Venturing to the East

A day in St Monans

Once my American friend whilst on a train to Edinburgh asked the train conductor what he recommended she do whilst she was there. He promptly told her that he was 'a West Coast man' and what he would do in the East was get back on a train to the West. I do love the Glaswegian humour, and I must admit, I have a massive soft spot for the Western side of Scotland, having explored a reasonable amount of it!

However, my friends sister was up and visiting, and we wanted a day out and I had heard of St Monans from an article I posted about previously.

25 Places In Scotland That Are Straight Out Of A Fantasy Novel

We had the whole day open (which is a rarity these days) so I thought that it would be great to make use of the time and go a wee bit further afield.

One thing I will say, it took us a little bit longer than anticipated to get there, which was partially due to a scenic detour, which meant we ended up getting a great chance to see the Forth Rail bridge, having just crossed over it. I reckon it took a little bit longer than 2.5 hrs to get there. But, the drive was completely worth it, and parts of it were very pretty! If you had more time you could even pop to St Andrews whilst you were in that area.

Scotlands own 'Frisco bay?

The weather was actually really nice!

St Monans

The village used to produce a lot of salt back in the day, and also being by the sea it is a fishing town. I would really recommend going there because it is incredibly quaint. What I really liked about it was that it still seemed like a bit of a secret - in that it isn't an obvious tourist trap which meant that a lot of charm was still preserved. We went and at in a wee shop/cafe and the food was lovely and warming. We never went in, but there is also a smoke house which a pal has recommended to me. Walking around the village was really lovely, and we chose to walk along to the next village - Pittenweem.

Fife Coastal Path 

Walk Highlands says that the Fife Coastal Path is around 185km long, and we walked a very short section of it. The walk from St Monans to Pittenweem there and back was just under five km. I would be very keen to go back and see more of this path. The section we walked was very well maintained and ran pretty much right next to the coast, with some lovely scenery on the other side also. There have been efforts to conserve parts of the beach from coastal erosion but you are still able to access some parts of the beach. The walk was very gentle and I would think that it would be suitable for all kinds of walkers. Pittenweem made a nice stop too, as it was equally as picturesque. There is also the option to follow the path in the other direction to the village of Elie.

As you might be able to tell - I am struggling to narrow down what pictures to put in! I was really impressed with how beautiful the area is. I actually would love to go back and hire a cottage for a weekend away as there seemed like there would be a lot more to do. It would make for a nice retreat because it was so calm and lovely. 

The perfect Sunday walking day!

Wild Camping Spots: The Kings House, Glencoe

Near the Kings House, Glencoe

This spot by the Kings House Hotel is almost always busy with wild campers - and you can see why. Just a quick right hand turn off the A82 you are in a central location for pretty much any outdoors pursuit for the area, whether it be skiing, hillwalking, fell running, sightseeing - or for myself - kayaking the river Etive! We got there annually with the canoe club and wild camping there provides us with free accommodation. The Kings House are excellent and are supportive of wild campers using the toilet facilities, provided you are still wiling customers - so whilst you are there make sure you give back by treating yourself to a well earned pint, a delicious venison burger, or a big breakfast for the inevitably big day ahead! You are sure to meet a wide variety of other campers there too because the spot it so popular.

The location is in a spectacular valley and the views are most likely some of the best Scotland has to offer. If you are on a limited time scale this valley is one that is popular with tourists because of it's overwhelming beauty and its location. 

Pros

- the world is near by - if you are not so keen on going without proper facilities this can be a great spot for a slightly more comfortable wild camp. Especially if you are away for a couple of days. 

- location - close to a lot of major munros, the ski centre and some great white water. 

- world class views - look at the pictures, enough said!

- you may meet some inspiring people - the social side can definitely be nice as people are friendly in the Kings, and also at the camp site. Have met some nice people!

- wildlife - the deer in this area are super tame and it is not uncommon at all to see them wandering about

Cons

- can be busy - if you want to get away from it all, this is probably not the spot for you. There are also obviously people around so you may be asked to keep quiet as it gets late / have some drunk guys think your tent is theirs (hopefully a one off experience!

- terrain - it is possible to camp there but the area is very boggy and if you don't get a good spot it is not as flat as the ideal camping spot. Bring waterproofs and good shoes!

Extra bonus points

- mountains

- river 

- clear skies

Rating: 6/10 

Beautiful and definitely something to try - but I do love to have a spot to myself to get a real feel for wild camping, and to truly get away. I would also love to stay in the Kings House sometime - on the bucket list! 

The Biggest Adventure

Triple Step on the River Etive

Why you ought to try white-water kayaking

I tried kayaking in my first year at uni, I went along to a pool session with some girls from my halls, and before I knew it I was on my first trip without any idea how I got there or why or even what kayaking white-water was or was like. They never got back on a river, but after my first trip I was pretty hooked. Since then I have had the pleasure of meeting a load of cool people, within the uni club and at other kayaking events I have been to in Scotland. I have travelled as far as the French alps to kayak, and am returning there this summer, along with a new location in Slovenia. 

Scotland has the best white-water in the UK, and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to try such an exciting and challenging sport. I am still very much learning, but it is a sport well worth investing in. I mainly run rivers, but there are a whole host of disciplines and type of kayaking - from flat water, sea kayaking, surf kayaking, slalom, free-style play boating, kayaking water polo and a whole lot more to learn. 

1. It is challenging mentally and physically

This is me on the same feature as above, and in a year the difference in my paddling is pretty cool

Particularly when you are new to kayaking - everything will seem very challenging, but when you start to nail the lines, and see improvement, you will feel so rewarded. Every time you get on a river, you get a little fear, but you learn to push through it. When you go down a scary feature, you have to push yourself mentally. When the weather starts to turn sour, you will have to push yourself to keep going when you are cold, or if you have to portage a feature, or you are hungry. But you learn to keep yourself motivated, and push your limits past your normal comfort levels. And you will feel great afterwards. 

2. You will see the best scenery 

Also the boats are so pretty and colourful 

I think kayaking was what started my love affair with Scotland. Getting out on a river pretty much always gets you out somewhere secluded and gorgeous, and it is truly incredible to see the world from the water. 

3. Kayakers are so friendly 

Most of my pals at uni are kayakers, and they are a lovely bunch. I think as an extension of the outdoors community, you have to be. You learn to have a lot of gratitude for your friends when they fish you out of a rapid, or give you chocolate to keep you warm. You have to work as a team in a way that is different to traditional team sports. You depend on your team to keep safe. I think as well you end up spending a lot of time with people you don't know too well for a day or two, and it allows you to build a great friendship with them.

4.  You will have the best stories to tell

I think my top moment from 2015 was getting down this grade 4 with a dry head and I told anyone who would listen coz I was so proud. 

To be honest, there is quite often a lot of carnage and it makes for great bonding. Doing any kind of adventure sport as well inevitably leads you to a particular kind of life style. Even away from the water there are the stories of getting there, and where you stayed and where you went. Kayaking has really given me lots to talk about and it has filled my uni experience with some great moments. 

5. Kayaking will relax you in strange way

I am in there, honest.

If you are anything like me and you like getting outside, you will understand. But in another way, for me being outside of my comfort zone on a rapid makes me forget all other things other than what is immediately in front of me, and that is pretty cool. Like I say the scenery is awesome too, and there is nothing more relaxing than admiring gorgeous scenery whilst floating along the water.

6. You will sleep well afterwards

Like, really, really well. 

So there you have it, and ode to kayaking.

Crack of Doom, River Etive

Scouting rapids on a lovely sunny day 

Up North to Aviemore

Aviemore and the Cairngorms 

So this is what the Cairngorms looks like early March! Beautiful and covered in snow! This was my first time driving up to the Cairngorms, and we did it in one day. From Glasgow I reckon it was just under a three hour drive one way. We were trying to keep the trip low budget which is why we didn't stay overnight, but I think you could definitely justify the cost of accommodation. It is a big day if you are driving! So at least bring coffee. We made a point of leaving Glasgow early to get there around ten, and left at five and had plenty of time to do and see what we wanted. 

The drive is pretty easy and mainly straight forward from Glasgow. Take the M8, get onto the M80 until it becomes the M9. Past Perth it becomes the A9 and you just follow signs for the A9 North until Aviemore becomes signposted.

Once you hit the Caringorms it gets pretty spectacular...

What to do?

Once we arrived in Aviemore, we went to the main town area and went into the visitor centre where they gave us some good leaflets and recommendations. Before I left all my friends who had been had talked about the funicular railway at the ski resort, and also Loch Morlich, which is pretty much what we ended up doing. We also picked up some stuff for lunch in the wee tesco in the town, pretty essential as once you leave the town there is nothing but nature 

Going up...

One of my most favourite pictures

Funicular Railway

I don't know if I was being daft but everyone kept talking about this and I had no clue. Maybe it's coz I don't ski so I am uneducated about how to get up mountains quickly... But! We figured it out. If you aren't at Aviemore to ski (which I shall be putting on my bucket list!) you can just get a pass to get up the mountain on the train cart. One of the leaflets we got given actually had a 20% voucher in the back of it, so have a look if you do go to visitors information. You might also be able to get discount vouchers online! If you are a student you are also able to get a discounted ticket. As we were walking through the car park a lady gave us a free ticket! So if you are done with yours, make someone's day and give your ticket away.

Mel was surprised at how much snow there was! The views are obviously incredible at that time of year and it was great being up high on such a clear and sunny day! You can see Loch Morlich from the top. There is a nice enough looking cafe at the top with a shop, and outside a lovely viewing platform! 

It was really, really bright and that is why we are squinting in this photo

Loch Morlich

We got to Loch Morlich at around lunch time so we started off the only way we know how - with a tasty lunch. We were again lucky that the weather was so great, so we just made use of the picnic benches. There are a few options that we found for various walks in our leaflets. There is a really obvious path around the perimeter of Loch Morlich and that is the one we walked around. It took us a couple of hours at an easy pace, and is pretty flat with a few gentle inclines. Ideal for people who don't want to do anything intense, but do want to spend a decent amount of time walking. I think it was just over a 5km or 6km walk from what I am able to remember. 

It's pretty cool, because you could see the ski resort we had just left. Even though it didn't take us that long to get down to Loch Morlich, it looks like it was miles away.

The photo below makes me feel so calm when I look at it. Everything was so still and wonderful. The walk was really nice as it wasn't overly busy either.

And driving back was pretty great too... I love the texture on all the mountains, with the way the snow has melted in different patterns. A sucker for scenery really!