Bartimaeus

As November approached we started giving some consideration to where we might go for our anniversary.  We’ve been on alphabetic jaunts every year – this time it’s the second turn for the letter F.  The success of our train trip to Eindhoven last year meant we were considering France, Flanders, or even French Flanders.  Starting from Chester would make the train journey pleasantly short.  When other factors brought us to Edinburgh in mid-November we reconsidered.

The Kingdom of Fife is very close as the crow flies, but we rarely visit the East Neuk because transport options are limited.  We started to investigate the various visitor attractions, but quickly discovered that almost all of them are shut in late November.  We’d just have to enjoy the great outdoors.  A forecast short spell of cold but sunny weather coincided with availability at a nice looking hotel at Elie so we made a booking.

I was pleased to have a reason to use the newly re-opened passenger train service to Leven and our bus passes to make the journey.  Check-in wasn’t until after sunset, so we broke our outward journey at a museum in Kirkcaldy.

After breakfast on the first morning we headed east, keeping the cold wind mostly behind us.  We soon found ourselves approaching the lighthouse we’d seen the night before via a crude concrete bridge which is only useful at high tide.

The path afforded almost unbroken views of the sunny coastline.  The Isle of May was a constant partner though it is more than ten miles away.  We got some shelter from the cold wind from the shoreline, but it was mostly behind us when we could feel it at all, and we were both dressed warmly enough.

We reached St. Monans at a convenient time for an early lunch.  A board directed us to a convenient cafe serving (amongst other things) soup and cheese scones.  Having missed out on a cheese scone with my lunch the previous day, I pounced on them this time.

Refuelled, we continued to Pittenweem.  The harbour had been colonised by eider ducks making their characteristic “oo-ooh oo-ooh” calls.

The sun was quite low in the sky by the time we reached Anstruther, bathing it in golden light as we approached.

We walked through Anstruther and looked back towards the setting sun over the harbour.

We explored the harbour area a little more in the spare time we had before the bus arrived.  We were able to watch the sky change colour from the front seats upstairs on the bus on the short journey back to Elie.  The colourful view over the bay from our hotel window was short-lived.