Owlets and Foxes - Cupar Circular - 13th August 2019

There was a long gap between my last walk and this one - three months in fact. It wasn't that I didn't do any walking whatsoever; just that none of those walks took place in Fife so don't count for the purpose of this blog.

Today's walk would start in Cupar where there is an excellent free car park. I have been many times since that walk, even in just the few months that have passed since, but this was my first time visiting the town since I moved to Fife, at that time, eight months earlier.

The morning broke with another glorious sunrise.

Sunrise at East Wemyss. NT3396

I set off eagerly from the car park and walked past the railway station, turning off on the road to Ceres and walked past the cemetery and Castlehill Primary School.

Cupar railway station. NO3714

Cupar Cemtery. NO3713

Castlehill Primary School, Cupar. NO3713.

As always, I was glad to get off the road and onto a path through the delightfully named Owlet Wood.

Owlet Wood, NO3813

 I had climbed significantly since the start of my walk and looked down on the sunny town of Cupar.

Cupar from Owlet Wood. NO3813.

I resisted two opportunities to sit on benches. I always find they're positioned wrong, usually at the beginning of my walks and when I am ready to rest my weary bones, there's generally not a bench to be found.

Bench in Owlet Wood. NO3813

Bench in Owlet Wood. NO3812

I might have resisted the temptation to sit down, but a beautiful Peacock Butterfly chose to rest in front of me to bask in the sunshine.

Peacock Butterfly at Owlet Wood. NO3812

 Then it was the turn of the Painted Lady, making the most of the late flowering Black Knapweed, such an important nectar source for insects.

Painted Lady at Owlet Wood. NO3912

 By now I had turned eastwards and into a new gridsquare towards Freelands, where another bench beckoned me. I just knew I wasn't going to find another one in a mile or so's time when I was ready for tea break.

Bench near Freelands. NO3912

I continued on the track across Ceres Moor towards Woodlands Farm.

Woodlands Farm. NO3912

I'd been walking more or less parallel to the Ceres Road and soon rejoined it and turned left to Woodlands Farm where I met a friendly farm worker, or possibly the farmer himself and asked about the track eastwards to Cairngreen, which he pointed me towards.

Path to Cairngreen Wood. NO3913

The greenway was lined with Himalayan Balsam, an invasive plant, but which I believe does offer a great nectar source for insects.

I took a right turn at Cairngreen Wood where horses were not welcome.

Horses not welcome, Cairngreen Wood. NO3913.

The path had diminished in size as I continued eastwards towards Kemback.

Cairngreen Wood. NO4013

I was delighted to catch sight of  a fox just before I left the wood. It was intent on sniffing out the ground in front of it and seemed oblivious to my presence, although I was a good distance behind it and probably downwind of its nostrils!

Fox near Cairngreen Wood. NO4013

I followed it for about 100 yards before it disappeared into the undergrowth, never to be seen again - by me at least!

Fox ahead of me near Cairngreen Wood. NO4013.

I crossed the B940 and found the Ceres Burn; in fact I got confused by the Ceres Burn because I wasn't sure if I had to cross it or not. I nipped across what I thought was the Ceres Burn and then realised this was but a tributary of same so nipped back across.

Dura Den. NO4113.

I was now in the leafy Dura Den and several contour lines above the Ceres Burn. It was a delightful footpath and I felt gladdened to be here amongst leaf litter and tree roots.

Dura Den tree roots. NO4114

Somehow though, shortly after greeting a cheery dog walker, I missed what must have been an obvious path and ended up out of the den walking in a field.

Above Dura Den. NO4114.

This was fine for a photograph of the gridsquare, but I'd been looking forward to following the river. Something went quite drastically wrong here, and I went dangerously close to Dura House, fought my way through branches and thickets and ended up finally at Kemback Bridge. My nerves must have been quite fraught because I have no photos of NO4115 at all which is a fascinating gridsquare with meany features therein. I have subsequently photographed it but intend returning to Kemback to do it the justice it deserves.

Emerging at Kemback Bridge, somewhat fraught as I said, I crossed the bridge and followed a path by the Ceres Burn at last. I was not alone; a stout man smoking a cigar was ahead of me and greeted me warmly. He told me it was possible to rejoin the road further along. There was something other worldly about this encounter; he appeared from nowhere with no baggage other than his cigar and a smile. He seemed less surprised to see me than I was him.

I decided I needed to recover from my wasted footsteps and energy and sat with my lunch by the river.Why I didn't take any photographs is now beyond me. Perhaps I did and deleted them accidentally?

At any rate, there's no point whining on about this ridiculous experience. I was intact any my spirits recovered by the time I reached the next bridge.

TheCeres Burn flows into the River Eden which is the river that flows through Cupar and out at the Eden Estuary at Guardbridge. I was at the Dairsie Bridge which crosses the Eden here.

River Eden from Dairsie Bridge. NO4116

Dairsie Bridge. NO4116

This rather attractive bridge apparently has a very weathered panel on its east face with the arms and initials of James Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews 1522 to 1538. I shall have to go back to look for this. Archbishop Beaton was the man who ordered the burning at the stake of Patrick Hamilton, the Protestant martyr.

I passed Dairsie Church and crossed the railway line.

Dairsie Church. NO4116.

Dairsie Castle has been restored. It dates from the 16th Century and was restored in the early 1990s. It is an impressive building now.

Dairsie Castle. NO4116.

I turned left at Dairsie Mains onto a track leading me back westwards and very briefly into NO4016; a mere 340 feet - I measured it on the map. But 340 feet or not, it was enough to photograph the gridsquare, rather boring though it was.

Looking north-west from track to Chapelwell. NO4016.

I turned right just before reaching Chapelwell, but the farm provided a good subject for this gridsquare.

Chapelwell. NO4015.

I went straight across the A91 onto another farm road, this time leading to Foxton.

Road to Foxton. NO3915

Annoyingly, despite being in NO3916 for all of 545 feet, I neglected to take a photograph of the gridsquare. Admittedly there was only 545 foot worth of opportunity and not much to see, but I'd managed it with only 340 feet, so I can only think I was distracted by a bird. I know I was composing a poem about my very old friend Clare and her books, but that's simply no excuse!

I wasn't in the next gridsquare for very long either, but managed a photograph, possibly because there was a fork in the road with a rather enticing sign to a viewpoint 700 metres in the opposite direction to the one I wanted to take. I shall return to see this some day and bag the missed square at the same time.

Turn off to Hawklaw. NO3816.

I continued on the path towards Hawklaw, passing a turn off to Kingask en route.

Track to Hawklaw. NO3815

Left to Cupar, right to Dairsie. Sign at Kingask. NO3815.

At Hawklaw I took my final photograph of the day and descended back into Cupar.

Hawklaw Cottages. NO3715

Number of new gridsquares: 14

Number of miles walked: 10

Walk worth repeating: yes, if can sort out the bit at Dura Den. Need to 'bag' NO3916 and find the Archbishop Beaton panel on Dairsie Bridge. Could also revise to take in NO3914 and NO4014 and perhaps include old church at Kemback.

Highlights: Fox, River Eden, Dura Den, Dairsie Bridge and Church.