Kingsbarns and Cambo.
Start. Cambo Sands car park.
Route. Cambo Sands - Cambo Ness - Cambo Gardens - Ice House - Mill Pond - Kingsbarns - Sea Road - Cambo Sands.
Notes. A walk along a gem of a beach, an arch of sun kissed sand backed by dunes and a golf course. Clear tracks guided us up a den (wooded valley) in the company of a tumbling burn, a visit to Cambo Gardens being a £5 option. Our return followed shelter belts guarding crop fields.
Now may I have a wee moan, the problem with Fife is, the coastal path is very well publicised consequently well serviced, other rights of way are not so, on one occasion following a stretch of way-marked path we found ourselves quite lost, forced to re-trace our steps to no avail, two other sections ended abruptly, up to our necks in undergrowth we battled on, scratched, stung and bitten emerging out the other side slightly worse for ware. Follow in our foot fall please, the more people walk the route the more defined the path will inevitably become, complaints aside it is an excellent little walk.
We left the car on the large car park at Cambo Sands, a path ran along the top of the dunes, we opted for the beach. The leisurely stroll that followed terminated at Cambo Ness where we left the coast via a den. A good path ushered us along the left hand bank of the burn, under a willow arch and on to a walled garden, at this point our little guide book seemed to have lost it's way, we certainly had. Several times we re-traced our steps, studied guide book, map and even used the compass in a vain attempt to get back on track. In the end we bit the bullet following the walled garden round to the right, passing a potting shed and fine blossom tree before reaching the entrance to the estate. Still lost we wandered along the access drive, an ominous looking path emerged from our left, unsure we followed it, to our surprise we found ourselves confronted by a cliff face clearly pictured in the guide book.
Our little expedition back on track we wandered on, the path passed behind a gate house guarding the entrance to Cambo House, we followed shelter belts (in this case mature woodland planted to shield precious crop fields) passed a restored ice house then on to a mill pond. It was just after the pond the path abruptly vanished, forcing us to battle our way through shoulder high vegetation, after crossing a dirt track it vanished again, this time we said “sod it”, passed through an old door in a high wall to join the tarmac surface of Sea Road. Sea Road safely guided us free of nettle stings, insect bites and bramble scratches back to the car park.
From Cambo Sands views to the Angus coast.
Looking to Cambo Ness, and the woodland that will guide us away from the coast.
View taken north towards Cambo Brigs.
I'm calling this unnamed stream Cambo Burn, it marks the start of a short walk inland.
Sunlight dances across the Cambo Burn.
If you've gone the right way pass through this willow arch, it seemed to be the last feature our little guide book recognised.
A gap in the trees gifts us with views to the sea.
The potting shed and blossom tree, this may not be the right way but to hell with it, we can find it, make a note, ignore the entrance fee, it only applies if you visit the walled garden.
Happy now, back on track, a mirror image of the picture in the guide book.
If you're not familiar with shelter belts, I wasn't, we're wandering through one, it's a long narrow wood....
....guarding crop fields.
This one also guards a restored Ice House.
A gap in the trees presents us with views to the North Sea.
Mill pond passed en route.
The way ahead, for a short while at least.
In Sea Road with views across the mouth of the Tay Estuary.