Kinnoull Chatters

Fife Coastal Walk - part 2.

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The Costa del Gaty

Tues 16th January: Weather looks good for the next stage of the Fife Walk.

In November we did the short leg from Queensferry to Dalgety Bay; this time a longer leg from Dalgety Bay to Burntisland, a distance of some 15km.

Starting from the car park at St David's Harbour, where we finished the last leg, the route heads ENE round Downing Point and Donibristle Bay.

The Bay looks beautiful in the afternoon sunlight, especially after all the rain of the recent days. The sea is calm and life feels good. A number of kindred spirits are also profiting from the good weather. We meet walkers, dog stollers and joggers.

Donibristle house is at its Regency best, rain washed and sunlit. The houses here are definitely "millionaire row". Your author looked at them when they were being sold from new at less than half their current price and hestitated.... c'est la vie! Still... Perth is much more friendly!

Round the point and on to Dalgety Bay. From here we head uphill past the ruined St Bridget's Kirk; a lonely but interesting place then along the higher path to the end of the bay. From here the path goes inland using old cart tracks to head towards St Colme House and beyond, skirting the edge of the Aberdour golf course and on into Aberdour village.

Going through the village, which is very Victorian - most of the houses in the centre are of the same vintage and the hotel and railway station are Victorian classics - we turn back towards the sea to arrive at Aberdour Bay. It is a beautiful spot with magnificant views across the Forth to Edinburgh; Inchcolm Island with the Priory in the foreground; and a picturesque harbour to complete the magic.

In Aberdour, the promenade if that's the right word, has been renovated. Car parking is no longer allowed and new information points have been added. The result is a recreational area for walking or just sitting on the beach. The area has been dubbed with some justification, the "Scottish Riviera". If global warming lives up to its expectation, then it surely will be a Riviera. It is beautiful and lacks only the warmth of the Mediterranean sun.

The sun is low in the sky and the winter sunset approaches. The colours are subtle. Turner's watercolours spring to mind. (For those interested these will be displayed in the National Gallery in Edinburgh until the end of January. It's worth a visit!)

From Aberdour a steep climb up to the path above Hawkescraig and then on Silversands Bay and Burntisland.

Here we come aross a surprise item, Garden Gnomes......

.....must be a relic of the Pictish past! Not daring to stop and ask, we moved on past the Starley Burn, its waterfall and the new housing developments on the outskirts of Burntisland. There is so much building going on along the coast that one wonders if Scotland really is losing its population!

In Burntisland we made our way via the harbour to the Inchview Hotel, the venue for the Rotary Club of Burntisland and Kinghorn in time for a welcome pint and change of clothes before attending dinner.

18h45 we sign in. Junior Vice-President George Foster makes us feel at home. Most of the B&K Rotarians had walked the local Fife path at one time or another so we had plenty to talk about.

The meal, steak and venison pie, was much welcomed after the effort of the day. The Speaker, Bill Dewar, talked about the energy saving measures that Fife Council were taking to reduce the overall burden on the environment. Some of these ideas looked promising but others did seem to have some basic flaws concerning their practicability. The question and answer session highlighted these concerns.

At the end of the evening the traditional banners were exchanged, ending what had been a perfect day with sun, sand, exercise and good company.

Gordon W.