Rising Road: Trailblazing Part 1: Crail to Anstruther

OK, maybe "Trail Following," "Trail Strolling," or even "Trail Loitering" would have been more accurate. I do still have the terrible tendency to avoid the actual trail: which has inevitably means trouble, normally for those who think I have a clue and should be followed: poor souls.

Our first hike was Crail to Anstruther in East Neuk of the Kingdom of Fife. St. Andrews is also located in the expansive Kingdom of Fife: in East Neuk. The bus ride there took about 15 minutes. It might have taken more, but our grouchy bus driver made the extra walk into the town seem a little more pleasant than being driven in a warm, mechanically propelled bus. Upon arriving in Crail, we wandered a little while around the town, by the near waterless harbor (tides here swing wilder than Texas weather conditions) until we found the trail head. From there, we set out on our hike along the Fife Coastal path. We had encounters with goats, pauses for rock climbing (more of bouldering), and many, many discoveries of just what "bogginess" is. Here is a little post hike map of our trail and some places that were notable for us (or at least me). Typically I would run up hills, walk the high path (the term "path" is questionable), then scramble back down to the real trail. I have to keep things interesting. Arriving in Anstruther, we walked the seemingly endless road to the Anstruther Fish Bar, which reportedly has the best fish and chips in the UK. The Swan had better. It was a lovely, if cold trip, and true to form, we initiated a rookery to insulate ourselves from the cold.

A brief look back at Crail