Fife Coastal Path: Elie to Leven

We've now completed three sections of the Fife Coastal Path! Today, we hiked 10 miles from Elie to Leven. The scenery was beautiful, although we all agreed that it was a bit less interesting than other parts we've completed. Also, it was so windy. Upper and Lower Largo were our favourite towns, with many seaside cottages and quaint shops. I'm still amazed at diversity and beauty of the Scottish coastline. The views and beaches are truly stunning. After arriving in Leven, we stopped to take some group photos and then caught the next bus. We all napped the entire hour and a half back to St Andrews! As usual, we loved spending time with the Hargers and are excited to plan our next adventure.

Six

This year, our anniversary trip was planned by Garrick. We hauled all of our camping gear with us to Scotland and had yet to use it, so he decided to try 'wild' camping as it's called in the UK (camping where there is no official site). We love the Fife Coastal Path and thought it would be the best place to go. Garrick did all the preparing and packing and just helped me get my pack on when it was time to leave.

It was in the low twenties when we left our flat. The East Sands looked more like a beach in Barcelona. We headed up the path and stopped at the first beach we came upon as it was the perfect place to pitch our tent. We exercised good communication skills learned over six years of marriage, and successfully set up our campsite. Then, the clouds and on-and-off rain rolled in. Still, we had a blast.

For dinner, Garrick prepared rolls with meat and cheese and wrapped them in foil to heat over the fire. We read, searched for sea glass, took in the stunning views, drank nice wine, and enjoyed good conversation. Every so often, we'd hide out in our tent and play cribbage while we waited for a rain shower to pass. 

We fell asleep after we heard the church bells chime 10pm. We woke several times in the night because of waves crashing, rain hitting the tent, and wind. At about 5am, we packed up and headed home to our bed. After we woke up, Garrick went out and brought back vanilla lattes from Taste, which we enjoyed with croissants. Good man. Despite the rough nights sleep, we'd go again in a heartbeat!

When we got married at twenty, we both were aware of how young we were. So, we decided to grow up together. And I think we've done a good job of that. Garrick is a supportive and loving husband who can meet me in my greatest joys and sorrows. I am so proud of his hard work and pursuit of his passions. He also possesses the ability to make me laugh, always. Here's to many more adventurous years together, Mr Allen! You are my home.

Fife Coastal Path: Earlsferry to Anstruther

We hiked another section of the Fife Coastal Path yesterday: 10 miles from Earlsferry to Anstruther. Although we hiked almost 20 miles last time, we covered less ground on this outing because we conquered the Elie Chain Walk.

Adam and Lindsay met us at the St Andrews bus station at 9am, and we had coffee waiting. They made us eggs muffins for breakfast, and we packed snacks for the day. We got off in Elie and walked to Earlsferry to find the entrance to the Chain Walk. I was especially thankful to have Eagle Scout Harger along for this part of the journey. Basically, we used chains to navigate up and down rocky cliffs along the coast. There were well-used footholds and overall we felt very safe.

Once we completed the Chain Walk, the rest of our hike was fairly easy. Even though the clouds came in, the rain held off and it was quite warm. Lindsay and I were usually behind Adam and Garrick, who we overheard discussing the ins and outs of their projects. They love what they do! We came upon several ruins including castles, saltpans, and doocots. We also saw some cows who seemed unimpressed by our attempts to make friends. Eventually, we arrived in lovely St Monans and met an artist who had planted flowers in over a hundred pairs of wellies.

Our food destination of this trip? The Cocoa Tree! We consumed several pitchers of water before our lunch even arrived. We all ordered soup and devoured hot cocoa for dessert. As we were leaving, we got to sample chocolates filled with whisky. The final mile to Anstruther flew by, and we sat eating chips at the harbour while waiting for the bus back to St Andrews.

We plan to do another section of the coastal path in August! Stay tuned.