It was time to bag a few local squares, right on my doorstep. The first one was a sad one. When I first moved into my lovely flat I had noticed lots of larger vehicles driving down the street with scrap metal in them and wondered where they were going as my street is a cul de sac. Today I was to discover the answer to the mystery and discover why those larger vehicles no longer drove down the street.
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| Walter Stewart Scrap Metal Merchants, East Wemyss. NT3396 |
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| Poignant message. |
It seems the government will never learn how to support small businesses; will never learn that the little things in life are the ones that count; that increased legislation is not always the answer. I have heard similar stories so many times from frustrated people who want to help others, not build an empire, but increasingly these are the ones who end up down trodden and forgotten. I've not been here long to have appreciated it, but thanks for all the hard work Wattie and Mark Stewart.
The day was literally as well as figuratively overcast as I made my way along the coastal path, looking towards a distant Edinburgh.
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| Fife Coast path near East Wemyss. NT3395 |
Soon I was at West Wemyss and drawn to an unusual steel memorial in the shape of a mine. This commemorates five men who were fatally injured when they tethered a sea mine which was floating dangerously close to the village of West Wemyss during the Second World War. One of the spikes is thought to have come loose and crashed against the rocks, detonating the mine and killing all five men, the youngest of whom was only 15 years old. The full story can be read
here. All five men are buried in the nearby church, but, despite a prolonged search, I have only been able to find one of those mentioned.
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| West Wemyss memorial. NT3294 |
My route today was vaguely shaped like a triangle and I was now at the left-most corner, so turned inland, north-eastwards, where a path leads through the woodland and fields of Wemyss Estate to Coaltown of Wemyss. Once at the village I turned left
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| Main Street, Coaltown of Wemyss. NT3295 |
I think the flag was out for Armistice Day, which was the next day.
Just beyond the school I turned right onto the Red Ash Trail and the disused railway line of the former Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway. This line opened in 1881 and connected Buckhaven with the main line railway network at Thornton, linking several collieries en route. The line was extended to Mehtil and Leven harbours in 1884 and this extension line was called the Leven Extension Railway. A passenger service was also operated between Thornton and Methil.
The railway served the East Fife Coalfield, but both the passenger and freight services fell into deep decline after 1930. The passenger service was closed in 1955 and the line closed completely in 1980. Another former thing that has passed away; what things that we are familiar with today will be 'former things' to our grandchildren's children?
I passed disused mine shafts and dipped gratuitously into NT3196. I can't remember if I think this is cheating or not!
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| Footpath sign near Coaltown of Wemyss on disused railway line. NT3196 |
There is a delightful network of footpaths here which warrant further exploration. I have since revisited these parts and discovered more paths. It would be nice to walk them in all the seasons, something I keep thinking whenever I go for a walk and imagine what it might look like in a different season.
I retraced my steps to walk through NT3296 along the railway line.
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| Former railway line. NT3296 |
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| Former railway line. NT3396 |
I was now walking on the north side of East Wemyss, a place I had never been to before and was soon to enter what is called Wemyss Den on the map, although there is a sign to another Wemyss Den further south in the village. I think there were several 'dens' in the village at one time.
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| Wemyss Den. NT3397 |
I saw on a fallen branch with my lunch and two walkers passed by and were surprised to see me. "How lovely to see a thermos flask!" the female of the pair smiled. "I'm never without it," I said, returning the smile and holding my little red cup up in what I hoped was a cheery greeting.
I walked northwards to the end of the den and followed the path round to the left to enter NT3498 where the path continues to a driving range and Wellsgreen Farm and beyond to the Standing Stane Road. I was turning back towards the village though. I had one more gridsquare to bag before the end of my walk.
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| Near Wellsgreen Farm towards East Wemyss. NT3498 |
Back in the village I crossed the A955, turned left and then almost immediately right onto a path which led to the sea and MacDuff's Castle.
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| MacDuff's Castle. NT3497 |
The remains of this castle stand above the shoreline north-east of the village of East Wemyss. The castle dates originally from the middle ages when the MacDuff's were them ost powerful family in Fife, but nothing now survives of this building. The remaining ruins were the home of the Wemyss family between the 14th and 16th Century.
The castle is said to be haunted by a 'Grey Lady',apparently the ghost of a Mary Sibbald who was found guilty of theft and died in the castle.
I resisted the temptation to explore the many caves dotted along the shoreline. That would make an interesting subject for a future walk. For now it was back home for a cup of tea - this time not from the flask!
Number of new gridsquares: 10
Number of miles walked: 7.6
Walk worth repeating: yes, in a different season
Highlights: Macduff's Castle, coastal path
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