f is for fife

Weds 30th October 

After an intense few weeks hard at work (as if!) I took a few days off to sort laundry, do some household chores and take some important photos! Ha!

Last year the final butterfly of the season (for me) was seen in the Botanics on Oct 28th; a Red Admiral on the ceratostigma minus. Eagle-eyed Ken saw a couple more into November. And Abbie seems to be able to conjure them out of thin air virtually all year round by keeping an eye on the places they over-winter and spotting them on sunny days when they might appear briefly for a quick nectar before dashing back indoors. Either that or she keeps a drawer of them at home and takes them out for walkies now and then. I'm imagining a planning chest with long narrow drawers marked butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, weasels, etc.

The forecast for Wednesday was great all day, alas not in reality, but it got me engaged with the idea of a long run. For a while there, I was doing a 30+miler every month. It was a remarkably easy habit to break. And quite a bit of time had passed since I last went long, (Thieves Rd Ultra), and since I had been neglecting training in favour of work, felt a bigger mileage day out was long overdue. I packed some sports bars and sandwiches and caught the train to Kirkcaldy. I have done the Fife coastal path back to the bridges, then back through Dalmeny Estate, a couple of times. Usually around 35 miles. I downloaded the gpx file from the Carnethy HRC page Scottish Long Coastal Relays as back up. (This was virtually all of Leg 2.) Every time I run this I take a slightly different route and I was interested to see what the official line is. 

the "airport circuit" route beside the Almond from the train

 looking across to Edinburgh from Fife from the train

getting off at Kirkcaldy

seems no distance home

I got off the train curious to know where the wonderful forecast had fucked off to. It wasn't awful but neither was it sunny. I was trying not to let this and the lack of butterflies get me down. I find the Winter and its dark dank butterfly-free months a bit of a pain in the hole and am more prone to being sullen and withdrawn. Let's not say depressed because that has a quasi-medical application that you have to be Stephen Fry to properly misuse. And grumpy. Obvs. 

I put in a few miles slightly faster than 8min miling but as soon as I got distracted and started taking pics I was only getting a mile bleep every 10mins. Six miles an hour. I was pleased to see these seals flobbing about on the seaweed and holding their tails up at foolish angles. I saw some here before, and haven't seen many others along the coast. There must be just the right conditions on this shelf of rock.

Looking through a previous run here I saw I'd taken the same photo 3.5 years ago

May 2016

This car, (in Kinghorn,) I liked the look of it. I didn't go over and see what sort it was but I could just about read the name on the front right fender (zooming in on the original photo) which seemed to say ---uramic. I had a notion it might be an Oldsmobile, and sure enough after a bit of googling it is possibly a 1950ish Oldsmobile Futuramic 88 sedan or similar. There is a picture of a similar one with more paint on here. Considerably more style than anything these days, though no doubt a death-trap gas-guzzler.

If the tide is out it is tempting to run the route of the Black Rock 5 out to said rock (above) and then try and follow the coast along to Burntisland. However you end up on the wrong side of the coastal rail line and a potential £1000 penalty for trying to cross it. I took note of the official trail which runs North halfway along the top road (before the harbour) heading inland of the grave yard and along the main road. Not very coastal path and very tarmac and main roady. There was quite a lot of tarmac today and my feet did not approve. Possibly 3/4s of the route, or more.

my least favourite combination of these 3 words

I was going to take a straight line through Burntisland and get something to eat but I thought I best have a look to see where the FCP route goes as it left the main road and headed to the beach ducking under the rail line. There is no real need for this other than to get a short run along the nice beach that was bathed in sun as per forecast, not that it lasted very long. Either the beach or the sun. But both welcome.

I popped into the coop and bought a prawn and mayo sandwich on brown bread, my go-to ultra sandwich. I had been hoping for a Greigs baker for a macaroni pie or other high-stodge junk-food but the Scotmid is a safe enough bet and I gobbled down the sandwich with a misguided packet of crisp-like items. They were popped rather than deep fried and I won't be having packet number 2 in this life time. Supposedly healthier. I just wanted something salty. Instead I had the unwelcome flavour of mildly unpleasant man-made e-number BBQ burp-tang which returned at regular intervals to remind me of this checkout queue panic-buy mistake.

Things improve as the path heads towards Aberdour. Ahh the Silver Sands of my childhood. I have written about this place before and although I have a fondness for it, today it looked a bit out of season and frankly, a bit crappy. There are those people who rant on about Scotland being the best place in the world and nowhere else coming close. However having seen the amazing beaches in Spain in September with beautiful surroundings and showers and slatted wooden boardwalks in glorious sunshine, I did wonder what the hell my grandparents were thinking driving an hour to take us to this very modest beach. It doesn't even match Aberlady, Yellowcraigs, Seacliff or Ravensheugh. 

I was in a bit of a glum mood because despite common sense saying the buddleia there would be long past flowering, I kinda hoped there might be a plume or 2 of blossom left and maybe, just maybe, a Red Admiral might be flying there. Last Summer that buddleia in early September hosted about 4 or 5 species and I stopped for 10 mins to take photos. The buddleia was indeed over and done and although there were loads of flies and other insects about (and just about enough sun to lure out a keen Admiral) this buddleia was not the spot. My depression deepened. What an arse to pin hopes on that damp squib. 

the only prevalent insects

that place, yup no idea, sort of muddy slimy waterslide

silver sands, whatever

The route then does a bit of a climb up to the cliff top then a descent down to the coast and round the harbour, which is pretty nice. As I was running past this ivy my head was full of butterfly stuff and the radar bleeped. There were blossomy plants flowering below this huge amount of ivy which was covered in flowering bracts or these bobbly stem bits, (you can tell my interest/knowledge is limited). Anyway, THAT, I thought, that is exactly where an Admiral might hang out all Winter and if the sun came out and bathed this south facing forest of ivy, well I wouldn't be surprised if a resident RA popped out to warm its wings. So I stopped and wandered along and back waiting for the sun to reappear. I rather liked the look of the Hygge Hut though I didn't look close enough to discern whether it was selling ambience, snacks or fishing tackle.

Within thirty seconds of standing there and taking a couple of pics I felt the sun come out and warm the back of my neck. It was good. I felt my mood lift and I think I laughed out loud at the absurdity of watching a Red Admiral fluttering out just near the Hygge Hut and spreading itself out on the ivy. My oh my! Is that just a figment of my imagination? I took a couple of photos then it flew out of view. A path let me climb up and round behind the top of the ivy where I got another shot, but it was very flighty and did not appreciate my company. Perhaps imaginary butterflies don't encourage scrutiny?

Hygge Hut

last butterfly of the year? most likely, and 2 days later than last year

(news just in, Ken spotted an RA on 5th Nov in Ed Botanics!)

I caught it napping but it flew off before I could get it in focus.

or maybe turned into a robin and flew away

20mins chasing butterflies

I had a chat with this salty old dude who expressed more of an interest in butterflies than I would have expected. He came over wondering why I was hanging out near the harbour dressed in running gear but loitering with intent. And "looking perplexed". We talked for a while, I was in a somewhat animated state having surprised myself with such a conjuring trick. After about 20mins I gave up on any further sightings and left before my legs seized up. It was the highlight of the day, although a close second was taking a poop near Dalgety Bay.

view across the water to Barnbougle Castle and maybe Allermuir behind?

popular with the birds

honestly you christians, sort yourselves out

gothic horror story

There is a reasonable way to get to the Forth Road Bridge via Inverkeithing. I usually head into North Queensferry directly, then at the station take a sharp turn up the hill and round the back of the park that drops onto the pedestrian walkway over the Forth Bridge. I had never realised the Coastal Path follows the coast (past a scrap metal place and bleak looking quarry,) tightly round Carlingnose Point, a place I'd never been. It may look nice in the sunshine, it looked a bit barren outwith, and went on forever, although I liked that you couldn't see the road in, from the beach. Must've been really quite spooky for those running this section in the middle of the night at the Scottish Long Coastal Relay. 

long way round the coast approaching the bridges

Also that map shows the slight detour off the path near Dalgety Bay. I had been looking at the signs warning about radioactive material. Honestly, Health and Safety people are worse than the Christians. Some panels from military aircraft were landfilled nearby and the luminescent paint used on dials has naturally occurring tiny amounts of radiation. They advise washing your hands afterwards. Anyway I left my own radioactive landfill in the woods and you can see the detour on the map above!

more weirdness: cobbled path 

The path comes out directly below the rail bridge. The last part is cobbled. There is a brief run through North Queensferry and a few chances to take photos of the bridge dwarfing the village.

Then up dozens of steps to the Forth Bridge. Only the West side was open for bikes and pedestrians. I always find the crossing a bit airy especially with 20 miles in my legs. On the other side, the South side, I found an underpass which saved me having to do a mad dash over 4~6 lanes of traffic, although it was only the occasional bus and workies' van as all the cars were going over the new bridge next door.

underpass, remarkably little pee!

I ran along through South Queensferry. Had it been sunny and if I didn't have an appointment in a pub at 5pm I might have run home through the Dalmeny estate. However my feet were tired, the day was overcast and dull and I had just enough time to catch the train from Dalmeny, get home and showered and back to the pub for shortly after 5. I jumped on the train at Dalmeny and was home by 4pm.

Kirkcaldy to Dalmeny, 23 miles

plus one to Waverley, and one home from Waverley

The meeting in the pub was a journey back in time to the 1970s when I did some canoeing with Telford College Canoe Club. My mum worked at the college, and the head of the building dept. a keen kayaker, suggested myself and my brother go along and try out canoeing. I spent the next 3 or 4 years messing about in boats with the students and staff of the college. Three pals from this era were meeting in a pub near Haymarket, and one, Robert, had dug out some photos taken at the time. It was very jolly and a real trip down memory lane, with photos from 44 years ago! What a blast!

Stephen, Robert and Alec

1975, aged 12, Loch Lubnaig

about 13 years old canoeing round Mull

Keith, Alec, PB, Stephen, Lillian

I was really delighted to see photos from 40-odd years ago. Back then folk didn't have camera phones and I have very few images from then. It was a real treasure trove to see these, although I have little to no recollection of many of these times. It is almost like a book I read decades ago; I remember the outline and though I can remember specific chapters and people much has slipped, like sand, through my fingers. One of the people from back then we haven't been able to get in touch with is Lillian. So if anyone knows a Lillian Williamson (early 60s these days) who subsequently worked at the Tax Office and spent her youth messing about in boats, point her in this direction, it would be excellent to meet up again. There are more photos and apparently more on the way. I hope to do a fuller report in due course. Some of the trips were quite bold (crossing the Minch from Skye to the Outer Hebrides, circumnavigating Mull) and great fun. 

blast from the past