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| Sunrise from East Wemyss, 0810 hours. NT3396 |
At last I got out of sight of the watchful resident and strode off towards Bonfield.
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| Road in Strathkinness towards Bonfield. NO4516 |
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| Towards East Clatto. NO4416 |
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| Pink-feet above Clatto. NO4415
So to my first trigpoint of the day and an easy one to reach, although I felt bad at disturbing a resting, lame sheep at the concrete pillar.
Clatto trigpoint. NO4315
I retraced my steps down the hill and carried on to Blebocraigs, where an attractive Pine Tree caught my eye.
Pine Tree, Blebocraigs, NO4315
"Fine day for a walk," a cheery resident said as I passed. Blast! I'd wanted to photograph his house as there was a benchmark on it. I merely agreed and went on to greet the next walker, a lady who advised me that there was a super photo opportunity of one of her chickens in her garden. I felt obliged to ask where that was, but with little intention of making a detour for the purpose of photographing it. It was obviously a popular area for walkers as I overtook another couple just before reaching the next gridsquare.
Thornbank Stables. NO4215
I was approaching Kemback, and did so by the myseriously named 'Jenny's Steps'. Whoever Jenny was, she has 217 steps named after her. Apparently Jenny lived in a much smaller version of the red-roofed cottage at the bottom of the steps and legend has it that she was involved in the production of bootleg whisky.
Jenny's steps. NO4215
I paused at a bench at the bottom of the steps and drank my first cup of tea of the walk, wondering if I should make a detour to the church or the ruined church beyond it. I did neither, but will add this to the list of things to do another day.
Kemback Church. NO4115
Former Kemback Church. NO4115
Cupar from Kemback Wood. NO4114
Although the Covenanter's Cave is temptingly close to the path on the map, it is not so easy to reach it. I have seen it once before from the Pitscottie road and it looks very difficult to access, but I would like to give it a go sometime. Little, if anything, is known as to which Covenanter hid in the cave, but Fife has an extensive Covenanting history, so there are plenty to choose from!
My sojourn in NO4114 was brief; my last visit to this square was not as straightforward or as brief as I had got entangled in woods and slipped down slippery slopes in an attempt to find the real Dura Den. (Walk not yet listed)
Today, I followed the path with ease to Blebo House, where a ruin caught my eye. A lady with a dog passed and I asked her if she knew anything of the history of this ruin. "Only that it belongs to Blebo House," she replied, adding that she was a visitor, probably to explain her lack of knowledge. I later found out though that D C Thomson (of Beano and Dandy fame) once owned the property - the house, not the ruin!
Path through woods near Blebo House. NO4214
Ruined building in grounds of Blebo House. NO4214
Entrance to Blebo House.NO4214
I was travelling almost the entire diagonal length of NO4214 as I crossed the B939 and continued straight on to Blebo Mains. I was glad to finally be in a new gridsquare, not that there was much to photograph, merely a muddy field and unattractive improved farmland, a lovely shade of green but offering no 'home' to wildlife.
'Improved' farmland near Blebo Mains. NO4213
At Blebo Hole I made the mistake of thinking I could take a shortcut across the fields to Kinninmonth. It would save me about a mile, but I had to give up as I could seen o way across a fence. This, of course, meant, I'd not only NOT found a shortcut but had lengthened my walk, albeit only by about quarter of a mile.
Walking along the B939 to Pitscottie was not pleasant and I was glad to reach the village and a pavement.
Approaching Pitscottie from the east. NO4113
I turned left onto the equally busy B940, but an attractive milestone with a benchmark cheered me up.
Milestone near Pitscottie. NO4112
Pitscottie milestone in context. NO4112
I was glad to reach the Kininmonth turn off, where I discovered I was once more joining the Fife Pilgrim Way. I seem to do that a lot! The more observant of you will havenoticed what appears to be a typo in the way I've spelt Kininmonth - it is not; in fact it is spelt one way on the map and another on the farm sigh, so I'm not sure which is correct.
Kininmonth turn off. NO4112
It had just turned midday and I was beginning to think of where I might stop to eat my lunch. the glorious sunshine of early morning had retreated behind clouds and the wind was picking up. I plodded on past Kininmonth Farm.
Kininmonth farm. NO4212
I nearly stopped at a memorial bench near the summit of Kininmonth Hill, but decided against it as it was a bit breezy.
Memorial bench on Kininmonth Hill. NO4312
The summit of Kininmonth Hill did not have much to commend it, but I went all the same - I was too close not to!
Summit of Kininmonth Hill. NO4312
At Arnsheen I joined a minor road and entered NO4413 briefly.
Ladeddie Hill. NO4413
Back in NO4412 I snapped an unsatisfactory picture of some cottages, hidden by trees. If I waited till I was past the trees, I risked being in the next gridsquare!
Cottages at Ladeddie. NO4412
I spied two girls with horses at Drumcarro, just ahead of me, so I snapped a photograph of the farm quickly, bemoaning the fact I wouldn't be able to even surreptitiously look for the benchmark.
Drumcarro Farm. NO4512
Drumcarro is another place with two different spellings. The hill is spelt Drumacarrow, which seems more complete somehow, but the farm is Dumcarro. I was now approaching my second trigpoint of the day and the time was approaching 1 pm. I was getting desperate for my lunch. I suddenly had a brainwave; I would eat in the quarry. I was sure to find a sheltered spot in there. Perhaps I'd also find a Peregrine. Now that would make my day!
No sooner had I thought this than a Peregrine shot by over the quarry. I only got a brief glimpse of it, but that was enough. I was very happy to have seen it. I hoped it would reappear as I sat with my lunch by some horse boxes. It was certainly sheltered in here and I could hardly hear the wind at all. But what was that engine noise that was getting closer and closer? I just managed to pack away my lunch stuff when a tractor came round the corner. I could see he was heading towards the same gate that I was heading for; loaded with two huge bales of hay, he was obviously going to feed the horses I could see running towards him in the next field. I sped up in an attempt to open the gate for him, but it is difficult to run on slippery mud. I got there just as he hopped out of the tractor to open the gate. "I was going to do that for you," I said or at least that's what I motioned with hand language and waved to him as I continued up the hill.
Drumcarrow Hill masts and trigpoint. NO4513
Drumcarrow Hill cairn. NO4513
I returned to the horse field just as the farmer was getting back into his tractor, I stood at the open gate waiting to close it after he had gone through, but he went through and got out of his tractor again. Was this man looking for extra work? No, it turned out he was looking for conversation. He said he enjoyed welcoming people up the hill as long as they were responsible. "Got to go!" and he bolted back into his tractor and 'sped' down the hill to where a car had come through the other open gate.
I strolled down the hill, amused by this tractor/car chase and took up my position by the open gate for the third time, thinking he might have got the hint by now. after giving the owner of the trespassing car a good talking to, tractor man bumped his way down the hill, got out once again and continued his conversation with me. "I don't mind walkers and I'm always interested to hear where they've been and where they're going," he said, "but cars aren't supposed to come up here." I had been up the hill for about half an hour and in that time of the gate being opened (it had been padlocked when I arrived), probably the only car of the day to want to go up the hill had appeared! Why anyone would think of driving up there, I cannot imagine. It's a horribly bumpy track, but once started, you're committed I suppose.
My tractor friend told me I could have walked the whole ridge of Drumcarrow Craig, which I could actually see from the map and it would have saved a bit of road walking. Another time I would consider that.
For now, I've spent far too long on this tractor story, but it was the only human interaction I had that day and it spiced up my walk a little. A fork in the road provided a subject for NO4612, a square I was in for the briefest of spells.
Turn off to Drumcarro. NO4612
Drumcarrow Equestrian Centre provided the next square's subject and I wondered if this was where tractor man lived with all his horses.
Drumcarrow Equestrian Centre. NO4613
Weary of road walking, I plodded on past Elderbank and Elderburn with its attractive gate.
Elderbank (same gridsquare) NO4613
Elderburn (still in NO4613)
At last I was in the next gridsquare and I celebrated with a photograph of a milestone with a benchmark, yippee!
Milestone near Elderburn. NO4614
I was approaching Strathkinness now, but had two detours to make before reaching my ultimate destination; they were the main reasons for my choosing and devising this walk in the first place.
At Claremont I entered what I hoped was not a private garden and said hello to the donkeys who immediately came up to see me. I had to enter their paddock and cross a burn to reach the Covenanter's grave, which I could see amidst the trees.
Donkeys at Claremont. NO4514
Covenanter's grave, Claremont. NO4514
Andrew Guillane was suspected of being one of the nine Covenanters responsible for Archbishop James Sharp's death in May 1679. He fled, but was later charged with attending conventicles and it was discovered he had been present at the time of Sharp's death (it is said that Guillane had tried to save the Archbishop). He was executed at the Gallowlee in Edinburgh and his headless body was brought back to Fife for burial.
The inscription on the stone reads:
The Gravestone of Andreu Gullin who suffred At The gallowlee of Edinburgh July 1683 & Afterwards was hung upon a pole in Magus Muir and lyeth hiar. A faithful martar her doth ly A witness against perjury Who cruelly was put to death To gratify proud Prelates wrath They cut his hands ere he was dead And after that struck off his head To Magus Muir they did him bring His body on a pole did hing His blood under the altar cries For vengeance on Christs Enemies.
Bidding farewell to Guillane and the donkeys, I retraced my steps to the crossroads where I headed north towards Magus Muir. Anxious to get off the road I entered the woods before my marked route and followed a path to the Bishop's Road - presumably the road Archbishop Sharp travelled along on May 3rd 1679 before his murder - and to the grave in a field of the five Covenanters who were held responsible for the death of the Archbishop, their fiercest persecutor - Thomas Brown, James Wood, Andrew Sword, John Weddell and John Clyde. All five were hung in chains here after refusing to sign a bond confirming they would not rebel again. It is said none of the five played any part in his murder, but were caught after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge. Two other Covenanters were captured and martyred for their involvement in the Archbishop's murder, David Hackston, who is buried in Cupar, and the aforementioned Andrew Guillane. The other Covenanters escaped.
  
Magus Muir and the Covenanters' grave. NO4515
Nearby is a memorial to Archbishop James Sharp, who is buried at Holy Trinity Church, St Andrews.
Monument to Archbishop Sharp, Magus Muir. NO4515
I followed the Bishop's Road back to the minor road and then onto the B939 which I was encountering for the third time on my walk.
Bishop's Road, Bishop's Wood, Magus Muir. NO4515
I was greedy for squares today. I was making up the rules about this gridsquaring business as I was going along - that's the beauty of coming up with your own challenge; you can sort of move the 'goalposts' as you go. Here are my new rules:
1) I have to walk into each gridsquare (not take a photo from the car)
2) If driving, I have to have a genuine reason for stopping the car (going to a shop for instance); I can't just stop the car, nip out and take a photo.
3) I have to be standing in the gridsquare I am photographing.
4) The subject has to be in context (ie, not a close up of a butterfly, milestone or road sign)
5) It is up to me how much of a detour I make to include other gridsquares not strictly in my route.
It was rule number 5) which was my new rule. If I could see that by walking just a few yards, I would be in another gridsquare, particularly one which lacks a footpath or link to another square, then I could legitimately (by my self-enforced rules) enter that square to take a photograph. Maybe I should make this a national game!
Anyway, there were two squares that fell into that category at the end of my walk. At the crossroads south of Strathkinness I could see that, by turning right, I would enter a new gridsquare, so I did, and walked just far enough to take a photograph of a specific subject with in that square.
Burnside Farm. NO4615
I then strolled back into Strathkinness.
Strathkinness from the south. NO4515
Just after the Post Office, I made a bid for my final gridsquare of the day by turning right. Here I saw one of those recommissioned red phone kiosks. I think this one is some sort of art gallery. I love the variety of ways in which phone booths have been 'recycled'. Then I dragged my weary legs back to the car where, I am glad to say, there was no sign of the watchful resident I'd spotted many hours before.
Unusual art gallery, Strathkinness. NO4616
Finally, my final photo of the day, Strathkinness Church. NO4616
Number of new gridsquares: 23 (a record for my Fife walks)
Number of miles walked: 13
Number of trigpoints bagged: 2
Number of benchmarks seen: 6
Walk worth repeating: Not in its entirety, Strathkinness to Kemback nice, and want to return to visit the ruined church, and walk along Drumcarrow ridge would be worth doing. Too much road walking otherwise.
Highlights: Kemback Church and village, Covenanters' graves, Peregrine
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