring the legendary Bon Scott, the iconic frontman of AC/DC, in his Scottish hometown of Kirriemuir. What started as a small local gathering has grown into a full-blown international rock festival – and in 2026 was proudly celebrating 20 years of keeping Bon’s spirit alive. Each year, fans from around the world come together for three days of live rock music.

Heading due west we reached Balintore Castle, a Victorian Category A listed building in Scotland. The castle occupies an elevated site in moorland above Balintore village, a few miles north of the Loch of Lintrathen. Currently being restored after years of neglect.  Another favourite stop is the Peel Farm Coffee Shop near Lintrathen Loch which we also passed,  and a few took time to enjoy the refreshments.

On the final leg back to the Black Watch Museum we visited The Waulkmill to Stanley Ferry across the River Tay, which stopped in 1964 when the last ferryman retired, ending a service that had operated from the mid-19th century using a unique chain and cogwheel system.

A  fine high tea awaited us to finish a great day over many little known roads around Perth and Angus