June stretched out ahead of me like when you drop the loo roll and it never seems to end, impossible to roll back up again. As a university student with no shifts at work until July and no base in the UK aside from my student flat, what on earth was I going to do? Everyone I knew had left to go to their loving families, returning home to what was familiar and spending days lounging around with friends. These were two things I did not seem to have in St Andrews in June: sunshine and friends. I hopped on a train quickly in search for both! After several days visiting Izzy in Kent, I dragged her back up to St Andrews to entertain me and to do what I’d thought I probably should do after two years living by the fife coast: the Fife Coastal Path. In the hopes of sunshine and some proper exercise after exam season, I figured what could go wrong? Using walkhighlands.co.uk, I built our itinerary but with no wish to camp and no money to stay at B&Bs, decided to return back to St Andrews each evening (accepting grimly that this would result in some early mornings).
Day 1: Kincardine to North Queensferry (30km)
It was day 1 and we felt optimistic and excited, legs keen to get moving. Today’s stretch meant a 27km walk from Kincardine to North Queensferry and we were nervous about the length before psyching ourselves up: “surely if we can do D of E, we truly can accomplish anything?!” (NB: this is definitely not true, despite what any teacher tries to tell you.) We dropped the car off at North Queensferry before taking the train to Kincardine to find the start of the route. Already lost between the train station and the beginning of the path, this did not bode well. We eventually found it and set off rather unceremoniously, trying to navigate a busy high street in a slightly run-down town, not quite what we expected for a “coastal” path. Nevertheless, off we went! Well, day 1 was not what we had in mind… After hours of hiking on pavement through council estates, past oil plants and shipyards, and along motorways, we reached the end feeling ever-so-slightly defeated. We crawled into the car knackered and trundled home, in need of a lie down after only one day!
Day 2: North Queensferry to Burntisland (18.5km)
Despite the disappointment of yesterday, we awoke hopeful and looking forward to a shorter day, our feet already destroyed by miles of pavement. Again, we dropped the car at our end point and took the train to North Queensferry. Today we saw actual coast! Always a good sign on the “coastal” path. Today’s route was more scenic, lit up by the sun and softened by sand and grass so we walked along happily chatting for most of it. There were some odd towns along the way such as Dalgety Bay, which seemed to be some sort of retirement place but was almost deserted. We lagged a bit towards the end, with the sun disappearing behind clouds and our feet forced onto tarmac again. We made it and headed back home for some rest!
Day 3: Burntisland to Leven (26.8km)
Today was a solo walk as Izzy had a lot of work to catch up on so I set out, armed with headphones and daydreams to keep me company. As I was walking, the views got better and better with dramatic clouds over the sea! Apart from the 6km through Buckhaven and Leven; definitely not what I would call “pretty seaside towns”. The endless hammering of pavement was taking its toll on my knee and I realised it’s a lot harder to try and stay motivated when you’re inside your own head. I arrived back home to a hot dinner and took a bath to try and recover some energy before tomorrow.
Day 4: Leven to Anstruther (26km)
Wow, this is why they call it the “coastal” path. Accompanied by a sea that very much fulfilled its role of “glistening” for the entire walk, I now understood why people flock from all around the world (read: just Fife) to walk along here. I passed through picturesque coastal villages and long stretches of beaches – although sand is definitely not a hiker’s friend – followed by rolling hills: it was serene. The views almost blocked out the pain in my knee and the rubbing of my blisters. Almost. Maybe I’m not a hiker after all?
Day 5: Anstruther to St Andrews (28km)
Home turf! And over half way! Today was a struggle though, with all this sudden walking wearing down my feet and legs. I thought the beauty of St Andrews was that I didn’t have to walk anywhere? I’d planned with Izzy to go to Edinburgh in the afternoon so tried to bomb along the path, taking no breaks apart from the occasional photo. This proved exhausting but very much worth it for our dinner! After 28km of marching along sandy beaches, green cliff edges and cowslip-spotted meadows, I made it back to St Andrews. A quick shower and dust up, then off to show Izzy the capital of Scotland. We pottered about Princes Street for a bit, wandering through shops and into the park before treating ourselves to a well-deserved feast from The Boozy Cow – an absolute must for anyone visiting!
Day 6: St Andrews to Tayport (25.5km)
Ok, I have finally got the hang of this hiking thing. I am a machine. I overslept so had to walk quickly in order to make the bus making a peaceful stroll very much a march. Today’s view was different from the seaside scenes of the days before; there was a fairytale feel as I walked through forest glens and woodland. To get to the trees of Tentsmuir though, I had to trek through Leuchars which felt bizarre, especially with all the military vehicles dotted about. However, as it was a Sunday there was more movement on the cycle path through Tentsmuir forest than in the military base! Once I got to Tayport, I caught the bus back to St Andrews and then spent the afternoon taking full advantage of the student deal at the Fairmont Spa with Izzy before heading out for a Maisha curry. Tomorrow will be tough saying goodbye!
Day 7: Tayport to Newburgh (33km)
The final day! And the longest day! And hardest day! With a phone jam-packed full of podcasts and music, having realised my own imagination is definitely not sufficient, I set off on the home-stretch. The weather was not in my favour. To be fair, there was only so long that sunshine in Scotland could last but today it just poured and poured. This was made all the more fun by my discovery that my school storm jacket was very definitely not waterproof. I was learning the importance of kit the hard way… Today the route seemed to stray away from the coast leading to wandering hills interspersed with woodland. Admittedly, if you took away the rain and the midges and the sheer exhaustion, it was a magical walk. I ran the last few kilometers, desperate to escape the midges as the rain cleared up and as I stumbled to the top of the hill above Newburgh I just had to stop. The willowy clouds were mirrored perfectly in the river below, as if the sky and earth were becoming one. Motivated by the finish line in sight, I sprinted towards the town with my last bit of energy. As I reached the final part of my walk, I joined those who had popped out after dinner to take the dog out or go for a romantic stroll and wondered what I must have looked like drenched in soggy waterproofs and hobbling along the river, just grinning. Probably a madman. Very definitely a madman. After a few miscalculations with my map reading, I finished my final day after a distance of 37.8km. My Fitbit had an absolute field day!
So, after 7 days of what was supposed to be 183km but with my sense of direction turned out to be considerably more, I was definitely ready for my bed. However, at least whenever the Scottish students turn their nose up at my Englishness in seminars, I can safely assume that I have seen, travelled, hiked and train-hopped more of this county than they have. And only at the cost of one knee! Looking back at it, the hike was just what I needed to get out of the semester-time headspace and properly escape from exam season and exam celebration; a sort of detox if you will. I would definitely recommend! That being said, if you’re short on time, or you’re not a massive fan of the ‘urban’ coast, then maybe skip the first day or two… and definitely pray for that sunshine!
June 2019
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