Pilgrim’s Way Stage 1

Todays walk was slightly different to our normal jaunts as we were about to commence the first few miles of the newly opened Pilgrim Way. The 64 mile walk (depending on where you start as it is billed as 55 miles from North Queensferry to St Andrews if you omit Culross) officially opened on the 5th of July so the 14 walkers about to set off in the sunshine were surely one of the first groups to be lucky enough to experience the new Fife walking route

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The walk started at the small lighthouse situated just under the Forth Rail Bridge which gave a chance for the walkers who were interested to climb the steps of the lighthouse to see the unusual view at the top. Once on our way, we stopped for our group photo enabling us to chart the start of our Pilgrims adventure.

The 'Lions head Well' created a bit of a talking point as it seemed to depict a man and a woman engaged in a scuffle. On further investigation legend has it that it is actually a woman defending the wells water from a sailor.

We followed the path downhill leading us in the direction of Carlingnose Point Wildlife Reserve where there was a plaque commemorating Lt George Paton of the Royal Scots Fusiliers who was killed during the First World War saving his men from a grenade thrown during a training exercise nearby.

At this stage we had gorgeous views over the water and were quite envious of the owners of the houses overlooking the beach with their fantastic views. Continuing along the path we had a quick stop for a breather  (it was getting warmer by this time) at the picnic area where we were approached by other walkers alerting us to be on the lookout as Charlie was out and about with his wee dog Hamish and might be heading our way. By now we were almost at Inverkeithing with the not so scenic scrapyards ahead of us and the quarry to our left. 

On reaching Inverkeithing it was time for our coffee stop. One thing that has been noted is the lack of refreshment stops on the Pilgrims Way but I'm sure the Pilgrims were not as lucky as us since we were able to pop into Greigs the bakers for our takeaway teas and cakes which we were able to sit and enjoy in the lovely gardens at the Inverkeithing Hospitium, an old Friary building now used as a community centre.

A short walk from here brought us to the station where we said our walkers prayer before the majority of the group caught the train back to Kirkcaldy and Stephen and I walked back the route we had just come taking us back to our car at North Queensferry.

A great start to our Pilgrims journey was had by all. 

Kerry

Stirling - 10 years of Bennochy Walkers

Day One - Saturday 15th June 2019

There was much excited chatter as the minibus pulled into Elgin Street. All 14 of us (15 counting our driver Dianne) waiting patiently with packed bags ready and raring to go on the special highlight of our walking year, Bennochy Walkers 10th birthday trip to Stirling. An overnight stay - a first for the walkers at Stirling Youth Hostel but a special birthday requires something different!

Arriving at our abode for the night, we stopped just long enough to deposit our foodstuffs before heading to our first stop "The Engine Shed" where we enjoyed our tea and coffee and a piece of birthday cake before heading off on our first walk to Bridge of Allan. Taking a slight detour past the new student accommodation which is being built, I wondered if this had been a deliberate plan of the organiser as surely the building would be ready in time for next years trip 

Following the road through town we reach the bridge which will take us to the village of Cambuskenneth. According to the information board the bridge was opened on 23rd October 1935 replacing the original method of transport which was a small ferry service that had existed since medieval times. Once across the bridge we continue through the village onto a rural road heading towards the Wallace Monument. In the distance we could see the castle showing how far we had walked since the minibus was parked just below. We passed both the Wallace Monument and part of Stirling University before reaching our destination at Bridge of Allan, pausing to eat our packed lunch at Provost Park and for Janice to model her newly bought hat. It was at this point the rain decided to make an appearance.

It was time to press on as we still had the next part of our walk which would take us on to Dunblane ahead of us. Up to now we had walked approx 3.8 miles. We continued along the Main Street where we encountered the actual "Bridge of Allan" from where the village takes it's name. Turning right we headed alongside the river until we reached the path named 'Darn Walk'. At this point it wasn't so much of Darned Walk as darned rain since the heavens had by this time opened. Luckily once we were at the top of the hill we were shaded by the trees. it was just past here that the group encountered a beautiful deer who stood and watched us dafties out in the wet before running for the trees. 

When we reached the village of Dunblane we stopped at the golden postbox dedicated to Sir Andy Murray where we posed for photos and a few of the group posted their postcards. It was time for "refreshments" at the Riverside Pub, although this time, most opted for a form of fermented grape juice rather than the usual tea or coffee but this was a momentous occasion after all! Before we knew it, the time had arrived to head for the bus taking us back to base just giving us enough time to get ready for our evening meal at The Stirling Highland Hotel. A good choice as everyone seemed delighted with their food.

Back to the hostel for the festivities! There was plenty to keep us occupied as the gin and wine flowed freely along with the hilarity with quizzes and games and who could forget Mary and Audreys rendition of "Sisters?" (no-one was that drunk) much to the amusement of our fellow hostellers who were equally entertained!

It was also at this point that Dianne was presented with her goodies in recognition of getting Bennochy Walkers up and running 10 years ago  and for organising our birthday trip (after all her being driver, organiser and party planner   where would we all be without her? all left in Kirkcaldy, that's where!) Just before heading to bed there was another surprise in store for Sybil since it's very close to another special birthday! One by one the party headed for bed since day 2 was looming.

Day 2 - Sunday 16th June 2019

Up and ready at the crack of dawn our chefs had been busy preparing breakfast for all at 845 prompt. Packed lunches were made and bags packed and loaded onto the minibus. I should congratulate everyone at this point since, with a little forward thinking, we all had jobs to do and everyone pulled together, working as a team and helping make the Bennochy Walkers the great group that it is.

Unfortunately todays weather wasn't so kind. It started off rather dull before turning to rain. We headed off down through the city towards Bannockburn. It was at this point some of the group decided to do their own thing ending up at Stirlings Thistle Shopping centre. The group was now down to 11. We reached Bannockburn Visitor Centre and stopped for coffee. We walked to the Bruce Statue posing for photos (in the rain) losing another 2 members when Ian and Sybil decided to head back to the city centre. The remaining 9 braved the rain to finish an approximate 3.2 mile figure of 8 loop, starting and finishing at the visitor centre before bussing it back to Stirling to meet up with the rest of the group and jump onto the minibus to head home. Of course, the birthday party had one final stop to make at South Queensferry for delicious fish and chips from Grazianos, stopping to munch them whilst enjoying the views of the bridges.

Once loaded into our minibus we were ready for the final leg of our journey back to the church pausing to recite our prayer before heading our separate ways. Good times and happy memories made with a great bunch of people, old friends and new, all different but brought together by our shared love of walking. Here's to the next 10 years!

Kerry

Kinross/ Milnathort

13 walkers gathered outside Bennochy Church for todays dander which was Milnathort/Kinross. The weather was not looking promising at all as we were joined by dark, grey skies with the threat of rain looming.

Never put off by the thought of a little bit of the wet stuff we set off in our cars to our starting point, the boathouse, Loch Leven, Kinross. Where we were joined, not by rain, but Charlie and Christine bringing the total amount of our group to 15.

Following the path with gorgeous views of the Loch on our right, the day had decided to brighten a little. It certainly wasn’t cold.
We carried on through the wooded area with an immaculately kept golf course on our right. We passed the old wrought iron gate with ornate pillars known locally as ‘Marys Gate’ named after Mary Queen of Scots who was imprisoned on the Island.

Carrying on until we reached the top end of Kinross, we paused while it was decided whether we continued walking or stopped for our coffee stop. By this time the sun was out and we were getting warmer so coffee break it was.

Todays venue was the ‘Heaven Sent’ tearoom who were ready for us unlike some of the customers as we were greeted with a ‘Here come the ramblers’ which I can only presume was said in jest.
The table was set upstairs which was reached by using the most novel doorway we had ever come across, a fridge! ‘Just go through the fridge and upstairs to the left’ we were told by the waitress. We had a room to ourselves, the coffee, tea and scones were delicious and service was great. 

We were now ready to head up through the town back to the starting point where we said our prayer and jumped in our cars ready for home. Thank you Carol and Bill for another great walk.

No date has been set for our next walk as it’s now only two weeks (yes, two weeks, how did that happen!) until our Stirling trip. See you all then folks!





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Leslie

We set off as usual at 12.45, nine of us in two cars and drove up to the car park in Greenside place in Leslie. One of the group remarked that they once had hangings here but it wasn't clear if they were flower baskets, pictures or the very worst members of the area's underbelly. We left the car park and set off on a section of the Monk's Walk, so called as it was once used by the members of monasteries in south of Fife as they ventured off to carry civilisation and the Christian word to the out laying places to the North including Kennoway , Cupar and across the river to Dundee and Tayside. We carried on to the High street and then across the viaduct where we met some little kids who wanted to know what we were doing and why some of us needed sticks. We then joined the network of paths and trail via this Leslie trail as the sign said. The other sign that caught my eye was one saying FORP which I thought must be Fife Organization of Roads and Paths or something but it is actually Friends Of Riverside Park, who are group of volunteers who look after the park etc. We followed this rather muddy part of the walk till we came to the River Leven and followed its bank taking us under the B969 road, across the little bridge and into the main car park. From there we strolled ( it got warmer) up the other side of the river and on passed the derelict shell of Leslie House. We stopped here to have a longer look at its sad state and agreed that it must have been a beautiful building in it's time.
It was built between 1667 and 1674 for the Duke of Rothes and became the seat of the Rothes family. It was called locally Villa de Rothes and became the centre of the village. It was such a fine house and is said to have rivalled Holyrood in size and glamour. It experienced various refurbishment more than one big fire, the last of which coming in 2009 leaving it in it's present sorry state. It is now thought to be in the hands of a developer who intends to create luxury flats but safety and planning issues have this on hold. We returned to the cars and went off for tea and scones at Alfresco in Glenrothes shopping centre where we also chose the tasks each of us would carry out on our summer trip. We had to pick the tasks for those who weren't with us thus ensuring that they got the worst tasks. Just kidding. We thoroughly enjoyed our day and the weather stayed fine. Roll on the next 

Preston Island

Culross/Preston Island
Easter Sunday 21st April

Wow! What a glorious day! We asked for sun and boy did we get sun! Luckily Mary was on hand with suncream for all. What else is in that rucksack?

Everything was a bit up in the air as it had been undecided where this walk would lead. On our last meet a few walkers voiced the fact that they would be unable to attend so there was plan b which would take us to Torryburn or the original plan which was Culross/Preston Island. 

On the day 13 walkers appeared and with the weather as it was, we reverted back to our original walk. Today also brought a new walker to the group, Liz. Hopefully Liz enjoyed her first walk enough to make her want to join us again on a future venture.

We started at the car park situated at the West end of the village, following the railwayline and coast with beautiful sea views to our right. We followed the track until we reached the railway crossing taking us over the track and continued towards the point. The path taking us to the point was surprisingly quiet having left the very busy, bustling village behind us.

When we reached the point we stopped for a quick breather. This gave Rona the perfect opportunity to hand out the mini chocolate eggs she so thoughtfully brought with her. Some of the group decided to ‘roll’ (or throw) their eggs towards the improvised finish line which was actually two daisies but nevertheless they served their purpose well. Well done to Liz whose egg landed closest to the line. Much fun was had by all.

Off we headed again towards the ruins of the old salt pans pausing to read the info boards telling of the bygone activity in the area when ‘Preston Island’ actually was an Island. We followed the loop which now was heading back towards Culross. We reached the shaded wooded area where we came across what Carol described as the ‘Easter Bunny’ and we encountered a lovely deer hiding in the woods.

We once again reached the gate taking us over the railway track and the last stretch of path taking us back to our cars.

Tea and cakes at Dobbies garden centre in Dunfermline was gladly received by all. Thanks to me for leading todays walk 😂

Next walk arranged for Sunday 19th May.

Kerry

 

Lochore Meadows

Todays walk saw 14 walkers return to Lochore Meadows, last visited by the group in November 2017.

From the onset the weather was rather dull but dry. We enjoyed a nice relaxing loop of Loch Ore covering roughly 3.5 miles.

Coffee stop was at the cafe named after the former local councillor, Willie Clarke which opened in 2018. Tea, coffee biscuits and cakes were enjoyed by all.

Thanks to Carol and Bill, todays walk leaders. Next walk arranged for Sunday 21st April
(Easter Sunday)

Leven

Sunday 10th March 2019

A dozen hardy walkers, braving the cold, headed off from our usual meeting place at the church, all with fingers crossed in the hope it would stay dry, which luckily it did.

Todays starting point was Leven Promenade which seems to now have an influx of ‘traffic calming’ speed bumps. Unfortunately not all drivers were aware of this and so some were in for a bumpy ride.



Off we headed across the golf course, past the back of a housing scheme and over the main road to the entrance of Letham Glen. Entering the glen, we made our way up the main path, recalling the last time Bennochy Walkers had covered this walk and of the hilarity we had as various members had tried their hand at the outdoor exercise equipment. Too cold today to stop, we had to keep moving onwards although we did have time to pause while Isobel dispensed the boiled sweets to help us on our way. On leaving the glen, we veered right, following a farm track which eventually brought us to the edge of Blacketyside Farm. Here we crossed the main road into Silverburn Park, shortly picking up the golf course path again, leading us back to the Promenade car park.

A short drive brought us to Wellsgreen Golf Range, our very welcome stop for the obligatory tea, coffee and scones which were enjoyed by everyone along with the smooth, faultless service.

While we enjoyed our tea and coffee it was mentioned to the group that the Bennochy Walkers Blog seemed to have fallen by the wayside. It was agreed that this duty would now be shared by Ian and Kerry with the option that anyone leading any further walk could write their own blog if they desired. All present seemed happy with this arrangement including todays walk leader. (thank you Audrey) 

Next walk agreed for Sun 7th April.

Kerry 😀

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