Walking with Wemyss Windmills - 17th November 2019

Today's walk location was determined by the need to be elsewhere later in the day; I can't now remember where, but it must have been Falkland because I remember choosing somewhere between my home and Falkland and that 'somewhere' was Milton of Balgonie, a place for which I passed the turn off every time I drove to Glenrothes along the A911 and always wondered where that road led (other than Milton of Balgonie of course). Today I was to find out.

I parked in the small village of Milton of Balgonie and immediately took a photograph of the school for that gridsquare, always a sure subject for a Geograph.

Milton of Balgonie School. NO3200

I walked eastwards and turned right onto a small lane which led to the River Leven.

Lane to River Leven. NO3200

The sun was shining gloriously and it felt like a truly autumnal day. Imagine my joy as I approached the river and caught a fleeting glimpse of the Kingfisher. My first one for Fife. I was beside myself with excitement. It flew upstream so I knew there was little chance of seeing it again.

River Leven near Milton of Balgonie. NO3200

At  bifurcation I turned left, knowing I'd be returning via the path to the right. I passed an ivy-covered ruin in the woods, about which I have been able to find not a jot of information, although Balfour Mill is listed on the 1856 6" map, so this could be a building associated with that mill.

Ivy-clad ruin near Milton of Balgonie. NO3200

On the southern side, about quarter of a mile away lay the remains of Balfour House. This erstwhile mansion was developed in the 17th century from a late 16th century house. It is all now a roofless ruin.

Ruins of Balfour House. NO3200

It seemed to be taking a while to get into a new gridsquare; there had been so much to see in NT3200. Seeing the Kingfisher in that square will do a lot towards pushing it up in my favourite gridsquare charts!

I was now in NT land and seeing lots of Yellowhammers. I don't think I've yet been a walk in Fife without seeing a Yellowhammer and it is so encouraging to see this farmland bird maintaining its status here. I rarely saw them on either Islay or in Dorset.

Balfour Mains. NT3299

Balfour Mains (left) and cottage (right). NT3299

At Balfour Main's Cottage I turned sharply right to continue along a lovely, grass-centre farm track (there really ought to be an name for these).

Green Lane near Balfour Mains. NT3299

I turned sharply right and then sharply left twice to join Cardowrie Loan. If I'd turned right instead of left here I could have curtailed my walk hugely, but where's the fun in that?

Byresloan Farm made a good subject for square NT3199.

Byresloan. NT3199

There was another option for a shorter walk just beyond Byresloan, but I turned left towards Tullybreck where I crossed a former railway line (they seem to crop up wherever I go in Fife). This one was another part of the former Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway that I have walked along before.

Former railway line near Tullybreck. NT3198

I passed another walker here who was walking along the railway line. It would be interesting to try that sometime. I wonder if you can walk along it from here right to Methil which was where I had joined it on a previous walk. Today, I was crossing both the railway line and the River Ore. As far as I'm aware this was my first visit to the River Ore.

Footbridge across the River Ore at Tullybreck. NT3198

I passed an old brick building on my right opposite Tullybreck Farm, about which I haven ot been able to find any information.

Old building at Tullybreck. NT3198

Then I was into sun-drenched woodland.

Autumn at Tullybreck. NT3198

I was also entering Wemyss Wood and the Earl's Seat Wind Farm. From now on the landscape was dominated by regularly turning, rhythmical wind turbines. I feel a certain ambivalence about wind turbines. Part of me thinks they are an eyesore, marring an otherwise beautiful landscape, but part of me finds something soothing in their regular, constant turning, as if they are bringing my thoughts into some sort of order instead of the chaotic mass in which they normally swirl.

Earl's Seat Wind Farm. NT3298

Somehow, and it's a mystery exactly how, I managed to omit gridsquare NT3297. I have since returned and almost forgot to photograph it again. It's as if there's a sort of black hole there. Admittedly the landscape looks exactly the same with only the odd sign numbering each wind turbine to distinguish one from another. It's quite a monotonous landscape, but one in which I expect landscape could thrive in this semi greenfield land.

I saw on the steps of one of the turbines, munching my lunch and watching a fox in the distance. There is little in the way of disturbance for wildlife here and the turbines are doing little harm, so I can live with the fact they they constantly slice the wind in thirds.

After lunch I went off in search of  the standing stone which gives the Standing Stane road its name. I have to admit I was a little disappointed.

Standing Stone at Earl's Seat.NT3197.

The stone is only 4.5 feet high. I think I'd expected to see something at least twice that height considering it had given its name to a whole A road.

I continued my walk with the windmills. 

Walking with windmills. NT3197

I had not seen a soul all day until I bumped into a man walking from the opposite direction who looked like he was working somewhere. I asked him if it were possible to exit the wind farm from the direction in which he had come and he confirmed it was so I walked onto New Bridge Strip and back into autumn. How delightful to be surrounded, immersed in copper, amber and gold.

Copper, amber and gold in New Bridge Plantation. NT3197

I was revelling autumn whilst keeping my eye on my phone map ready for my emergence into NT3097. It would be a brief sojourn in that gridsquare.

New Bridge Plantation. NT3097

I was about to cross the River Ore again and headed northwards through yet more autumn regality.

New Bridge Strip. NT3098

How dare you return?

Autumn, the time of falling

You stole her away.

And so, with mixed thoughts, I approached New Bridge, the new bridge which had obviously given its name to the woodland through which I had just walked. The bridge was apparently used by pack animals in transporting coal from the Balgonie mines to the coast for shipping.

New Bridge over River Ore. NT3098

Immediately over the bridge I spotted some wavy-edged fungi.

Fungi near New Bridge. NT3098

I crossed what used to be a level crossing and passed another walker.

Former level crossing near Thornton. NT3098

I was now on Doubledikes Road and walked through a tunnel underneath the present railway line near Coaltown of Balgonie.

Railway tunnel near Thornton. NT3099

Just before reaching Coaltown of Balgonie, I turned right to cross the railway again as it headed north-west. In order to gain NO3000 I continued on the footpath until it joined the B9130 at Coaltown of Balgonie. I would turn right again at Westgate and walk past Balgonie Castle.

Westgate and the road to Balgonie Castle. NO3000

This was my least favourite part of the walk and the only bit I would miss out on a future occasion. Though it was gratuitous, it served its purpose and I did get to see Balgonie Castle again, a place I had visited several years before with funny memories.

Balgonie Castle. NO3100

The Castle was built in the 15th Century. Covenanter, General Sir Alexander Leslie returned to Scotland from Sweden to live here in 1654. He died in 1661 and is buried within Markinch Church.

Having walked along the road for a mile, I was glad to once more feel a softer surface underfoot and be back by the River Leven. I sat with my last cup of tea of the day and took a photograph of the square with which I had begun my walk with the windmills.

A seat by the Leven. NO3200

Number of new gridsquares: 11
Number of miles walked: 8.8
Walk worth repeating: yes, several different/shorter versions are available, but would definitely not walk along road again.
Highlights: autumn colours, River Leven, Kingfisher, Fox, Yellowhammers, old railway line