Here's the second part of the Coastal Path blog. More will follow, and I will get round to dropping in a few photos to leaven the mix - I promise!
This was a strange section - a wonderful destination in St Andrews, but a pretty mundane walk to get there. We left the car park in Kinshaldy, walking South along the wide sandy beach that started to become more stony as we neared the big Royal Air Force base at Leuchars. We should have gone inland at this point to walk around the perimeter of the base, but in the event walked round onto the mud of the River Eden estuary. We trudged on through this until we were able to climb up and walk along the side of a barley field into the centre of Guardbridge. This choice of route has nothing to commend it, and I would suggest that you avoid it - follow the proper route!
Guardbridge is a hard-working little town, with its papermill. It is not one of the great scenic wonders of Fife, although the ancient bridge over the River Eden, accompanied by the sad remnants of the abandoned railway bridge are perhaps the most interesting features of the town. The walk into St Andrews amplifies the low key nature of this section of the path - the indicated route runs alongside a busy major road, and the noise of traffic predominates. Eventually, the walk enters the "auld grey toon" with the Old Course Hotel being the first familiar building to be seen. Anyone who has ever watched televised golf will be familiar with this structure, which overshadows the notorious "Road Hole" - the seventeenth hole of the Old Course. When we made the walk, practice for the Women's British Open was in full swing, and the sight of a hare sprinting across the practice range as golf balls flew about it was a surprise amidst all the commercial hurly burly of the event. Soon we were in the town, surrounded by crowds of tourists.
This is not the greatest section of the walk. The walk around the airbase, through Guardbridge to St Andrews is prosaic at best. St Andrews, however, is a wonderful destination, and has much to offer the visitor whose interests do not include golf, as well as those who live and breathe for it. The Castle and the Abbey are justly famous, and South Street, a wide tree-lined expanse with elegant buildings is one of the finest townscapes in Europe. St Andrews is also a wonderful starting point - click here for a description of the exploits of some friends who cycled from here to Santiago de Compostela in Spain!
Our walk ended at the East Sands, just where the cliffs that are a feature of the next section, to Kingsbarns, begin to rise above St Andrews Bay.
19 September 2007
17 September 2007
Richard Thompson
A happy boastful brag of a blog tonight!
I have tickets to go and see Richard Thompson play in Glasgow on 15 October! This fulfills an old ambition, sadly thwarted last year when a family illness meant I had to give my tickets to friends when I couldn't go to a concert in Perth.
Richard Thompson has been a favourite of mine for over thirty years, and I am appalled that I have never been to see him before. He is a great guitarist and a truly original songwriter - covered by all sorts of people from Bonnie Raitt. (Dimming of the Day") to REM ("Wall of Death"). The "Pride of Barnsley" - Kate Rusby - does a version of RT's "Withered and Died" that will make your heart ache.
Thompson's early work was with Fairport Convention, whose album "Liege and Lief", now 30 years old, is still reckoned to be the finest folk rock album ever made. His subsequent work, both with his wife Linda and as a solo artist, is full of musical gems. His material could rarely be described as cheerful, but he writes and records powerful songs that often accurately describe life's more thoughtful moments. However, he also does a highly regarded cover of Britney Spear's "Oops - I did it again! - so he isn't all doom and gloom! There is a deeply geeky Wikipedia entry on the great man here.
I'm looking forward to my night out in Glasgow immensely. Expect a joyful outpouring on my return!
I have tickets to go and see Richard Thompson play in Glasgow on 15 October! This fulfills an old ambition, sadly thwarted last year when a family illness meant I had to give my tickets to friends when I couldn't go to a concert in Perth.
Richard Thompson has been a favourite of mine for over thirty years, and I am appalled that I have never been to see him before. He is a great guitarist and a truly original songwriter - covered by all sorts of people from Bonnie Raitt. (Dimming of the Day") to REM ("Wall of Death"). The "Pride of Barnsley" - Kate Rusby - does a version of RT's "Withered and Died" that will make your heart ache.
Thompson's early work was with Fairport Convention, whose album "Liege and Lief", now 30 years old, is still reckoned to be the finest folk rock album ever made. His subsequent work, both with his wife Linda and as a solo artist, is full of musical gems. His material could rarely be described as cheerful, but he writes and records powerful songs that often accurately describe life's more thoughtful moments. However, he also does a highly regarded cover of Britney Spear's "Oops - I did it again! - so he isn't all doom and gloom! There is a deeply geeky Wikipedia entry on the great man here.
I'm looking forward to my night out in Glasgow immensely. Expect a joyful outpouring on my return!
16 September 2007
Fife Coastal Path
There is going to be some retrospective blogging here of our assault upon the Fife Coastal Path. We started to walk the path during the summer, having started at the Tay Road Bridge, dividing it into chunks of roughly ten miles each. "We", in this case, refers to Susanneke and me, in the company of neighbours from the village; all anxious to find a good reason to walk ourselves into fitness of a kind, and to learn a little more about the Kingdom of Fife.
The walk takes in forests, urban areas, golf links, ancient cities and fishing villages. The stretch through the East Neuk was recently described as one of the finest coastal walks in Britain by The Guardian newspaper.
The Coastal Path runs from the Tay Road Bridge in the North East of the Kingdom, to the Forth Road Bridge in the South West, and covers 67 miles. At the time of writing, we have walked the first 37 of these miles from the Tay Road Bridge.
Near to our starting point is the the famous Tay Bridge - the replacement of a predecessor that collapsed, with a train full of passengers, into the Tay on the "last Sabbath day of 1879 - which will be remember'd for a very long time". The "poet and tragedian", William Topaz McGonagall, commemorated the event in his poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster"
The walk from the Tay Road Bridge towards Tayport is a pleasant one, following the line of a disused railway that descends gently towards the town. The town has an old harbour, now used by small sailing craft. There are fine views North toward Broughty Ferry and the Angus Coast.
On leaving the Eastern side of the town, walkers enter the huge expanse of Tentsmuir Forest - a place well known to this family who often walk our dog and ride our bikes there. The walk around the coast to Kinshaldy Beach is always fun. Seals are usually present in numbers, and the lucky walker might see a pod of dolphins out in the Tay. Sea birds and waders abound, and the forest has fine crops of fungi in the autumn. It's a great place to walk at any time of the year.
Kinshaldy Beach is a broad expanse of sand, with a good access road, picnic areas, and other facilities. Walkers of perspicacity will have a vehicle pre-positioned in the car park in order to return home.
I will return to the Coastal Path in future posts, hoping to catch up with myself! Meanwhile, there is Hamish Brown's excellent "Along the Fife Coastal Path" to read. Next up - Kinshaldy to St Andrews!
The walk takes in forests, urban areas, golf links, ancient cities and fishing villages. The stretch through the East Neuk was recently described as one of the finest coastal walks in Britain by The Guardian newspaper.
The Coastal Path runs from the Tay Road Bridge in the North East of the Kingdom, to the Forth Road Bridge in the South West, and covers 67 miles. At the time of writing, we have walked the first 37 of these miles from the Tay Road Bridge.
Near to our starting point is the the famous Tay Bridge - the replacement of a predecessor that collapsed, with a train full of passengers, into the Tay on the "last Sabbath day of 1879 - which will be remember'd for a very long time". The "poet and tragedian", William Topaz McGonagall, commemorated the event in his poem "The Tay Bridge Disaster"
The walk from the Tay Road Bridge towards Tayport is a pleasant one, following the line of a disused railway that descends gently towards the town. The town has an old harbour, now used by small sailing craft. There are fine views North toward Broughty Ferry and the Angus Coast.
On leaving the Eastern side of the town, walkers enter the huge expanse of Tentsmuir Forest - a place well known to this family who often walk our dog and ride our bikes there. The walk around the coast to Kinshaldy Beach is always fun. Seals are usually present in numbers, and the lucky walker might see a pod of dolphins out in the Tay. Sea birds and waders abound, and the forest has fine crops of fungi in the autumn. It's a great place to walk at any time of the year.
Kinshaldy Beach is a broad expanse of sand, with a good access road, picnic areas, and other facilities. Walkers of perspicacity will have a vehicle pre-positioned in the car park in order to return home.
I will return to the Coastal Path in future posts, hoping to catch up with myself! Meanwhile, there is Hamish Brown's excellent "Along the Fife Coastal Path" to read. Next up - Kinshaldy to St Andrews!
The Falkirk Wheel
Well, here's my first attempt at a blog!
Yesterday, Susanneke and I had to deliver No 1 son, Alastair, to Glasgow Airport so that he could catch his "usual" Emirates flight to Dubai, then on to Mumbai on his way to Pune in India, where he is visiting Link Overseas volunteers for the last time in his position as Project Coordinator.
On the way, Alastair caught a glimpse of the Falkirk Wheel from the car, and, as the weather was being kind, Susanneke and I decided to stop and visit it on our way back. Alastair was safely deposited at the airport ( and has been in touch to say he arrived safely!) and we set off for the Wheel.
Susanneke and I visited the Wheel last when it was still under construction, although nearly complete. We were part of a group organized by the indefatigable Ann Street and given a guided tour of the project. We can offer no explanation for the fact that we had never been back, but were now resolved to put things right.
Deciding to do the thing properly, we booked places on the boat trip, and whiled away the waiting time checking boat hire possibilities from Capercaillie Cruisers. We have never navigated the Lowland Canals and think we would like correct this next year.
The boat trip was fun, if all too brief. The craft was rather utilitarian looking, a floating bus, really, with plenty of seats - nearly all of which were filled. We were cast off and headed the short distance to the waiting gondola. Our cheerful guide displayed her multitasking skills by swiftly securing the boat to the gondola's bollards. The gondola was quickly made water tight and released from the mechanism locking it in place, and the Wheel rotated at stately speed to take us up the 25 metre ascent. Views of the Forth valley opened up as we climbed, and after four minutes, the gondola was secure at the upper docking position at the end of the access aqueduct. We then proceeded slowly through Rough Castle Tunnel almost to the foot of the staircase locks that provide the final rise to the Union Canal. The boat winded in the basin there, and we returned, via tunnel and wheel to our starting point. The whole experience was hugely impressive and is highly recommended. The boating bug hit me hard, and I can't wait to be back on the canals with Jemima D!
A really good experience was finished off nicely by a good lunch at the superbly well-run Wheelhouse Restaurant A very good day, doing something unique, and providing me with a lot of impetus to get back to one of my spiritual homes - the canal network.
Home tired and happy, with lots of things to read about boat hire and the Wheel!
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