A Step Too Far on the Fife Coastal Path
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- Опубликовано: 26 май 2023
- A walk on part of the Fife Coastal Path in the East Neuk of Fife. This 14 mile trek starts at Crail, passes around Fife Ness, and pretty much hugs the coast most of the way to St Andrews. Not far from Kingsbarns the path leaves the shore and heads inland through woodland at Boarhills to allow a crossing of the Kenly Water.
Along the way we step inside a pretty impressive doocot, the Crail Priory Doocot, at Crail, a sixteenth century structure with lighting and pigeons cooing. You just canny beat a pigeon cooing.
We also stop by Constantine's Cave, where it is thought King Constantine I, one of the last Kings of the Picts and the second King to rule all of Scotland, was killed after a battle with Vikings around the year 874. Constantine was the son of Kenneth MacAlpin, a Pictish King, and the first King to merge the Scots and the Picts in 843 to form the Scotland that we know today. Today's British Royal Family claim descent from Kenneth MacAlpin.
Between Boarhills and St Andrews the path becomes very rocky and we have to take to the shore to avoid golf courses and herds of cattle. We then find ourselves on many stone steps by rocky cliffs, which is both exhilarating and exhausting.
In a state of some knackeredness (not a word, I know, but I think it should be) we arrive in St Andrews and finish off by the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, a magnificent structure largely destroyed by a Protestant mob during the Scottish Reformation.
Macbeth King of Scotland Eddie. Hi Niall O'Connell Eire here. Just dropping in sat.&sun. Thanks for sharing. They painted Brian Boru on wall Street Francis here. Love Scotland Eddie bye for now.
Cheers Niall.
Ed love your informative and varied videos. Combined with beautiful scenery and unfussy commentary a relaxing thing to watch to bring calm to a busy day. 😊
Thanks Howie.
With the wild Iris, Gorse, Black Medick, Bitter Vetch, all the Birds, the Sea, fantastic geologic sites, and....A Stunning Day....all that to lure you into the Witches final obstacle with St. Andrews in sight. Cunning they are!
Beautiful video!
Thank you. All of Fife can pretty much cast a spell. A great day oot.
A great video Ed, we were probably in the East Neuk of Fife just before you made your trip. Absolutely breathtaking views along that beautiful coastline. Stayed in St Monans this time, previously staying in Pittenweem. East Neuk is most certainly Scotland's best kept secret, and a fish supper to die for. Thanks again Ed, keep them coming.
Many thanks. It's a pretty stunning area of the country. Take care.
Enjoyed that.... thank you
A pleasure to go along on this walk with you Ed,superb stuff. Was waiting for you to unpack the scuba gear at one point, looks like a tricky wee trail though with all the steps and rocks, cows and tides.. whoosh! Lol. Anyway you done it and well done as well, take care Ed and till next time god bless.🏴🥃🏴🥃
Cheers Billy. Whole loada steps, but I suppose if they weren't there it would have been a little more difficult. 👍
Great walk Ed and a smashing day I have walked and mtb a small part of the Fife coastal path fantastic scenery great job 👍
Thanks Robert. It was too much for me. I was completely wrecked.
I did the coastal walk in full last year. I just knew that the steps at st.andrews were going to get a mention 😂 up and down, up and down barely going forward at all.
Love the videos, thanks.
Cheers David. It would probably have been much more difficult without all those stone steps.
Crail is a gorgeous wee place. But I've not been to St. Andrews, so it was awe-inspiring to see that view near the end. It looked like something from LOTR, or some Arthurian Legend. I know it's a University town, and a couple of people I know have studied there. Loved the music in this one. Both the rock themed sections and the very moving music whilst visiting Constantine's cave. Although three-quarters of my ancestry is from the Irish, a quarter is pure Scottish, stretching back to the 1600's. In fact one of my ancestors is an Isobel McAlpine. But probably not a relation to the Royal McAlpines of course. I looked up Constantine 1st and according to one family tree, he must have died when he was only fourteen years of age. That is very sad if so. Merely a boy.
So yes, I found it quite emotional. Great film Ed.
Thanks Eilean.
Yes that style, why!!!😂 My son had a good laugh at me asking exactly the same question as I complained climbing over it.😂
When I reached that style I decided I was too knackered to even try to climb over it, so backtracked along the wall and went back through the gate. I think whoever laid out the way-markers was having a bit of a laugh.
Hi Ed, since discovering you on youtube, have enjoyed all you ha e done.Such that I have had 3 weeks campervaning Dumfries/ Galloway/ Ayrshire and finally Fife.
Much walking parts of their resective costal paths. The latter with my admiration of King Creosote..
Keep at as an inspiration
Thank you
PS too right on the path south of St Andrews- UNDULATING might be an apt word even for a "nipper" 66 10/12 th's year old.
Thanks
Many thanks Roger. Lots more of Scotland still to explore. 👍
After you !👍
Hi Eddy, great video all round. It seems that you had a Falafel baguette/sandwich with Tahini sauce.
I think it’s pronounced
fill- lah -fill originating from Egypt/Middle East area.
The experience with the three old ladies is hilarious, enjoyed the connection to Macbeth!
I was not aware that Macbeth is your middle name, very historical!
You are doing very well walking a 14 mile trip, with some testing parts. It must have been worth it though, such an amazing area of Scotland. Being an avid golfer, Fife is truly a magical place.
Take care Eddy, and best regards, Rob.
Thanks Rob. I was just joking about the middle name thing. Fife is certainly a great area for golf. Enjoy your next game.
Thanks for the smiles Eddy 🇦🇺👍🏻🇦🇺
Thanks Kate. Exhausting yet stunningly beautiful area of Fife.
Second time i watched this video,enjoyed it again,dont think i would do 18 mile too much for me,but as a fifer who has not done anything of the top end of coastal walk,thanks for the warning!
Many thanks. I don't think it was just as much as 18 miles, but it was too much for me as I was totally wrecked by the end. All those steps!
Another excellent video thanks Ed. I am a New Zealander and my wife is actually from Dumbarton. We were back in Scotland in 2015 and actually visited Crail and St Andrew's as well as some other villages along the coast. Your video brought back such fond memories. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Bryce. Fife is certainly a magical area of Scotland. Plenty more opportunities for your next visit. Take care.
Rocks galore⚠️🪨 🪨🪨
That’s an awesome walk Eddy. The views were wonderful, and the dovecote was a special treat. Sending best wishes from Naples Fl.
Lynn
Hi Lynn. Hallo to Naples. 👍
Great video, Ed. The Mrs. and I visited Scotland for two weeks last October, stayed at St. Andrew’s a few days, golfed at Kingsbarns and walked about two miles from town along the coastal path. You brought back wonderful memories.
Thanks James. It's a great area for walking and just general holidaying.
Another great video ed. i have many happy childhood memories of going on holiday to st andrews and spending time around the whole east neuk of fife. Back when raf leuchars was still an active base. Many loud flybys then! Another lovely area is tentsmuir forrest around the coast from leachars station. Stunning beach and forrest walks. Take care!
Thanks Andy. Still plenty of sections of the Fife Coastal Path to do. Great weather at present; definitely Adventure Time.
Thanks Ed.
I did that walk a couple years back. I got me feet wet too. I agree those steps between Boarhills an St Andrews are hard going and seem endless. Overall though an enjoyable days walk.
No matter how strenuous some of these walks are, it only takes a day or two of recovery and you're champing at the bit to get back out again. Great weather at present.
Superb - Magnificent scenery of one of the finest areas in Scotland.
Apple 🥧 spotted 😂
Well Done Ed
Hi Graham. I think it was the additional weight of that apple pie that did me in! But a great walk in a scenically superb area of the country.
A very interesting walk Ed.👍 Its ages since I've been in Crail. Its nice to see it again. Another night or two in St Andrews relaxing with a few beers would have been better, rather than going straight back. After seeing the old bottles in your last video, I've ordered a Victorian light green bubble glass bottle with a blob lip. That's now two that I've got. Thanks for reminding me that they existed. 😁
Yes, I should probably have stayed over in St Andrews. Happy adventuring. 👍
I just attempted the St Andrews to Kingsbarn, took the wrong fork in the path twice and figured I was going to end up getting lost. Reminded me of that old Yogi Berra quote - "when you come to a fork in the road take it" - well yes that's what I did but unfortunately the wrong fork. Its a pity there weren't some more signposts along the route. Also I gather tides can be an issue when walking this route. At the Kingsbarn end there is a warning sign saying this route is now impassable due to "coastal erosion". 7 miles on this kind of rocky terrain is a lot longer than along flat ground, and its pretty remote as well. But the bays are very scenic just going a couple of miles down this route and that's probably a more realistic goal. I ended up going up a steep ravine and it got very tricky. The further you went the fewer walkers you noticed. Its for the more advanced end of walking, not for casual walkers, or those under "doctor's orders".
Thanks Howard. You make very good points. I ended this walk totally wrecked due to the large number of stairs going up cliffs. And, as you say, tide can be an issue. I hadn't considered it and was lucky at that section with big boulders and inserted metal hand-holds. And talking of forks, I'm editing a video at the moment of a failed walk in the Corrour area where I missed a turn-off due to a lack of concentration.
@@EdExploresScotland Actually went and did the whole walk St Andrews to Kingsbarns today, took advantage of the fine day of sun. I did think things through a bit better this time, and luckily there were quite a few people around I could ask for directions. I waited until just after high tide and then was able to cross with the water just up to my ankles. I was told you would never have to wade in anything above about 1 metre due to the tide, so its not too bad, and the rest of the route is OK. Its a spectacular walk, totally worth it, but yes it is pretty exhausting with the hills. One place I got confused was at the 3 barns at Boarhills, and wasn't sure whether to turn left or right - I chose right to go through the village of Boarhills. Luckily I was able to ask someone directions to find the path down Kenly Water. I'm not sure if you could have went to the left as well and eventually come out the same way. The last section from the bottom of Kenly Water to Kingsbarns Beach where the collapsed path is was longer than I expected and I had to walk on the sand for a while which was hard going, since I lost the path. It is a legendary walk and would definitely do it again, and some great spots to sit in the sun in perfect tranquility. Many thanks for the video, it has been very helpful.
It is indeed a great walk. I always carry an Ordnance Survey Landranger map; it's crucial because waymarking signs and arrows are not always going to be where you need them. Enjoy other sections of the trail.
@@EdExploresScotland Cheers for the tip, I'm going to check out these maps.
Ed ..you should have waved and blown the three witches a kiss, it would have made their day.
Oh what a beautiful walk, even with the obstacle course, you do stretch yourself to the limit.. so I thank you for your efforts.
Would a cosy Bed and breakfast place be better for you than a Hotel?
I'll need to stop trying to stare old women out - it's not good for my image! You make a good point about the contrast between hotel and guest house. It's been many years since I stayed in a guest house, but have just returned from a three-day stay in one in Alnwick during my invasion of the north of England. This guest house was the same as the Crail hotel in that it was all white bedding and pale pastel walls and really quite impersonal. A few strong colours would help a person feel even a little at home.
Hi Ed, did you walk all the way with just your breakfast to power you. If so it's no wonder you were knackered when you got to St.Andrews. Or maybe you're getting too auld for the longer walks. Take care Ed, I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Weighed myself yesterday. Turns out I'm overweight, which explains a lot. Henceforth I shall be referred to as Fatty!
Maybe the old dear fancied you, E 😮 Or she recognised you from RUclips 😂🍺👍🏻
Perhaps. Probably had nothing else in their line of vision than me earnestly tackling a baguette.
@@EdExploresScotland maybe they were just a wee bit peckish and fancied yr baguette.
How long journey by bus to glasgow
I recommend the website bustimes.org - does what it says on the tin. It's over 2 hours.
who knew the sea wooshed and sand was saft??
I know. It's an amazing world.