13-17th August 2007
Introduction
David rang me in late July and proposed a walking holiday. August is not a good time for mountains, England tends to be booked up, and Scotland is full of midges. So a research session revealed the best compromise for the time of year; a coast path in the driest part of Scotland away from any insects. The logistics were not straight-forward but eventually I came upon the solution of doing the walk from south to north (leaving the best bits for later) and leaving a car at the end.
Monday 13th August 2007: Start in the Rain
North Queensferry, dep. 15.00
Aberdour, arr. 17.15
Dave had arrived in Macclesfield the previous night so we were able to get a good early start. By 7am we were on our way towards the M6. At the M74 services, we had a quick coffee and cake before David took over the driving so I could navigate over the Kincardine Bridge and across into northern Fife.
It was a very easy and straightforward drive and by mid-day we were parking up in Newport-on-Tay and looking for suitable buses. I had originally planned a bus south to Leucars but this now did not look possible so we took a short ride north across the Tay Road Bridge into Dundee. The bus and train stations are not exactly adjacent so we had a mile through the main shopping streets before getting to the railway station and another coffee and refreshments. At about 1.30pm a train should have arrived to take us south but this was late and we had a worry about making a connection at Kirkcaldy. However, we eventually chugged back over the Tay, with me thinking about McGonagall’s poem ‘The Tay Bridge Disaster’. The countryside looked lovely as we crossed back across the Kingdom of Fife. We passed the ABNA mill at Coupar and then on to Kirkcaldy. We made the connection by a couple on minutes so were very soon going south west down the coast which we were to walk over the next two days.
Just as we pulled into North Queensferry it started to pour down. We thought that this was the beginning of the forecast storms. A steep decent down the road took us to the start, me crouched under the umbrella. We took a quick photograph underneath the Forth Bridge and set off, a few minutes after 3pm. The rain was intermittent throughout the afternoon. The initial mile round a headland was pleasant but then degenerated into a scrap yard/waste recycling plant and the streets of Inverkeithing. The threatened suburban traverse of Dalgety Bay was better than feared with pleasant avenues between the new houses and the shoreline. All we could see to the right was the city of Edinburgh across the water.
We made excellent time round to Aberdour and quickly found our B&B. The nearest pub, the Cedar Inn, was the recommended one and a few pints of London Pride and a plate of fish and chips and the world seemed a better place. The rain had stopped and the skies had cleared. Little did we know that this was the last rain we would see? An early night, the logistics of the car placement behind us, and the walk was all set up for the taking.
We stayed at Peartree House, 13a Shore Road, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0TR. We ate at the Cedar Inn; I had fish and chips and drank London Pride and Deuchars.
Total distance (GPS), 8.20 miles
Moving time, 2.15.00 hrs
Total ascent, 632 ft. Total descent, 575 ft
Tuesday 17th April 2007; Home of a Prime Minister
Aberdour, dep. 09.37
Coaltown of Wymess, arr. 14.50
The village of Aberdour looked a delight as we set off the next morning under sunny skies. It was cool and clear and the views to the south were spectacular. The route followed the railway, sometimes on the far side from the sea. We found all sorts of problems getting through Burntisland. A road was closed at a bridge and the diversion put almost a mile on our route, not a pretty mile. Eventually though, we came round to the leisure centre and a little beach and began our way down the coast. We were forced onto the pavement beside a busy road and had a dreary two miles up passed caravan sites and golf courses until we were able to turn back towards the sea in the village of Kinghorn.
A short off road section took us round to Kirkcaldy which had a long and bleak promenade with the town up the hill to our left. Desperate for a cup of tea, we shot into a shopping centre and sat in a coffee shop for a quick lunch. There was little to see so we set off again at a good pace and were round through Dyserth by early afternoon and came upon a section of cliff top reclaimed from coal mining and slag heaps. The smell of sewage sprayed onto the fields was revolting. At last the industry was behind us and we started onto our first really pleasant section of grassy path round to the pretty village of West Wymyss. The white tower and refurbished cottages looked colourful in the sunshine. It was only 2.30pm when we came to the point for leaving the route and climbing up through the woods to find our accommodation for the evening.
I made a mess of the navigation and ended up in a huge field of cabbage, with a view of the pub beyond. A high wall proved a difficult barrier especially as it dropped us into a busy A-road. We got to the pub before 3pm, hours earlier than intended. It was closed; in fact it looked almost derelict. However we were eventually able to rouse someone, the son of the owner who was able to show us our rooms. So we have time for a good read and rest before the bar opened. The beer was not real ale, but went down well enough. The portions of food were huge. I had the biggest plate of curry I can ever recall and David had a monster burger and chips. We watched a bit of the Rangers match on TV before calling it a day. This was not the place to ask for some English football. We stayed in The Earl David Hotel, Main Street, Coaltown of Wemyss, Fife, KY1 4NN and drank Belhaven 80/-.
Total distance (GPS), 16.05 miles
Moving time, 4 hrs 36m 55s.
Average speed, 3.4 mph. Average pace, 17m 14s per mile
Total ascent, 2050 ft. Total descent, 1924 ft
Wednesday 18th April 2007: Robinson Crusoe and Chocolate Brownies
Coaltown of Wymess, dep. 09.05
Elie (lunch), arr. 13.45., dep. 14.15
Anstruther, arr. 16.20
It must have been the biggest breakfast I have ever faced, the complete works including both black pudding and haggis. But we had ahead of us our longest day so we would need the calories later. The rain during the night had cleared to leave a bright sunny morning, not too warm and perfect for walking. We set off down the road and this time found the correct track through the woods and back down to the sea. The early part of the walk was not an inspiration. The first two miles were OK but after we had passed through East Wymess and up to the top of the cliffs, we descended into Buckhaven and an hour of dreary suburbia ending with a power station.
But eventually we came to the bridge over the Leven and we crossed into a different world, a world of promenades, gardens, and guest houses. A huge beach stretched out in front of us and for the first time in the walk, we were able to take to the sand. Rachel texted me soon after we had started the crossing. I rang her back and noticed for the first time that David had dropped back and was walking with his head down. ‘Blisters’ I thought, regretting that I had not lent him my needles to burst them the previous night.
The route came back to the shore for a river crossing. The sand dunes around Lundin Links were hard work after the firm wet sands of Largo Bay. A lovely little bridge took us over to Lower Largo and the Crusoe Hotel. It did not look a likely tea stop so we walked on through town looking for a café. All we found was Alexander Selkirk’s house, the birthplace of the guy whose desert island experiences became the model for Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
David then explained that his knee was hurting, it was more serious than blisters. There was nothing we could do but walk on, over several more miles of sand before a deep river forced us inland and over a couple of wooden footbridges. These gave us access to a headland comprising
of a caravan site and Shell Bay, a lovely remote beach. A short climb to a tower led us over to a view of Elie and its magnificent golf course. A steep drop brought us back to sea level and a footpath around the course. Soon we were in the village of Elie enjoying chocolate brownies and tea at the Harbour Master’s café.
David’s leg was stiffening up but he decided he could make the last six miles so we left Elie for probably the best stretch of coastline, through the small fishing ports of St Monan’s, with it church by the sea, and Pittenweem. We turned left at Anstruther golf club-house and came out on the road just near our bed and breakfast. It had been a long hot day, a day which had reduced David to a hobble. After a short rest we slowly plodded down towards the harbour, pausing for a really good meal at the Dreel Tavern, haddock and vegetables, and then round the harbour for a pint in a small pub. We spent a pleasant half hour talking to an old couple who had just sailed over from North Berwick for the Anstruther Muster, an annual meeting of yachts.
David was now of the opinion that his walk was over and when he found that there was a bus to Glasgow that left at a convenient time in the morning, he resolved to go over to see Rachel.
We stayed at The Grange, 45 Pittenweem Road, Anstruther, Fife, KY10 3DT
Total distance (GPS), 21.70 miles
Moving time, 6 hrs 52m 40s
Average speed, 3.1 mph. Average pace, 19.08 m per mile
Total ascent, 856 ft. Total descent, 919 ft
Thursday 19th April 2007: On my own round Fife Ness
Anstruther, dep. 09.00
St Andrews, arr. 16.10
It was obviously the right decision of David’s to terminate his walk and jump on the bus back towards Rachel’s. What was I to do? Go with him, go and get the car, or carry on? I had already paid for a rather expensive night’s accommodation in St Andrews and it would not be much longer to walk back to the car, possibly only setting me 24 hours behind David. So we parted at the bus stop by the quay in Anstruther and I set off on my own. I sat for a few minutes to ring the lady in St Andrews and warn her that we were down to a party of one. Then off I set on a glorious morning. Considering the weather that England was getting, we had been amazingly lucky.
It seemed no time round to Crail and onwards towards the eastern tip of Fife. I paused momentarily at a mobile home site to ask a lad painting a new prefab how much they were going for. ‘£200,000 for this one’, he replied. I walked on aghast. Finally I came to Fife Ness, not dramatic in the Cornish or Welsh way, just a low headland with a modern coastguard station and light house. Rather a let-down, really. Round the corner I came to my first golf course. Golf was going to dominate the next 24-hours. The first course was OK but I soon came to a notice that instructed me to ‘Walk on the Beach and if the tide is in, wait for the water to recede’. I began to feel unwelcome.
Whilst on the beach I saw an old settee in the sand-dunes so I was reminded of how hungry I was. I ate my emergency rations, the flapjacks I carry around the outside of the rucksack. Whilst I was preparing to continue, a couple came up the beach and were obviously happy to chat. I ended up walking with them for over an hour; David and Deidre, an architect and his wife from near Glasgow. I took a picture of them as we crossed the footbridge over the river just north of
Kingsbarn. By the time we got back to the coast and the weird shaped rock formations, I felt that Deirdre was uncomfortable with the rather relentless pace that I had injected into their walk. They seemed happy to wish me well and see me on my way. So back on my own, I soon pulled round a low headland and got my first view of St Andrews. This was rather dramatic. With its towers and ruins, it reminded me of a central Asian city seen in the distance from a desert crossing. The sea in between us gave it away, but it was with renewed enthusiasm that I strode out over the last couple of miles and dropped back into civilisation. Except for golfers, it had been a remote section of coast; no villages and very few farms.
The route came into town passed the leisure centre, along the east beach and then crossed over the lock gates of a delightful harbour. I kept to the outermost roads through the town until I finally came out at the old course. This came as a shock. I had no idea that the golf course came right into the town centre.
That was enough on the route for one day and time to turn inland to search for my bed & breakfast. It seemed a long was out and I was tired and grumpy when I arrived at the house, especially as I realised that I was going to have to walk all the way back into town later for a meal. But a shower and a rest revived me and I thoroughly enjoyed my exploratory walk round town and my real ale and fish and chips in the Cellar Bar in Bell Street. I was served by a delightful guy, a student earning some extra money in the bar. I had probably completed another three miles by the time I got back to the B&B for my early night.
I stayed at Balrymouth B&B, 6 Balrymonth Court, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8XT. I ate at the Cellar Bar in Bell Street and enjoyed Lomond Gold and Osians ales.
Total distance (GPS), 20.15 miles
Moving time, 6 hrs 33m 31
Average speed, 3.0 mph. Average pace, 19m 31s per mile
Total ascent, 1079 ft. Total descent, 1029 ft
Friday 20th April 2007: Road and Forest
St Andrews, dep. 08.37
Tentsmuir Car Park (lunch), arr. 11.30, dep. 11.40
Newport on Tay, arr. 14.15
The lad in the bar the previous night had told me that the golf clubs were not happy with the development of the coastal path. I was now to find out just how unwelcome the walker is in St Andrews.
The map showed me that the route continued over all the golf courses, off road all the way from the old course to Guardbridge. However soon after walking down the 18th and reaching the road hole green, the notice diverted me onto a tarmac cycle way beside the A91. On another delightful and sunny morning, I had four miles along the main road, then two more miles passed RAF Leuchars and then on and on along tarmac towards the main car park of Tentsmuir Forest. By the time I stopped for my first break, I had done 10 miles of road walking I was very thankful that my new shoes were so comfortable.
I was delighted that there was a tea caravan in the car park and would have sat there for ages enjoying the drink and a rest if it had not been for a family who screamed and shouted at each and completely shattered the peace. So I took my tea and set off north along a wide forest trail, sipping my drink as I went. It seemed an age before the trail eventually came to Tentsmuir Head, the turn into the Firth of Tay. I had a quick rest on a bench overlooking the sea and estuary, my first view of the coast today. A couple of ladies walked passed on a narrow sandy track and I realised that there was a way along the coast that was outside the forest. So I took to this path and this led me on to the wet estuary sand. As the tide was out I made good time right along into Tayport. This looked a nice little place but I was soon through and onto an old railway, tarmac surfaced unfortunately, which led quickly round to the Tay road bridge and thence into Newport. I resisted the temptation of finishing at the car but marched resolutely on to the jetty which is the official start and finish of the route. Then I turned slowly back and returned the half mile to the car via a shop where I got a bottle of wine and some flowers for Rachel.
The car was OK and I quickly changed out of my walking shirt and started the drive back to Ayrshire. The earlier I got round Glasgow, the more likely I would be to miss the Friday rush hour traffic. This was not too bad and by 5 pm I was parking up outside Queens Terrace and enjoying a shower and my first pint of tea with Rachel and Johnny. David’s knee was no better and he would need work on his leg and back the following week. Thankfully he was soon to recover.
Total distance (GPS), 19.00 miles
Moving time , 5 hrs 27m 36s
Average speed, 3.4 mph. Average pace, 17.28 m per mile
Total ascent, 1151 ft. Total descent, 1107 ft
Introduction
David rang me in late July and proposed a walking holiday. August is not a good time for mountains, England tends to be booked up, and Scotland is full of midges. So a research session revealed the best compromise for the time of year; a coast path in the driest part of Scotland away from any insects. The logistics were not straight-forward but eventually I came upon the solution of doing the walk from south to north (leaving the best bits for later) and leaving a car at the end.
Monday 13th August 2007: Start in the Rain
North Queensferry, dep. 15.00
Aberdour, arr. 17.15
Dave had arrived in Macclesfield the previous night so we were able to get a good early start. By 7am we were on our way towards the M6. At the M74 services, we had a quick coffee and cake before David took over the driving so I could navigate over the Kincardine Bridge and across into northern Fife.
It was a very easy and straightforward drive and by mid-day we were parking up in Newport-on-Tay and looking for suitable buses. I had originally planned a bus south to Leucars but this now did not look possible so we took a short ride north across the Tay Road Bridge into Dundee. The bus and train stations are not exactly adjacent so we had a mile through the main shopping streets before getting to the railway station and another coffee and refreshments. At about 1.30pm a train should have arrived to take us south but this was late and we had a worry about making a connection at Kirkcaldy. However, we eventually chugged back over the Tay, with me thinking about McGonagall’s poem ‘The Tay Bridge Disaster’. The countryside looked lovely as we crossed back across the Kingdom of Fife. We passed the ABNA mill at Coupar and then on to Kirkcaldy. We made the connection by a couple on minutes so were very soon going south west down the coast which we were to walk over the next two days.
Just as we pulled into North Queensferry it started to pour down. We thought that this was the beginning of the forecast storms. A steep decent down the road took us to the start, me crouched under the umbrella. We took a quick photograph underneath the Forth Bridge and set off, a few minutes after 3pm. The rain was intermittent throughout the afternoon. The initial mile round a headland was pleasant but then degenerated into a scrap yard/waste recycling plant and the streets of Inverkeithing. The threatened suburban traverse of Dalgety Bay was better than feared with pleasant avenues between the new houses and the shoreline. All we could see to the right was the city of Edinburgh across the water.
We made excellent time round to Aberdour and quickly found our B&B. The nearest pub, the Cedar Inn, was the recommended one and a few pints of London Pride and a plate of fish and chips and the world seemed a better place. The rain had stopped and the skies had cleared. Little did we know that this was the last rain we would see? An early night, the logistics of the car placement behind us, and the walk was all set up for the taking.
We stayed at Peartree House, 13a Shore Road, Aberdour, Fife, KY3 0TR. We ate at the Cedar Inn; I had fish and chips and drank London Pride and Deuchars.
Total distance (GPS), 8.20 miles
Moving time, 2.15.00 hrs
Total ascent, 632 ft. Total descent, 575 ft
Tuesday 17th April 2007; Home of a Prime Minister
Aberdour, dep. 09.37
Coaltown of Wymess, arr. 14.50
The village of Aberdour looked a delight as we set off the next morning under sunny skies. It was cool and clear and the views to the south were spectacular. The route followed the railway, sometimes on the far side from the sea. We found all sorts of problems getting through Burntisland. A road was closed at a bridge and the diversion put almost a mile on our route, not a pretty mile. Eventually though, we came round to the leisure centre and a little beach and began our way down the coast. We were forced onto the pavement beside a busy road and had a dreary two miles up passed caravan sites and golf courses until we were able to turn back towards the sea in the village of Kinghorn.
A short off road section took us round to Kirkcaldy which had a long and bleak promenade with the town up the hill to our left. Desperate for a cup of tea, we shot into a shopping centre and sat in a coffee shop for a quick lunch. There was little to see so we set off again at a good pace and were round through Dyserth by early afternoon and came upon a section of cliff top reclaimed from coal mining and slag heaps. The smell of sewage sprayed onto the fields was revolting. At last the industry was behind us and we started onto our first really pleasant section of grassy path round to the pretty village of West Wymyss. The white tower and refurbished cottages looked colourful in the sunshine. It was only 2.30pm when we came to the point for leaving the route and climbing up through the woods to find our accommodation for the evening.
I made a mess of the navigation and ended up in a huge field of cabbage, with a view of the pub beyond. A high wall proved a difficult barrier especially as it dropped us into a busy A-road. We got to the pub before 3pm, hours earlier than intended. It was closed; in fact it looked almost derelict. However we were eventually able to rouse someone, the son of the owner who was able to show us our rooms. So we have time for a good read and rest before the bar opened. The beer was not real ale, but went down well enough. The portions of food were huge. I had the biggest plate of curry I can ever recall and David had a monster burger and chips. We watched a bit of the Rangers match on TV before calling it a day. This was not the place to ask for some English football. We stayed in The Earl David Hotel, Main Street, Coaltown of Wemyss, Fife, KY1 4NN and drank Belhaven 80/-.
Total distance (GPS), 16.05 miles
Moving time, 4 hrs 36m 55s.
Average speed, 3.4 mph. Average pace, 17m 14s per mile
Total ascent, 2050 ft. Total descent, 1924 ft
Wednesday 18th April 2007: Robinson Crusoe and Chocolate Brownies
Coaltown of Wymess, dep. 09.05
Elie (lunch), arr. 13.45., dep. 14.15
Anstruther, arr. 16.20
It must have been the biggest breakfast I have ever faced, the complete works including both black pudding and haggis. But we had ahead of us our longest day so we would need the calories later. The rain during the night had cleared to leave a bright sunny morning, not too warm and perfect for walking. We set off down the road and this time found the correct track through the woods and back down to the sea. The early part of the walk was not an inspiration. The first two miles were OK but after we had passed through East Wymess and up to the top of the cliffs, we descended into Buckhaven and an hour of dreary suburbia ending with a power station.
But eventually we came to the bridge over the Leven and we crossed into a different world, a world of promenades, gardens, and guest houses. A huge beach stretched out in front of us and for the first time in the walk, we were able to take to the sand. Rachel texted me soon after we had started the crossing. I rang her back and noticed for the first time that David had dropped back and was walking with his head down. ‘Blisters’ I thought, regretting that I had not lent him my needles to burst them the previous night.
The route came back to the shore for a river crossing. The sand dunes around Lundin Links were hard work after the firm wet sands of Largo Bay. A lovely little bridge took us over to Lower Largo and the Crusoe Hotel. It did not look a likely tea stop so we walked on through town looking for a café. All we found was Alexander Selkirk’s house, the birthplace of the guy whose desert island experiences became the model for Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.
David then explained that his knee was hurting, it was more serious than blisters. There was nothing we could do but walk on, over several more miles of sand before a deep river forced us inland and over a couple of wooden footbridges. These gave us access to a headland comprising
of a caravan site and Shell Bay, a lovely remote beach. A short climb to a tower led us over to a view of Elie and its magnificent golf course. A steep drop brought us back to sea level and a footpath around the course. Soon we were in the village of Elie enjoying chocolate brownies and tea at the Harbour Master’s café.David’s leg was stiffening up but he decided he could make the last six miles so we left Elie for probably the best stretch of coastline, through the small fishing ports of St Monan’s, with it church by the sea, and Pittenweem. We turned left at Anstruther golf club-house and came out on the road just near our bed and breakfast. It had been a long hot day, a day which had reduced David to a hobble. After a short rest we slowly plodded down towards the harbour, pausing for a really good meal at the Dreel Tavern, haddock and vegetables, and then round the harbour for a pint in a small pub. We spent a pleasant half hour talking to an old couple who had just sailed over from North Berwick for the Anstruther Muster, an annual meeting of yachts.
David was now of the opinion that his walk was over and when he found that there was a bus to Glasgow that left at a convenient time in the morning, he resolved to go over to see Rachel.
We stayed at The Grange, 45 Pittenweem Road, Anstruther, Fife, KY10 3DT
Total distance (GPS), 21.70 miles
Moving time, 6 hrs 52m 40s
Average speed, 3.1 mph. Average pace, 19.08 m per mile
Total ascent, 856 ft. Total descent, 919 ft
Thursday 19th April 2007: On my own round Fife Ness
Anstruther, dep. 09.00
St Andrews, arr. 16.10
It was obviously the right decision of David’s to terminate his walk and jump on the bus back towards Rachel’s. What was I to do? Go with him, go and get the car, or carry on? I had already paid for a rather expensive night’s accommodation in St Andrews and it would not be much longer to walk back to the car, possibly only setting me 24 hours behind David. So we parted at the bus stop by the quay in Anstruther and I set off on my own. I sat for a few minutes to ring the lady in St Andrews and warn her that we were down to a party of one. Then off I set on a glorious morning. Considering the weather that England was getting, we had been amazingly lucky.
It seemed no time round to Crail and onwards towards the eastern tip of Fife. I paused momentarily at a mobile home site to ask a lad painting a new prefab how much they were going for. ‘£200,000 for this one’, he replied. I walked on aghast. Finally I came to Fife Ness, not dramatic in the Cornish or Welsh way, just a low headland with a modern coastguard station and light house. Rather a let-down, really. Round the corner I came to my first golf course. Golf was going to dominate the next 24-hours. The first course was OK but I soon came to a notice that instructed me to ‘Walk on the Beach and if the tide is in, wait for the water to recede’. I began to feel unwelcome.
Whilst on the beach I saw an old settee in the sand-dunes so I was reminded of how hungry I was. I ate my emergency rations, the flapjacks I carry around the outside of the rucksack. Whilst I was preparing to continue, a couple came up the beach and were obviously happy to chat. I ended up walking with them for over an hour; David and Deidre, an architect and his wife from near Glasgow. I took a picture of them as we crossed the footbridge over the river just north of
Kingsbarn. By the time we got back to the coast and the weird shaped rock formations, I felt that Deirdre was uncomfortable with the rather relentless pace that I had injected into their walk. They seemed happy to wish me well and see me on my way. So back on my own, I soon pulled round a low headland and got my first view of St Andrews. This was rather dramatic. With its towers and ruins, it reminded me of a central Asian city seen in the distance from a desert crossing. The sea in between us gave it away, but it was with renewed enthusiasm that I strode out over the last couple of miles and dropped back into civilisation. Except for golfers, it had been a remote section of coast; no villages and very few farms.The route came into town passed the leisure centre, along the east beach and then crossed over the lock gates of a delightful harbour. I kept to the outermost roads through the town until I finally came out at the old course. This came as a shock. I had no idea that the golf course came right into the town centre.
That was enough on the route for one day and time to turn inland to search for my bed & breakfast. It seemed a long was out and I was tired and grumpy when I arrived at the house, especially as I realised that I was going to have to walk all the way back into town later for a meal. But a shower and a rest revived me and I thoroughly enjoyed my exploratory walk round town and my real ale and fish and chips in the Cellar Bar in Bell Street. I was served by a delightful guy, a student earning some extra money in the bar. I had probably completed another three miles by the time I got back to the B&B for my early night.
I stayed at Balrymouth B&B, 6 Balrymonth Court, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8XT. I ate at the Cellar Bar in Bell Street and enjoyed Lomond Gold and Osians ales.
Total distance (GPS), 20.15 miles
Moving time, 6 hrs 33m 31
Average speed, 3.0 mph. Average pace, 19m 31s per mile
Total ascent, 1079 ft. Total descent, 1029 ft
Friday 20th April 2007: Road and Forest
St Andrews, dep. 08.37
Tentsmuir Car Park (lunch), arr. 11.30, dep. 11.40
Newport on Tay, arr. 14.15
The lad in the bar the previous night had told me that the golf clubs were not happy with the development of the coastal path. I was now to find out just how unwelcome the walker is in St Andrews.
The map showed me that the route continued over all the golf courses, off road all the way from the old course to Guardbridge. However soon after walking down the 18th and reaching the road hole green, the notice diverted me onto a tarmac cycle way beside the A91. On another delightful and sunny morning, I had four miles along the main road, then two more miles passed RAF Leuchars and then on and on along tarmac towards the main car park of Tentsmuir Forest. By the time I stopped for my first break, I had done 10 miles of road walking I was very thankful that my new shoes were so comfortable.
I was delighted that there was a tea caravan in the car park and would have sat there for ages enjoying the drink and a rest if it had not been for a family who screamed and shouted at each and completely shattered the peace. So I took my tea and set off north along a wide forest trail, sipping my drink as I went. It seemed an age before the trail eventually came to Tentsmuir Head, the turn into the Firth of Tay. I had a quick rest on a bench overlooking the sea and estuary, my first view of the coast today. A couple of ladies walked passed on a narrow sandy track and I realised that there was a way along the coast that was outside the forest. So I took to this path and this led me on to the wet estuary sand. As the tide was out I made good time right along into Tayport. This looked a nice little place but I was soon through and onto an old railway, tarmac surfaced unfortunately, which led quickly round to the Tay road bridge and thence into Newport. I resisted the temptation of finishing at the car but marched resolutely on to the jetty which is the official start and finish of the route. Then I turned slowly back and returned the half mile to the car via a shop where I got a bottle of wine and some flowers for Rachel.
The car was OK and I quickly changed out of my walking shirt and started the drive back to Ayrshire. The earlier I got round Glasgow, the more likely I would be to miss the Friday rush hour traffic. This was not too bad and by 5 pm I was parking up outside Queens Terrace and enjoying a shower and my first pint of tea with Rachel and Johnny. David’s knee was no better and he would need work on his leg and back the following week. Thankfully he was soon to recover.
Total distance (GPS), 19.00 miles
Moving time , 5 hrs 27m 36s
Average speed, 3.4 mph. Average pace, 17.28 m per mile
Total ascent, 1151 ft. Total descent, 1107 ft
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