Benarty Hill.Hill of Beath.

Better weather this week and an interesting and disturbingly different pair of hills.Parked at Lochore Meadows country Park near Ballingry in central Fife.I`ve been here before a couple of times and always enjoyed it.This was reclaimed land,unsightly spoil heaps and waste ground (site of the infamous smoldering Bing) until the 1970s.

Now its an attractive loch with several wooded islands,set in landscaped surroundings with a sailing club and horse and pony trekking. As it has a large catchment area of small towns and villages in this most industrial part of Fife its popular at weekends but still has a nice empty feeling to it.Just shows you what can be acheived to transform what was once an eyesore.


As you can see from the map set off from car park up Harran Hill then across a grassy meadow to the minor road where a good but steep zig zag path leads up through trees to the open summit ridge behind.

Stunning views over Loch Leven National Nature Reserve,The Lomonds,Cleish Hills and a large chunk of Central Scotland was our reward for reaching the summit..Although a mellow grassy hill on its southern slopes the northern edge boasts some impressively rugged cliffs.

Needless to say Alex had to have a scramble on the crags as soon as he noticed them.I think he must have been an African Rift Valley Baboon in a previous life as he seems to have no fear,dancing over pinnacles hundreds of feet above the ground.He`s always happiest with sheer drops below him ,safe from leopards above.
He also claims to be losing his head for heights now he`s older. Yeah, right. That's really obvious here.

Easy walking and a gentle roller coaster ridge found us on the lesser summit at 327 metres where we had another fine view over the M90 motorway.

Here Alex found another set of lesser crags to climb down onto,beating his hairy chest above the valley and roaring out a challenge to the young males of Kelty who looked up bare chested and tattooed in the streets and then roared back in return.He`d climbed here years ago with our club, fantastic views but fairly average rock routes he informed me.
Great place for a video though.Here,s King Monkey strutting his stuff in casual fashion.





If you are wondering what I was about to say at the end before that pesky cut out (damn these clumsy paws) its my promise to keep the blog going if old grey nut here toppled off his perch.
Mind you I`m writing most of it anyway these days.Lazy git.Get your finger out ya baldy slacker!
We ambled down in the warm sunshine,tee-shirts being seen for the first time in ages,back to the car.

A really enjoyable hill but one that most folk wouldn`t think of going up unless they lived in the local area.This was the hill I was wanting to watch T in the park from with the binoculars.Maybe a bit too far but a very different day out.Alas the weather that time was not in our favour,rain, mist and wind up here.
Back down at the car Alex sat and read my paper in the sun while I walked along the pit road for two kilometres past the riding stables to take this photo of the Mary Pit and Concrete frame monument with winding gear wheels.Impressive structure.A common sight once all over central Scotland.


I returned via the shoreline of the loch.Back at the car a now rested Alex was keen to bag a smaller second hill."You`ll love it" he said."This ones right up your alley.Its not that far away". He then gave directions for a magical mystery tour through deepest industrial Fife towards the trig of his choice driving back though Kelty and Kingseat until we stopped in a rubbish strewn lay by beside a locked gate."This is it."
Walking from here took us across a pedestrian bridge over the M90 motorway and up the grassy Hill of Beath for a view over Fifes very own heart of darkness.Jim Baxter was born and raised here before going on to have a great career in football with Scotland, Rangers and many other teams along the way.At the top views were unique.My kind of hill.Beauty and beast tangled up close in one tight sleeping bag.
An unknown and surprisingly overlooked (by us anyway) steep sided bing loomed above nearby Cowdenbeath.

Turning left slightly brought the chemical works and adjacent smoke chimneys to please the eye.

Turning further left gave us a vision of a wild frontier- like open cast mining operation.

Due to its modest height and ease of ascent Its obviously a favourite outlook point.
"**** me, its grim! " laughed Alex."Makes Grangemouth look like a good place to spend your holidays."
"Its probably the most industrial part of Fife ."I conceded."Better to keep it all in the one bit though eh? Keeps the rest of it clean."
Being Fife it also had fine views aplenty too up here.Excellent panoramas over Edinburgh and the Pentlands,North to the snowy wall of the Ochils and this one of Benarty just climbed.

And this of the Saline group of hills.

Just at that moment Alex noticed a bird of prey that he didn`t regognise.We took a picture.Later I looked it up on the net and one of these had been spotted in this area.

I think its a male marsh harrier.A rare sight nowadays.Good spot from Alex.
"I love wildlife." he proclaimed." It turns up in the most unexpected places".
Later I dropped him off outside his house only to find his front garden infested with wild rabbits,busy munching his prized plants just dug into the soil recently to celebrate the spring weather.
"God in heaven, its teeth city out there" our big baboon wailed,leaping out the car to give chase,cursing mightly.
"Aw,what a shame Alex.After all your hard work."
Happy days.Go on you munching bunnies! Go!



Edit:
Here`s a pic of the bullfinch helping himself to my tree buds last week.
Alex.

A Fife Beach Day.

It had to happen sometime.For once the weather forecast got it wrong.Watched it night before.Dry and sunny out east,dull and misty in the west.No surprise there then we thought.
We headed east intending to park at Dollar and climb that steep narrow gorge leading up to Castle Campbell then follow the horseshoe of hills above.
It was dull and grey when we left Glasgow and stayed dull and increasingly misty as we progressed east.Soon break into the sun we thought smugly, our success rate thus far giving us no reason to doubt it.We arrived near Dollar took one look at the mist shrouded Ochils and carried on,neither of us having any desire to trudge about in a peasouper for hours on end.
It didn't get any better though.


After a quick eyeball at the maps we decided to head for Wormit under the Tay railway bridge,a very modest trig there catching Alex`s fancy as it was also a stretch of coastline we hadn't done yet. We parked and headed down to the shoreline via an old railway tunnel then along an atmospheric shore towards Balmerino Abbey.



It was still and eerie in the mist,old buildings and wrecks of boats sticking out the mudflats hearabouts.

Shingle and flat rocks made it not too bad to walk along,low tide mud flats and sand banks stretching further out into the Tay.Sure as Death Bank caught our eye on the map which could mean a good stepping off point or a very bad one in a boat.

The trig Alex wanted to bag was between Wormit Bay and Jock`s Hole.A very pimply 74 metres,even I thought it small so we walked for a couple of kilometres along the coast before we backtracked then climbed up to the summit.

Two friends seemed to have fallen out near the top.
Misty views of Dundee across the firth just visible in the murk,much clearer views of Newport on Tay on this side.

Alex phoned his wife on the mobile about another matter and was stunned to be told it was a glorious day now in Glasgow,warm and sunny.He had to sit down for a selection of muffled curses.Ah well ,we were here now.

Back at the car another swift conversation found us heading to St Andrews to bag the famous West Beach and River Eden,another area neither of us had explored,although we`d both independently visited the Tentsmuir beaches and its sand spit seal colonies on the far side of the Eden.
We parked at the very end of the road at a spot called Out Head then followed the sands along the Eden intending to walk to Eden Mouth.The tide was well out and it looked a long way across miles of flat featureless sand.This is where sand cycling comes into its own as you can cover great distances with ease.Frankly it looked a bit boring on foot.

Not having bikes today we didn't attempt it and cut away to where more interesting events seemed to be taking place.A large section of the beach was being used for sand yachting by a crowd of young folk.

This was more like it though not as exciting or with the same go anywhere freedom as say- "SAND CYCLING!"( Ah go on. Try it, it`s a fun day out if you stick to firm sand)
The good folk of St Andrews seem to be keen on flying bits of fabric and tossing things at each other,a fine assortment of kites,spinners and Frisbee's on the beach here.
After a spot of people watching we headed back to the car, then ,as we were here anyway, I parked outside the Botanic gardens, a place I`ve always been curious about.Alex sat in the car reading his paper while I had a quick look round.Ok glass houses,nice necklace of descending pools and a good close up view of a heron.

Normally they fly off as soon as my hand goes for the camera like a one sided quick draw contest but this time It stood its ground waiting for a fish.Winter is not the best time for any garden so It was not in its full glory yet.
We then headed back to the sun in the west.A complete reversal of our usual day out.
Ah well makes a change I suppose.

A Collection. My Favourite Photographs.

Hi. Thought I`d post a gallery of some of my favourite snaps.They don't really fit into our days out scenario but I like them anyway.Most of them have been taken over the last few years on mainly solo wanderings.Some have been obviously altered from their original state.Hope you like them,or at the very least find them interesting.You may have to enlarge them full screen to get the effect I was aiming for.

Was in the right place at the right time to capture this.Sadly the Renfrew ferry will soon be no more.I enjoyed taking this ferry,usually with my bike.Its replacement (if there is one) will never have the same magic and it looks like taking bikes across here may be a thing of the past.Not so keen on cycling under the Clyde tunnel so much. That can be a creepy place at times depending who is in it along with you.

Anybody know where this is?The detail in this figure is superb.Most people walk right by this without even noticing it at all which is a real shame.

Shortly after taking this I thought my time was up as I was suddenly approached at speed by about 20 young guys racing towards me over Bells bridge.Luckily for me it was just the start of the crowd at Ibrox for the Rangers game coming out.Was I relieved? You bet I was.

The moon looking tiny on a cloudless spring day at the Necropolis.

An arty one here as I was returning an overdue library book.Anniesland Tower.

Took this from the Renfrew walkway which leads along the River Clyde and up the Black Cart water.This is an interesting walk or cycle part industrial beside a huge scrap metal yard then wild and beautiful along both riverbanks.It can be rough at times depending who you meet which is a real shame.
The Gorbals in winter at dusk.Another magic day in a surprisingly photo friendly area.

An all time favourite this.I`ve always loved the artwork of Gage Taylor,Bill Martin and the other California based visionary painters popular in the 1970s.This is one of the best sunsets I`ve had the pleasure to witness.An altered image obviously.

Taken on the same evening.

Taken from the Erskine Bridge in winter.Never fail to be impressed cycling over here for a tour of Renfrewshire.The vast network of minor road between here and Greenock make it a paradise for quiet cycling routes.

Liked the contrast here between the pristine snow cornice on the summit of Cockleroy and the smokepits and fires of Grangemouth below.

Ain`t he cute.My wee buddy!

Some more obliging animals I always say hello to in passing on summer bike tours in the hills above Glasgow.

Always get a wee lump in my throat when I visit this place on Bute.Not Forgotten.

A day of heavy downpours and sunny intervals on the Clyde near Braehead.Good place for a walk.There is an excellent small park next to Xscape here with fountains and a manmade stream system that runs through it.An fine example of creative landscaping in a small area.Like the earlier festival park in Govan only with more chance of it staying decent this time.

A muted sunset looking over towards Renfrewshire.

Couldn`t resist this one.The girl was trying to make a "Glory"with her image projected onto the clouds below.Captures the joy of a perfect day on the Ochills.

Right place at the right time again.I was wishing it was me in the kayak though I had a good day myself on the bike Going up onto the Gleniffer plateau after this.

Ok.I admit it.I,m obsessed with taking photos of wilderness combined with a city landscape.Not an easy thing to do but I keep trying anyway inspired by pictures of other cities around the world where urban sprawl and wilderness rub shoulders with each other.

Taken from the car waiting for the lights to change.

People used to think mayflies and craneflies were fairy folk.Innocent times back then between the witch burnings and the sinners stoned to death.

Luckily for humanity there is a god in heaven.A fallen angel perhaps?