Tag: Eden estuary

Fife Coastal Path: St Andrews Old Course to Guardbridge (north bridge)

May 24th, 2025

I have to admit to rather dreading this section of the Coastal Path. I have walked it before, and compared to some of the East Neuk stretches, it is busy, noisy, and not as stunning. However, it is required and so I chose to walk it before it got too late into the summer and harvest season. The last time I walked this route, it was August and there were 1 million harvest flies, several tractors stirring up dust, and enough pollen to defeat any anti-histamine.

There are plenty of good points about this section, though: it is fully accessible by public transport, relatively flat, paved, and moderately busy (can be a plus or a minus depending on how you see it).

I started this part of my journey by getting off the bus at the Old Course Hotel bus stop, just opposite the Gateway Building. From here you follow the path directly behind the bus stop and very quickly come upon a car park, and your first signs for the Coastal Path.

Golf enthusiasts will want to take a short detour here to go closer to the course, which here is the 17th Green of the famous St Andrews Old Course. Views looking back to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the 18th Green and the Hamilton Grand are stunning. You can tell that one of these pictures was taken several years ago when we had more rain than we have had this spring….

The official route of the coastal path leads here along Station Road to the left. The first buildings passed are the spa and the impressive Old Course Hotel, where most celebrities and famous golfers stay when they visit St Andrews (unless they rent a house of course). The menus are impressive and restaurants are beautiful, and they offer high tea with some of the best views in town, looking over the golf courses and beach.

Beyond the hotel is the driving range, and across the road are a series of sports fields, which on the morning I walked were busy with Saturday football (soccer) games. This stretch of road is always lined with parked vehicles, both parents going to games and the luxury coaches of the golf tour operators. At the far end, the path crosses the road to the driving range, and continues off along to the right.

I took a quick detour to get a picture by the town sign before heading back to the path. The signs here are evidence of just how busy this stretch of path is – cyclists, often in groups, take advantage of the pavement while walkers and runners are regular users. I deviated from my normal no-earphones walking pattern, but I was careful to always look around before moving from one side of the path to the other.

The first mile of this walk is quite pleasant, with trees for shade dotted along and the potential for lovely flowers – some roses, lots of yellow gorse and white flowering bushes. There are several breaks in the foliage for vehicle access, and the first one is very close to Balgove Larder, an upmarket farm shop that sells local produce, bread, cheese, meat, beer and liquor, and much more. It has a great café and a steak barn that is hugely popular.

Along the right-hand side of the path is a large hedgerow, separating the coastal path from the Balgove and Strathtyrum Golf Courses. Periodic breaks in the hedgerow offer good glimpses of the fairways.

Then, about a mile and a quarter outside of town, the golf course abruptly stops, and the right-hand side of the path opens up to wide fields, those I am so eager to avoid later in the year. A hedge on the left continues to separate the coastal path from the busy A91. A short while longer – I confess I forgot to mark how much further, but probably 5-10 minutes walking – and the hedgerow disappears, replaced by only a stone wall separating walkers from the road.

While you can turn to look back at the town at several points along this path, I confess this is the part I like the least. It is very noisy with constant traffic, and there is not a huge amount to see. At the point where you can feel the path rising slightly and curving around to the right, it is a good time to look back at the steeples of St Andrews, just visible over the tree line. When driving, this is an iconic view of town, and one that even now makes me feel, just a touch, as though I am coming home.

Then, about three miles from St Andrews, the stone wall separating the pavement from the road ends, and the Coastal Path becomes essentially what in the US we would refer to as a sidewalk, running along the road. The traffic on this road should be explained briefly in that this is the primary route into St Andrews from the north (Dundee), as well as traffic coming from further west in Fife, Edinburgh, Glasgow, etc. Busses run along this road to Leuchars station every ten minutes, plus large coaches going to the bigger cities, tourist coaches, and plenty of commuter traffic. When something stops traffic on this road, it takes very little time to build up for miles in all directions, bringing movement even in St Andrews town centre to a halt.

This is also where the view across the fields becomes a bit more interesting, as you can see to Tentsmuir forest and get a good feel for just how big Leuchars Air Base is. Just past the turn-off for Kincaple, you can also start to get a good view straight ahead, with the distant Guardbridge mill buildings just visible, and the lump of Balmullo Law against the horizon. The Law stands out from any other hill by the obvious scar of the Balmullo quarry, a stark brown against the sky.

The path is quite narrow at a few points here, and you have to hope you don’t meet any cyclists, but as the road curves again towards Guardbridge, fields open up to the right along the estuary, along with a few groupings of houses. The hedgerow to the right has a few gaps to allow views across to the mill buildings, now run by Eden Mill, a local distillery.

As you approach the village limits, the hedge also vanishes and the path to widens a bit. You will note a beautifully-kept white guest house surrounded by fields in which horses frolic away (and also the occasional bold rabbit).

You know you are getting close when you pass Fast’n’Fresh across the road, a sandwich and refreshment spot that would be a good place for a break should you need one. A caveat though in that there is no pedestrian crossing, so you do have to make a bit of a run for it. You’ll also see the road up to Strathkinness here, and shortly after, the Guardbridge town marker.

At the crest of the hill at the edge of town, the Coastal Path breaks off from the main pavement and branches right, onto Old St Andrews road. There are some large rubbish and recycling skips here, a few tables, and signs for the Guardbridge Inn.

This is the edge of the residential part of Guardbridge, with houses appearing on both sides both quite new and clearly of an older era. At one point, you can look directly down the road, across the bridge, and up Cupar Road on the other side of town. It is worth observing at this point that this route follows what was once a train line into St Andrews. There is a small local element looking to reinstate the line – which closed in 1969 – but much of the route is now golf course and fields, also residential.

Both this bridge, the pylons in the Estuary, and the north bridge at the end of this walk are evidence of the former train line, and the required alternative bridges for road traffic. The bridge that pedestrians now cross on the Coastal Path is either or was once where there was a medieval bridge, build in the 1400s by Bishop Wardlaw of St Andrews.

At the bottom of the hill, just before the bridge, is the Guardbridge Inn, a fantastic place for dinner or just a few pints with friends. They offer tables out front as well as in a grassy area along the estuary at the back; this was one of the first places we enjoyed a drink after the pandemic lockdown, when we could all sit outside and enjoy the sun and social distancing. The chef is excellent and the building itself is lovely, though I am not sure of its age.

By all means, schedule a stop here if you can! Or, at the small coffee shop and antique store below, which I admit I have never frequented but about which I have heard good things.

Continuing on from the Inn, the coastal path crosses the old bridge, which I have always preferred at high tide, and which you can get an excellent feel of from the Inn, and from the far side of the bridge.

The bridges both end at the main Guardbridge roundabout – another popular spot to hold up traffic – which unfortunately you must cross at this point, heading for a break in houses on the far side of the road.

In theory at this point there are two paths through Guardbridge, one along the main road which allows you to get refreshment at Dan’s Goods (a small convenience store), detour through the park and even the University’s Eden Campus. But, the official Coastal Path takes a route behind the main residential section, with back gardens to the right and a hill leading up to the left. Once you cross at the roundabout, follow the signs between the houses, and then cross the small parking area to another gap between gardens. Here the path is again beneath the trees – a relief after a sunny stretch – following the former rail line; it is quite well-marked. On that hill stretching up to the left is the Seggie estate, which was a farm but is now a large housing estate that has been built over the past few years, adding several hundred homes to the village. For a longer walk, you could go up Cupar Road and walk through the estate, where there is a walking path through some tall trees allowing a view over the university campus and the estuary beyond.

About five minutes along the path, the houses disappear and there is a wide open space where a condemned rail storage building was torn down. It has been vacant for some time, and there is great supposition as to what might be constructed there.

On the other side of the road from here until the end of this stretch is the Eden Campus, which was built by the University of St Andrews in the late 2010s and opened for staff use at the end of the pandemic. When I first arrived in St Andrews many years ago, the buildings still housed Curtis Fine Paper. They were originally built in the 1870s as the Guardbridge Paper Company. The town grew up around the mill, which employed more than 600 people in the 1950s. Many of the original elements of the mill remain today including what were wide doors for horse-drawn wagons to enter, and the Guardbridge clock that overhangs – almost – the road. The University was careful to maintain as much of the original feel of the mill as they could when they built Eden Campus, which is a wide open-plan area with an industrial feel to it. They have won several awards for their success.

Seggie Drive joins the main road just across from the University, and from here on the path is raised slightly away from the road, which is considerably safer. Again, though the speed limit is 30 MPH here, traffic is often moving quickly around an almost blind corner.

The end of this section of the walk is where I started a few months ago, at the north bridge in Guardbridge, the far end of town. As you can see there are some lovely spots that you pass on this walk, though it is also far less rustic than further south. It was the first walk where I really noticed a difference in my stamina, which I hope can continue! But I’m off on travels again soon, so we shall see.
Fife Coastal Path: Earls Hall Castle to Kinshaldy Beach…sort of

Feb 27th, 2025

I woke up on Saturday morning and was welcomed the bright sunlight I could see peeking in around the edges of the curtains. I leapt out of bed and immediately set to work enacting my planned walk for the weekend: picking up from last weekend, I intended to walk from Earls Hall Castle to Kinshaldy Beach, a walk – I estimated – of a bit over 4 miles. It was more than I had done in one go in a while (hence fitness goals) but I thought I could manage.

So, I started off at St Athernase in the centre of Leuchars and walked the five or so minutes along the road to the castle grounds.

The day was sunny but with generous puffy clouds, and cool enough that the warmth from the sun was appreciated, as was the Vitamin D. It is worth reminding anyone that when walking along the type of narrow road this stretch requires, it is important to be on the correct side – walking against the traffic – so that you can see it approaching. I’d also caution that it’s a good time to keep your music either off or quiet enough that you can hear vehicles at a distance, as when the road is winding, they can come upon you suddenly.

Starting at the entrance to the castle estate, the Fife Coastal Path leads along the road almost due east, and the wall is just short enough that even I was able to to catch glimpses of the castle and out-buildings. As with so many Scottish estates, the wall is lined with large rhododendrons bushes that at correct time of year are, I imagine, stunning.

Not far beyond the main entrance – blocked by a massive gate house – is another exit to the estate, where you can just see hints of the wall and gardens. A short distance later, through the bushes on the other side of the road, comes into a view a beautiful old barn with several horses in the field/ The accompanying farm house is a bit less grand, but the presence of several rows of now decaying farm crofts indicate that this may have been a thriving community at one time.

On the right, it becomes increasingly clear that you are hugging the edge of Leuchars Air base; there are no pictures due to the very large, regularly repeated and threatening ‘no photos’ signs, as well as ‘no drones’ and soon, guard dog warnings.

The path skirts past a large radio tower and I started to wonder if I was lost when finally the sign appeared on a gate, directing off of the road and onto a wide farm track. This track curves several times through a beautiful stand of silver birch, passing fields of horses on the left, before going through another gate and entering the stands of tall pines.

This is about when I started to catch hints of revving from the nearby motocross track, an irritating sound when one is enjoying a nature walk, but eventually it faded into the distance. As the trees closes in around the track it became muddier – I was very happy to have my proper boots – and the revving disappeared into the increased rustling of trees from the wind. It was a bit concerning to look behind me and see dark clouds coming my way, but one of the best things about a windy day in Scotland is that dark clouds tend to be quickly blown past.

The path is straight here, with fields on one side and tall pines with underbrush of gorse along the other. I can see the appeal of doing this walk at a time of year when bugs are minimal as there are some pools of standing water and animals in the fields. I am quite allergic to gorse so was relieved to see it only just starting to flower – granted earlier in the year than I might have expected. I was making good time here, and I think it was at least partly due to my racing against the approaching rain.

About a mile or so from the castle, the path swings away from the trees and into the fields, approaching what should be a sharp left then right jog of the coastal path. However, this is here my plan ran into a hitch. Not due to impending rain, which somehow continued north and missed me completely, but because the quiet season evidently inspired the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to do a bit of maintenance on the path.

So, as you can see, there was a detour, with a well-marked path leading in the opposite direction. But, I was stubborn and ready for an adventure, and at first glance at the picture, it did not seem as though I would be walking terribly much further than originally planned, and probably in quite similar surroundings. The purist in me will insist upon re-doing this section, but for now it was the best I could do.

Muttering slightly to myself, I set out along the farm road indicated, with fields on one side and the base on the other. It became clear that the road followed the edge of the MOD property which was appropriately signposted with threats. On both sides of the fence there was damage to trees from recent storms, but generally was a pleasant, quiet trail on which I passed only a few cyclists and one horseback rider. The aggressive signs slowly became overgrown by gorse – arguably a more effective barrier than metal fences – and on the left high grass gave way to another stand of tall, straight pines. In about 3/4 of a mile, the path heads straight into the trees and it became a really pleasant stroll through the woods. Finally, I figured, we were heading towards the coast.

Eventually.

Storm damage became more and more evident as I walked, though I also noted that this would be a stunning walk at a time of year when the heather was blooming, as it carpeted the edge of the tree line and the forest floor. This stretch through the trees was a bit longer than I expected, and then just as I wondered if I was stuck forever in the forest tunnel, I realised that behind the distant trees was the blue of the open sky. Patches of sand interrupted the dirt trail, and many more fallen trees were stacked in piles – all signs of the approaching open coastline.

About 1.5 miles from where the path should have branched off, I finally reached the beach. The view across the Eden Estuary towards St Andrews was spectacular, the sun came out just at the right time, and even the giant blocks of concrete half buried in the sand were beautiful. These blocks can be found all along this stretch of beach, constructed during World War II in the hopes that they would prevent the Germans from landing on the wide sand and rolling tanks into the farmland.

At the access point to the Estuary, there are signs informing you as to the wildlife living here, and reminding walkers to be considerate of what they find. There is also a detour sign, on this occasion, and I found myself stopping temporarily to work out how much longer I had to walk – I soon wished I had not bothered.

From this point, the path led along the edge of the trees, with dunes on the right – a pleasant view for sure.

In retrospect it may have been sensible to stop here and rest for a short while, or to stay on the beach, but I did neither of those things, instead heading onwards along the coast. It is a lovely path. The trees fall away after a while, and the path winds away from the beach into the fields; it was here I came across a small flock of sheep who were mostly unbothered and watched me as if to say, ‘what in the world are you doing here?’

I did start to wonder that, myself.

Now, I am not a completely inexperienced hiker. I know perfectly well that I should have water and even snacks for a long hike, but that was not what I intended this to be. So I bought neither, figuring I had managed 3.5 miles last weekend, I could do 4 this weekend. I will never make that daft mistake again.

Away from the beach, the trail is considerably less even away from the beach, rising up and down over small dunes and hillocks of tall grass. To the left are fields stretching to distant trees, and to the right more grass, small trees and a patch of marshland separating the trail from the beach.

Eventually the grass fades into stands of small trees, then gradually larger ones, and I was relieved to once again joined the more familiar route with pines on the left and dunes and beach on the right. I hoped, and believed, that I was getting steadily closer to the car park where my other half had promised to meet me. I wished several times that I had brought headphones, as I felt like music might have kept me going a bit better, and my old hiking boots were feeling increasingly heavy and more of a drag on my energy than helpful.

Side note, these boots are almost 20 years old and have served me very well, but they are heavy and are probably more designed for climbing hills than walking. Certainly my sore hip flexors over the next few days were an indication that it was time to be rid of them. So, this was their last hike and I have since purchased some new walking boots from Mountain Warehouse – I will be sure to report upon their success.

Back to the walk. Gradually, the number of people on the trail grew and I sensed I was getting close. Light reflecting off of unnatural surfaces glistened through the trees – cars!

I was there.

In all, I walked almost 5.5 miles, a bit longer than my intended 4. I made more than a few mistakes along the way, not the least of which was thinking I could push myself in a way I could in my 20s.

It was an enjoyable walk – until the last mile or so – and I look forward to trying it again in the summer when the boardwalk is open. It allowed me to push my limits and remember why I was doing this in the first place – to walk more, and to remind myself just how unprepared I am for a longer trek. But I’ll get there.

And I’ll bring snacks.

This weekend’s walk total (considering that only a portion of this walk was actually on the official Coastal Path):

1769893260
days
hours minutes seconds
until
I finish walking the Fife Coastal Path