I had planned to try and run to Crail but due to wedding plans I had to cut short the distance but wanted to make sure I ran as far as Cellardyke (famous for the dead swan which was found a few years ago with Bird Flu).
The sun was shining, but it was quite windy, not uncommon on this coastline. As I left Pittenweem I noticed several bikes which were decorated with flowers. Lovely.
The path towards Anstruther was as clear as the other sections of the path along the coast. After a section high up on the cliff the path dropped down onto the golf course at Anstruther. A bit of golf ball dodging took me onto a lovely stony path which had lovely wild flowers on either side of the path.
The views from the coastal path are absolutely stunning. Some parts reveal sandy beaches which are remote and hidden away with hardly any visitors. One around the golf course the path goes up into Anstruther. By this point it was really sunny and warm. There were loads of people walking along the slim paths, which made running a little tough but soon I was able to come off the main road and run down towards the harbour. I took a little detour off the actual coastal path as I knew where I was going and the detour took me across the beach and down into the harbour.
The harbour was very busy with visitors eating ice cream and chips from the famous Anstruther chippy. Dodging my way around them I ended up next to the Anstruther Reaper - a beautiful old fishing boat.
After exploring the harbour for a bit I headed off along the coastal path to Cellardyke. Nicknamed "the lang toon", Cellardyke sits about a mile out of Anstruther. You leave the busy streets of Anstruther and run through very close streets towards the Tollbooth which is right in the middle of the little town. After about 3/4 of a mile of running through the streets which were very warm I found myself at the open space that was the harbour. It was very quiet. There were no boats in the harbour and the only thing moving was the washing lines on the platform next to the harbour. There wasn't a lot to Cellardyke, probably the most exciting thing to happen to Cellardyke was the dead swan which washed up a few years ago with bird flu - hit the BBC news if I remember rightly.
Because I was short of time the plan was to run back to Anstruther and then onto St Monans. The sun by this point was heating up nicely and the run back through Cellardyke was really nice. Like running abroad. Back through Anstruther. Took a little detour before I went back to the golf course to look at the view over to the May Isle.
Back along the coast to Pittenweem, enjoying the sunshine and the views. Once I was back into Pittenweem took time to look at the bikes with flowers. Pittenweem is a lovely fishing village with a great wee ice cream shop and a pretty harbour. The bikes I found out were part of the town's bid for Pittenweem in Bloom. There were bikes with flowers everywhere.
There is a steep climb out of Pittenweem which takes you onto the path to St Monans. This part of the path is a little rougher than other parts but is still very passable and very pretty views, particularly in the sunshine. At the end of the path from Pittenweem is the Salt Pans with the fantastic windmill in St Monans (the tower building was renovated by my brother in law). Almost tempted to dive into the open air swimming pool at St Monans but didn't have time.
 |
| Swim anyone? The open air swimming pool at St Monans. |
So that was the end of my coastal path adventure for the moment. The path was really good and has really whetted my appetite for more. Next time I would like to try and head for St Andrews from Cellardyke. Next time we are through at Granny's.
don't worry, be happy :)
No comments:
Post a Comment