Day 272: Lower Largo to North Queensferry
Distance: 29.40 miles
Ascent: 2822 feet
Weather: Sunny Spells
Accommodation: Caravan Near North Queensferry (Kindly Offered)
After a leisurely breakfast and saying thank you to my hosts I was off about 8. I detoured to the Robinson Crusoe Statue, this is a statue of Alexander Selkirk who provided the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe after he had to live as a castaway for four years on Juan Fernandez Islands over 7000 miles away.
The weather was good and was meant to be dry all day as I set of along the beach towards Leven and from there I headed behind the docks and to Buckhaven. From Buckhaven the path climbed a little to the top of some cliffs and went the short distance to East Wemyss where it dropped back down to the sea level for the rest of the way to West Wemyss. There was a little community café in West Wemyss, so I stopped for a quick brew.
The next stage continued quite similar from here following the Fife Coast Path first through the sizeable Kirkcaldy, then Kinghorn before reaching Burntisland. At Burntisland I was meeting Alan and Mark who I had last met in Mark Cottage Bothy near Glasgow on the 9th June. They were going to walk with me to Inverkeithing which was very near the end point of my day. Due to chatting too much I missed a couple of path turnings but we soon made it along the coast and to Aberdour. We had stopped for a little break just short of Silversands Bay, and Mark and Alan had got a little present for me which was a hip flask that they had engraved with a little message themselves which was so kind and thoughtful.
From Aberdour the coast path goes inland slightly but it looked like there was a route along the rocks with cut out rock stairs in places so we set of and it was a fun path but then there was a rocky outcrop with a drop (more a very low cliff) which was hard to get around but Mark very swiftly got around it but with my backpack I couldn’t do it as it was catching on the rock ledge above. So Alan and I climbed the wall onto the golf course and then walked along the edge of this until we rejoined the path.
The path took us through the town of Dalgety Bay, then passed a couple of quarries which had been used to get rock for the foundations of the Fourth Rail Bridge before reaching Inverkeithing. I said goodbye to Alan and Mark here, and it had been great walking with them today.
I continued along the Fife Coast Path aiming for a house and caravan just North of North Queensferry that Sarah, from the bird reserve on Walney Island whom I had met many months ago, had kindly arranged. The path joined a potholed track through a quarry and then into the woods and I was wondering if I was in the wrong place but then I saw the house. It was almost 7 and getting dark when I arrived but I was so glad to finish and not have to put my tent up. I bumped into Abi on the terrace and she kindly made me a cup of tea and showed me to Adam’s caravan. The interior of the caravan was interesting but it sheltered me well and had a very comfy bed so I am very grateful.
The last of these four long days to make sure I could reach Portobello tomorrow and it should be a fairly leisurely stroll into Edinburgh tomorrow.
