The Coast of Fife. Coast, caves, golf courses and cafes June 2023.
This year's trip is a coastal walk in Scotland from North Queensferry to Dundee, via Burntisland, St Andrew's and a few other places.
There are guide books available. The one I bought is called Fife Coastal Path by Sandra Bardwell and Jacquetta Megarry. Footprint have a waterproof map that covers the whole walk too.
As on previous walks we used a company to organise accommodation and luggage transport from hotel to hotel. Mac's Adventures this time. One or two slip ups but well done Mac's.
Five gadgies and three gadgettes met up at the Double Tree Hilton, very close to the Queen Elizabeth road bridge in North Queensferry on Tuesday June 6th. Once we had sorted out the rooms, there seemed to be some misunderstanding in reception, we had dinner and retired for a good night's sleep before starting the journey.
This is not a guide, just a record of the journey. I should make more notes but that would be nerdy.
We were told there are fifty golf courses in the area.
Day 1, Wednesday June 7th.
Leaving the hotel we walked downhill and soon found the first marker for the Fife Coastal Path. Most of the path is well signed, stickers on lamposts, telegraph poles and buildings, making the whole journey easy to follow. (mostly)
Sometimes you get the man, sometimes just the logo.
We left the path for a short time to admire the smallest lighthouse in the world:
Back on the path we walked through an industrial area for a few miles through Inverkeithing towards Dalgety Bay and beyond.
Not far from Dalgety we stopped for lunch at the ruined St Bridget's Kirk. (mile 7)
St Bridget's kirk. Built 1178 or there abouts. Altered in the 16th century and ruined in the 19th.
Continuing north the path stays close to the railway, sometimes on the west sometimes on the east, passing through Burntisland. The last stretch was on the road until we reached the Bay Hotel at Pettycur Bay, our stop for the night, and restaurant. A large hotel and even larger caravan park and some doubt about rooms too. However a well earned hot shower has retorative properties, especially with some beer. Sadly it has to be said, there is little real ale in Scotland.
Distance for the day: 15.4 miles. Total for the walk, 15.4 miles
Day 2, Wednesday June 7th.
The Bay Hotel
Day 2 Thursday June 8th
Some had the full Scottish and some a slightly smaller breakfast. After stoking up we rejoind the Fife Coastal Path (FCP from now on) and headed north keeping close to the beach and passing housing estates.
The Seafield Tower at mile 2. Like many a castle on this section of coast it's a ruin.
After a few miles we reached the small industrial town of Kirkaldy. Once famous for manufacturing linoleum (oilcloth) the company of Nairn joined with Williamsons of Lancaster who also produced the floor covering. Williamsons of Lancaster is now a housing and light industry estate. Kirkaldy has one small factory producing the once ubiquitous flooring.
The town has a long promenade. At the end of it we found a cafe in a 16th century merchants house. Busy and friendly, with an outdoor area.
Moving on we walked through Dysart and West and East Wemys. We missed McDuff's Castle but found the caves at East Wemyss which were closed. (mile 11)
Just north of Dysart we came across pit head winding gear and a memorial to the men and women who had worked the pit there.
Winding gear for Frances pit.
Undaunted we continued on our way to Buckhaven, Methill, which was a bit industrial, until we reached Leven, the stop for the night.
In Leven we were divided, five lodged at Lomond House, three at Dunclutha which was run by a jolly couple from Penrith in Cumbria. We all ate in the Caledonian Hotel though, good pub food.
Distance for the day 15.1 miles Total for the walk so far 30.6 miles
Day 3 Thursday June 8th
Meeting up at the spot where we left the FCP on the previous day we set off to walk the perimeter of Largo Bay, a beautiful sandy beach which led us on a six mile curve. After a couplke of miles we reached the village of Largo which gave its name to a film starring Humphrey Bogarde and a town in a Clint Eastwood film, High Plains Drifter.
It also had a cafe and a statue of Alexander Selkirk.
Selkirk spent four years and four months on the island of Juan Fernando but never on a Friday.
Largo also has some interesting art work produced by locals:
Better than a tent or your bed and dirty clothes.
Leaving the beach we headed for the chainwalk. There are two choices: walk the steep and staired footpath passing an old military post or be brave and traverse the chain walk. Just what it say, the chainwalk is a series of chains above the beach which people braver than me use. Advised not to cross when the tide is high I chose not to even start. Those who did crossed one section and then decided discretion was the better part of valour and we had a taxi to catch.
Moving on we reached Elie and the Ship Inn near the harbour where we were picked up by taxi and returned to our night's rest back in Leven.
Distance for the day 10 miles Total for the walk so far 40.6 miles
Day 4, Friday June 9th.
Dunclutha House , Leven
We met up after breakfast and were taken back to Elie by taxi to continue on the FCP.
Stepping out from Elie we followed the path close to the sea passing the ruins of Adross and Newark castles.
A pretty stretch of the way we walked through several small fishing villages St Monan's, Pittenweem and the two Anstruthers.
At St. Monan's we paused at the ancient salt pans.
Salt pans of St Monans.
A bit like Cornwall!
And at Caiplie there were caves, open!
Beyond the caves we finished the day in Crail. The party was divided again, five lodged in Hazelton Guest House and three of us in the Honeypot, dinner at the Golf Hotel
The Honeypot, formerly a cafe, now a friendly BnB
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| Distance for the day 11 miles Total for walk so far 51.6 Day 5 Saturday June 10th Leaving Crail behind we headed off for Fife Ness, passing several golf courses and walking, some of us on the beach. The sand was soft which is fine for athletes in training but hard work for mere walkers, like walking on soft snow. After 5 miles coastal wall we turned inland to Cambo for a morning coffee. The cafe was in the stables of a large country house which, we were informed, were inside, drinking coffee and eating scones. One day I will fix these photographs of Cambo, no idea what happened. Back on the FCP we came across the hardest part of the walk, certainly as far as I was concerned. Part of the path was on the beach. At one point there was a rock to climb which proved difficult but a good strong shove from Paul behind me had me over the top. For the next few miles the path, off the beach, followed a series of staircases, well lined with stones but tiring I mus admit, My phone app recorded 49 floors which equates to several hundred feet. Eventually we reached the city of St. Andrews, famous for having the oldest university in Scotland, founded in 1413. It also has an abbey and several golf courses of course. We headed for the Greyfriars Inn, pub, restaurant and hotel. The city was very busy as it was graduation day for the students and the golf courses attract many visitors, especially Americans who, we were told, pay a lot to play the famous courses. Distance for the day 15.5 miles Total for walk so far 67.1 miles Day 6 Monday June 12th The FCP from St Andrew's to Kinshaldy Beach follows alongside the A91 for almost four miles until it reaches Guardbridge where we made a stop for a mid morning coffee. Moving on we walked round the edge of Leuchars, once an RAF base but now used by the army. Photography forbidden! Beyond the base we came to Tentsmuir forest, a fine mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees, and a lot of flies. The name apparently comes from the fact that in 1790 the crew of a Dutch ship pitched their tents on the moor there............. Tentsmuir. Sounds good. At Kinshaldy Beach, actually a small car park we were picked up by taxi and returned to the Greyfriars Inn for an evening meal and a night's rest. Distance for the Day 10 miles Total for walk so far 77.7 miles Day 7 Tuesday June 13th The last day! By taxi to Kinshaldy Beach to resume where we had left off. Easy flat walking north before turning west at Tentsmuir Point and walking to Tayport, another small town with a pretty harbour full of yachts. The day was supposed to end in Newport on Tay from where a taxi would take us over the firth into Dundee. However we decided to walk across the Tay Road Bridge, a flat 1.4 miles . On the north bank we were a few minutes walk from The Premier Inn, home for the last night. After a celebratory drink as soon as we got there we had dinner and headed for the local Wetherspoons pub, passing a statue of Desperate Dan, sadly without a cowpie. (Dundee is home to DC comics which publishes the Dandy and the Beano children's comics. Desperate Dan is a cartoon character.) Dundee is also home to Captain Scott's ship Discovery, a wooden frigate and a strange looking museum, the V and A, which appears to be based on a ship. Distance for the day m11.2 miles Total for the walk 88.8 miles 88.8 miles is my recorded total on my GPS. Others claim 90 plus miles so shall I. For all the maps: Contains OS data, copyright, crown copyrightb and database right 2023 The maps for the last days and photos seem to have vanished. See PART 2 |
Disappointingly no mention of Sawney Bean, did you se his home?
ReplyDeleteHe was discussed one day. His tribe lived mostly in Galloway
ReplyDelete