Lower Largo/ Keil's Den/ Lundin Links 13th September

I haven't quite worked out how to get this picture the right way up.

We parked at the shore at Lower Largo, and after admiring the beautiful view across the water we started the gentle but steady climb up the Serpentine walk to reach Upper Largo. Today is 'Open Doors' day in Fife and we were tempted to pop in and see Upper Largo church, but resisted as we would have had to have coffee and a blether and may not have had time left for the walk. Upper Largo is a quaint wee town - no two houses the same it seemed, and a lovely wee school for the local children. Idyllic! Largo Law was beautiful today as you can see on the first photo above. Hilda was testing out her new binoculars so we all had to have a shot to see who could see the farthest. We passed a caravan park and remarked how restoring it must be for folk with busy city lives to holiday in a spot such as this.

We walked along the edge of the wheat fields and stopped to watch the combine harvesters gathering the ripened crop. What a wonderful sight. But the thought of wee sleekit cow'rin' tim'rous beasties possibly scarpering for their lives made us continue our walk at speed.

Keil's Den (Woodlands Trust) is a beautiful walk and one that none of us had been on before. Again we stopped at vantage points along the way to soak up the views. One of our group, who shall remain nameless, did suggest that the farmer surely wouldn't miss one tattie shaw in a field we stood in. But reflecting on Rev Elston's sermon today about taking something that didn't belong to you, she was suitably shamed. Some folk...

By the time we reached Lundin Links the weather was becoming cooler and when we had one last look at Largo Law, we couldn't quite see it all for the cloud resting atop. Through the town and on to Lower Largo again where we stopped at the Crusoe Hotel for our coffee. We sat outside of course and talked about the appeal of seaside houses, all painted in different colours and some with steps right down to the shore. A lottery win was mentioned.....

We passed Robinson Crusoe's statue on the house where Alexander Selkirk was born as we walked through the very narrow main street of hotch potch little houses. And after picking up the car and Rona driving back along the same narrow street, we wondered why it isn't one way and another route created out of the village. Well I guess that is just part of the village's quirky charm.

Balbirnie to Star

It was fair when we left the church today and we were determined to get our walk in before the r*** which had been forecast for this afternoon. We started off at Balbirnie and walked through the town of Markinch taking a wee detour to look at the Stob Cross and read the plaque which explains it's history. Then off to the countryside taking the gentle incline to Cuinin's Hill (137m) through the woods. Just as we were about pecht, we reached the top and the view opened out to a commanding 3000 view stretching from the East Lomond to the Pentlands across the water. We had to stand for a few minutes and soak up God's artistry. Over the last few weeks the countryside has changed from being a lush patchwork of many shades of green to the beautiful yellows and gold of harvested cropfields today. There was a discussion about the changes of seasons and how we love each one whenever it arrives. It was definitely autumnal today and we were lapping it up. It was at that point also that Irene, Hilda, Rona and Dianne felt rather fortunate to be Fifers and bragged unashamedly about our home county. We reached the wee village of Star and admired the well -kept gardens and the well-fed cows. Yes, there's a farm right in the middle of the village. We didn't actually see any human beings though, until we got to the Plough Inn where we had coffee and a heat by the log burning fire. On our return journey we took a slightly different route past North Lodge, Brunton where the owners have taken great care and effort to create a tree-lined drive and made use of broken down drystane dykes to create lovely flowerbeds. One last look at the stunning view across the Forth - Rona even spotted the dry skislope at Hillend, Midlothian - before we began wending our way downwards, sampling the wild blackberries en route. Back in Markinch again we looked at all the buildings, old and new, and headed for the church spire which all agreed was a comforting sight on the landscape of any town. I thought I felt a spot or two of the wet stuff on my cheeks so picked up the walking pace a little to get back to the car. There's never a lull in the conversation on these walks, and today was no exception. That's the world put to rights once again.

And as we were driving out of Markinch I switched on the wipers. Prayers work.

Lochore Meadows

At 11.00am it was doubtful if today’s walk would go ahead as it had been raining steadily for several hours and the skies were many shades of grey. Faith is the name of the game though, and so we turned up at 1.00pm as did the sunshine and what a beautiful afternoon it turned out for Sandra, Greg, Hilda, Colin, Bob and Dianne to walk around Lochore Meadows. There were no inclines to challenge us today and so we were able to walk at a fair skelp. It was pretty warm but a balmy breeze prevented our temperature rising and we talked about the diverse weather conditions we have had today and recently. We also took time to appreciate the beauty of the loch and Benarty which was at its best today. What a great resource Fife has here for water sports, children’s play and picnic areas, fishing and other outdoor sports. This week is Fife’s Outdoor Access Festival, and here at the Meadows many people were taking advantage of the events on offer. We stopped for a photo shoot at a wee pier and Bob remarked that the walk had just come to an abrupt end! You can see the result above – I was praying that the pier would actually take our weight. As you can see, we were still dry in the next photo. Chatting and listening to others while we walk is important and there were no lulls in that respect. And so we were ready for our cuppa at the Lochside cafe at the end of 3.5 miles and all agreed that it had been a pleasant, cannie way to spend an afternoon with friends.

Kinghorn Walk

July 12th 2009
After Rev Dr G Blount promoting Kinghorn at church this morning as a town seemingly for the righteous as only Kinghorn had missed the recent flash floods, the group felt confident that we had chosen this blessed place for our second walk. Ah well, smug was also a word he used in his sermon.
We parked in the town and walked to the Golf Course Pavilion from where we had a gentle climb to the Caravan Park and stopped to take in the breathtaking view. From there, every few yards or so one of us commented on the vista over the Forth, along the Fife coast, the Bridges and the different shades of green we were taking in. We walked over Grangehill and down to Craigencalt Ecology centre where we investigated the Earthship made entirely from old car tyres and recycled materials. Self sufficient for energy too as this comes from solar and wind power. Even the rain water is used twice! We enjoyed walking through the herb gardens and the polytunnels where they were bringing on wonderful vegetables. No, we resisted the temptation to take cuttings. But at this point we did take shelter as the heavens opened for a few minutes. Then the heat and the blue skies returned and we were on our way again past Kinghorn Loch where many ducks, geese and swans were cooling off.
On reaching the town, we strolled down the old part of Kinghorn and noted the 18th century houses which are still sought after, and we admired and commented on the many and varied shops in the town which really make this a bustling wee community.
Rona, Irene, Hilda and Dianne ended our walk at Niven’s coffee shop in High Street and can recommend the fruit scones. We also recommend the simplicity of walking in the countryside with friends. It is good for the soul.

First Walk, Letham Glen, Leven

First Walk 28th June 2009.
Rona, Keith, Hilda, Irene and Dianne parked at Letham Glen, Leven and walked through the glen as far as the bridge, then, apart from a wee mishap where we turned the wrong way, we climbed a brae and exited the park into the open countryside. We needed a drink by that time as we had worked up a heat already. The weather was perfect for walking – mild, but dull. We followed the route from a book, ‘25 Fife Walks’ by Hamish Brown and felt confident we were on the right track when we passed Coldstream Farm, and then a beautifully maintained cottage and garden called Cuffabout. Still following the map, we crossed a road into private land owned by Blacketyside. We were walking on tarmac then so were able to stride out with no fear of passing traffic. Blacketyside House with lovely grounds was to our left, and to the right, acres of fruit fields; rows and rows of strawberries, and raspberries in poly tunnels. Of course we visited Blacketyside tea rooms for our coffee and scones, and to use the facilities. We then crossed the main road to Silverburn and walked through the estate then onto the links path via the golf course. Many golfers were playing today as there was a tournament on. We breathed in the sea air and watched the microlites buzz overhead. The last part of the walk took us onto Leven Promenade and through the town till we completed the circle and returned to Letham Glen. All agreed it was a good walk with good weather and good company. Life is good. Thanks be to God.