Category Archives: Scotland

October 26, 2018 · 11:33 am

Autumn Colours at The Hermitage, near Dunkeld, Perthshire

DSCN5166[1].jpgLeaving our Fife Coastal Path exploration, or revisits, to venture further afield in this lovely part of Scotland, our ‘Keeping Wednesdays Special‘ two weeks ago took us an hour or so up the A9, passing Perth to The Hermitage. This is a National Trust for Scotland site near the lovely wee town of Dunkeld on the River Tay ~ a wonderful place to stay or to pause for refreshments if heading further north.

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Undeterred by the fact that the car park was a little cramped, we returned to Dunkeld for coffee before taking the river walk to the Hermitage. The whole walk took about an hour and a half, allowing a stop to buy a local ice-cream at a cafe at The Hermitage car park. Autumn is the perfect time to visit here for a stroll through woodland walks to the waterfall and there are several paths of varied lengths ~ a place to return to I’m sure.

 

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We were blessed by a lovely day when the dappled sun highlighted the marvelous autumn colours. We shed our fleeces and enjoyed the warmth. This was just the perfect break before we launched into volunteering at the Pop Up Rotary Charity Shop in Burntisland. It is days like this that can prove to be an inspiration to writing and a refreshing break.

 

 

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September 13, 2018 · 12:32 pm

Pittenweem ~ The Fisherman’s Hub and other Special Attributes

Next along the Fife Coastal Path from St Monan’s is the fishing village of Pittenweem, the hub which catches and distributes fresh fish to all of Fife and beyond. There is a fish shops straight from the boats at the back of St Monan’s. We buy ours in Burntisland, but a van also brings fish to people’s doors in many areas of Fife.

The beauty of the old stone harbour, with its creels and boats, is enhanced by signs of the working fishing industry in my eyes. The local in-bloom group completes the picture by decorating a variety of bicycles with flowers in the summer months. Delightful!

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Taking one of several narrow cobbled paths, called ‘wynds’ here in Fife, leading you up to the main street, you can find cafes, art and craft shops, an artisan bakery, home made chocolate and a local store and post office. It is from two of the cafes here that you can borrow the key to St Fillan’s Cave.

The cave can be found, set in the sandstone rock face, down another steep path from the church towards the habour. You pass the community library on your left before reaching the rather mysterious cave entrance, protected by an ornate iron gate.

I ‘met’ St Fillan in this cave on a previous visit whilst walking along the Fife Coastal Path. I was uplifted by our meaningful conversation which I recorded in ‘The Healing Paths of Fife‘.

 

The alter, as seen below, is a perfect place in which to reflect on the meaning of life!

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August 7, 2018 · 7:31 pm

Lower Largo to Elie ~ A Pause for Reflection on the Fife Coastal Path

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Elie ~ Fife

The walk between Lower Largo and Elie is at first wild and wonderful; a long sandy rock strewn beach, a nature reserve, shell bay and the hill you see in the photo above, where we looked back and reflected on ‘life ~ past, present and future’ as we gazed back over the coastal path already traversed from The Forth Bridge. (We could see as far as Pettycur)

There is an option to take the challenge of the Elie Chain Link Walk. Here James Carron takes you step by step. For me the daunting prospect was of the mind rather than of a physical nature in The Healing Paths of Fife but was a satisfying achievement nonetheless.

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Earlsferry

It was at Earlsferry, where travellers from the south, maybe even from the Holy Island (Lindisfarne)  in Northumberland, once ferried from North Berwick across the mouth of the Forth to the Fife coast on their way to St Andrews, maybe. It was walking here that I began to be aware of a presence alongside me quite, different from the many characters who talked to me along the way. They didn’t speak to me but I knew that they were there, every step of the way.

Elie is a lovely spot. A sandy harbour where they play cricket in the summer, so I’ve been told.

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Volcanic lava leaves geological signs of Fife’s ancient past, when the land was not as peaceful and hospitable as it is today.

What does Elie have to offer the weary walker? Well there’s the Ship Inn with a decking beside the harbour for idyllic sunny days; The Station Pub in the wee main street, a memento of a time when a railway actually ran to Elie, and a Deli which makes rolls up for you to order for a delicious picnic at one of the many beauty spots near the harbour. There’s even a small harbour cafe for ices and beach fare.

Elie is certainly well worth a visit, to while away a few hours, and it is the beginning of the region on Fife called East Neuk, renowned for its quaint fishing villages.

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