Fife Coastal Path. Kirkcaldy to Kinghorn and The Inland Circular Route.

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I enjoyed my day out through in Fife and Kirkcaldy so much that one week later I was here again- this time to walk the coastal path in the other direction from Kirkcaldy to the picturesque village of Kinghorn. This is a small part of Kirkcaldy's main shopping street- the more traditional, quieter end with period buildings and small businesses rather than shopping arcades and covered malls.

This time I'd judged it perfectly for low tide and Kirkcaldy's beaches were exposed allowing me to walk over the sands for the first few km of the trip.

Kirkcaldy's success and growth was founded around the manufacture of Linoleum floor coverings and for almost 100 years it dominated the market for this product- both in the UK and worldwide. I've still got linoleum in my kitchen and bathroom and it still looks bright, clean and fresh after 40 years of use. I love lino and have great memories of it as a child... the smell, the look and the feel of it crawling across kitchen floors of relatives houses before I could walk and even after.... Even working in the 1980s and 1990s in houses we were continually lifting up floors covered in lino with 1940s and 1950s newspaper underneath- which we would keep and read during our tea/lunch break. Often the most memorable and enjoyable part of the day. Lino sales started to decline at the end of the 1960s as it gradually fell out of fashion but I believe they still make it here in this remaining factory as it has non allergenic and bug killing properties due to its linseed oil base so is once again popular in hospitals, schools, and many health centres as an easy to clean floor covering and sterile aid to defeat super bugs and other surface landing viruses/bacteria. With the recent debate over plastics contaminating the planet and new virus/bacteria threats occurring every year eco friendly lino could yet make a major modern comeback and the material and muted colours of today have evolved so much most folk would never guess what it was they were walking over. Kirkcaldy used to be the linoleum capital of the UK, its skyline dominated by large factories but only this example remains here as far as I'm aware.

A more open coastline awaits the walker on this stretch but it still has some great features. Arthur's Seat in the distance framed by the impressive remains of an old sea wall.

And out to sea- just visible in the sunshine- Bass Rock and Fidra- each island with its own lighthouse.

Ships and oil platforms.

The island of Inchkeith- fought over by Scots, French and English in the distant past and at various times a handy quarantine/ isolation retreat for plague and syphilis victims, prostitutes and pirates. In both world wars it was a hedgehog of guns, like the other islands in the Firth of Forth- a front line defense against any attackers, protecting the nearby city of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh itself was looking rather grey on this day with low cloud over the Pentlands and Salisbury Crags and a strong threat of rain while Fife remained sunny and dry.

As I got closer to this impressive sea wall the thought occurred that I might well be able to hop out to its end point. Something about this fallen giant really appealed to me and as I couldn't reach far flung Inchkeith this might be a more achievable challenge.

It was much harder than it looks here with rocks heavily coated in slippy seaweed  but eventually I made it by crawling in places to the end point. Once I'd started determination got the better of me and I ended up wading the last section where there was too big a gap to jump across. By that time I'd given up turning back after the effort involved already and was totally committed ... to success. Luckily my trousers dry out quickly and I'd removed my boots, leaving them at the gap.

It wasn't too long after that self generated adventure when the ruins of Seafield Tower came into view,  (seen here) once owned by the Bishop of Orkney and the Archbishop of Glasgow, one and the  same person (James Law) who came from Fife.

An overcast view of Grangemouth. 'Dark satanic mills' where most of Central Scotland, Northern Ireland  and Northern England's petroleum supplies are produced.

Yet this coastline is also home to amazing wildlife .

A goldeneye duck showing its golden eye.

The beautiful village and beaches of Kinghorn. From here my intention now was to head inland- up through Kinghorn golf course and over the fertile interior of Fife back towards Kirkcaldy.

This was the main climb of the day, offering suberb views over the coast. Kinghorn's other beach here with the rising tide chasing in a lone dog walker- viewed from the caravan park above the golf course. From the Bents ( OS landranger map 66 Edinburgh and North Berwick) the track I was following snakes past a farm then Kinghorn Loch.

A nice varied walk and a change from coastal scenery. Highland cattle here.

The horned one.

Hut community.

Grey partridge. Male and female I think.

A young male pheasant in the growing crops. Sowing starts early in fertile Fife- one of the breadbaskets of  Scotland.

A view back towards West Wemyss and Buckhaven- the setting for my previous coastal walk.

And a view of Kirkcaldy again with the bus station tower in copper green and Raith Rovers football club stadium just in shot right and below. Another five star day out. Around 10 to 12 km and a walk of great variety. 4 to 5 hours easy pace with stops.

Although Marc Bolan is still well remembered for his glam rock hits he had a whole other musical life before that as a floor squatting hippy troubadour in the late 1960s. Along with the multi talented and oft underrated Steve Took (backing vocals and playing a wide range of  unusual instruments) they perfected a unique sound together and made several stunning albums full of gentle poetry, whimsical quirks and beguiling imagery that still sounds original and fresh today. Luckily, Tyrannosaurus Rex albums (not to be confused with the later glam era T Rex) are all on You Tube and are well worth hearing and watching. David Bowie gets most of the credit these days as a chameleon entertainer switching between different characters but Bolan was a genre shifting, musical virtuoso as well and did it very successfully first and I'm sure Bowie picked up loads of ideas from his rival and  friend...and vice versa ...including the essential ingredient....when to jump ship before the fickle fans get bored with a certain image.  M.B died early, after a meteoric rise and fall, so might well have been intelligent and talented enough to change style again into something else with a different singing voice and sound if he'd carried on. We will never know now.   Here's a tiny taster in this link.