First Foray to Fife and Firth of Forth

Fife - land of golf courses and pubs and streets with golf names and VW golfs. I’ve never been to the Fife coast and neither has LTD, so it was high time for a visit. And it was on my List of Things To Do.  Dawn has written about this in her blog and a link appears at the end of this post for those who like to read more sensible stuff than this.
I thought that as a contrast to recent trips involving bivvying with Lots of Sand getting everywhere and camping on noisy and occasionally wet campsites, we should have a bit of luxury and hire some self-catering shelter. LTD was all in favour of this as he has a fondness for carpets, rugs and radiators, all of which were available at our cottage near Anstruther.

The idea was to bag a few hills and explore the coast a bit, all of which we managed to do in the four days we were there – Largo Law, which I bagged by myself since we obeyed a notice prohibiting dogs during the “summer”, due to cattle being present (there were no cattle) ,  Kellie Law, a vaguely pointy tump not near anywhere, Drumcarrow Craig which has archeology, mainly in the form of a broch, Lucklaw Hill, a very steep little bugger to the North and Kincraig Hill, a coastal lump with a World War 2 coastal battery which would have dismantled any any unauthorised shipping wandering up the Firth of Forth in short order and quite violently with some Big Guns.

We poked around Tentsmuir forest and beach, identifying possible wild camping spots, just in case a walk around the Fife Coastal Path might be undertaken. This is a massive beach with nobody on it and great fun for a dog, as LTD pointed out.
KIncraig Hill has a nice bit of coast which we explored from Earlsferry. Dawn had a swim but I didn’t. I’d like, at this point , to introduve you to the Airedale dialect word “caffle”. The meaning is approximate to the proper English word “careful”. If a person declined to take part in an activity which appeared to be a bit risky, or, indeed, cold and, specially, wet, giving some unlikely excuse, then that person could be said to have “caffled”. As it was my Auntie’s birthday, I caffled the swimming at this point in favour of sitting out of the wind and finishing my hot coffee.

We also walked up, and back down, the coast to Crail, a small town with a harbour which smells of sulphur and sells lobsters cooked to order. This was a cracking walk with caves to explore and a fossil tree which we may or may not have identified.
Unfortunately, due to me trying to be in two places at once, we had to leave a day early so that I could lead a Wednesday Walkers Walking on Satuurdays Walk on Fiend’s Fell – the walk wot me and Li Yang reccied last week. I might do a blog post about this if I can fit it in – there’s a busy few days coming up involving a visit to God’s Own Halifax and the North-east skinny dip. For this last event, it would probably have helped for the climatisation had I not caffled the sea swimming last Thursday. Anyway, the point is, I wont be writing anything till at least next Monday, and that depends on survival of a dawn dip in the chilly briny with 400+ other screaming eejits. If it stays windy, the waves could be “interesting”, I think. LTD won’t be attending the skinny dip because he’s far too friendly and has sharp claws, should he decide to jump up to greet anybody. He can also be a bit embarrasing with the sniffing, if you catch my drift…..  I don't really like to use the word “drift”, in the same post as one containing sea swimming, it occurs to me just now…  tempting fate… there’s a strong Northerly current sometimes at Druridge Bay – roughly in the direction of Fife, as it happens.
Dawn’s account is here - click this