Cliff Walks

 

 

The 200 foot high sheer cliffs at Kincraig begin at the west end of Earlsferry's West Bay.  The cliffs provide two spectacular walks.  One, quite close to the edge, goes along the top of the cliffs.  The other goes around the base of the cliffs.

The upper walk starts by a pathway that leads upwards from the 14^th tee on the golf course.  On the way up the path goes by the Croupie Rock and ends at Shell Bay.  On top of the Croupie Rock was one of my favourite vantage points to lay and watch the movement of all the many ships that plied the waters of the Firth of Forth, including the might and power of the British Navy.  Along the way wild flowers of many, many kinds grow in profusion including bluebells and cowslips.

During World War II, and in concrete emplacements, three large naval guns were installed on top of the cliffs.  During the days of target practice the windows of the houses in Elie and Earlsferry rattled with the concussion.  The shells that were fired were so big that they could easily be followed in flight with the naked eye.  Only once did the big guns fire in anger.  On the day that Italy declared war on Great Britain an Italian ship was in the process of leaving Methil Docks further up the Firth.  The captain decided to make a run for it.  When the ship was right abeam of Earlsferry, the big guns opened fire.  The first shell landed a half of a mile in front of the ship's bow. The second landed a quarter of a mile in front. The ship didn't slow.  The third landed a few feet in front of its bow.  The captain knew that the fourth would be right down his smokestack.  The ship came to a screeching halt and surrendered.

Atop the cliffs stood Kincraig Mansion House; the seat of the Gourlays.  Gourlays have been in possession of and lived at Kincraig for well over 600 years.  The first of the family came to Kincraig during the reign of King William the Lion.

From the top of the cliffs and on a clear day the 360 degree views are breathtaking.  Over the villages of Earlsferry and Elie one sees Elie Harbour, Elie Lighthouse, the Lady's Tower, and the coastline villages of the East Neuk of Fife and the May Island.  To the south and across the Firth of Forth is Dunbar, North Berwick, the Bass Rock and Fidra Island, thence further west along the south coastline is Leith, Edinburgh with its castle and Arthur's Seat.  Continuing on the eye sees the Lomond Hills, Largo Law, Largo, Largo Bay, Ruddons Point, and Shell Bay.  Largo is the home of Alexander Selkirk.  Daniel Defoe using the experiences ofAlexander Selkirk as his inspiration wrote his famous book of fiction, Robinson Crusoe.  It's also accepted that Robert Louis Stevenson used the experiences of Alexander Selkirk to write his well known book, Treasure Island.  

When the tide is out an exciting walk for the intrepid is to go around the base of the cliffs by way of the Chain Walk.  Foot steps are cut into the rock and a series of chains help one to hang on in order to traverse the ups and downs of the route.  It's an exciting and interesting scramble.  Along the way seagulls and a great variety of seabird species can be seen close up as they glide on the thermals to land on the inaccessible ledges where they have their nests.  For the geologist the variety of rock types and formations are a gourmet feast. 

Starting the walk from the Earlsferry end and at the west end of West Bay the first point of interest is the Stickleback Dub, a pool of brackish water that's home to a colony of sticklebacks. The dub is about half rain water and half sea water. The dub is above the high tide mark but at the full of the moon a few waves from the highest of the tides manage to spill over the rocks to keep the dub filled with salty water. Sticklebacks are interesting little fish in that they can live in either fresh or salt water. Males build and attach nests to the seaweed in the pool then change color to blue and red to attract the females who deposit eggs into the nests. 

Immediately next is an outcropping of rock that on its upper level is "Chairlie's Chair", a natural weather carved throne.  Those who scramble up to sit on the throne acquire lifelong membership into "The Ancient Order of the Ferry." 

Further along is Macduff's Cave, where tradition has it that Macduff, the Thane of Fife, when fleeing from Macbeth hid in the cave while at Earlsferry a boat was being readied for him to make his escape across to the south side of the Firth of Forth.  Supposedly this is how and when Earlsferry acquired its name.

Next is an interesting small bay named, the Stottin Stanes.  Here the shoreline at the base of the cliffs is covered with sea rounded and polished stanes that rumble as each wavelet washes them to and fro.  This shifting of the stanes writes the sea's symphony as each wavelet creates an ever changing  melodious rumbling. 

Next comes some interesting columnar vertically up thrust rock then a relatively level place called the Flairs. Next are two more caves, the Doos Cave and the Deil's Cave.  The Doos, so named for the great number of cushie doos (pigeons) that claim this cave as their home.  Did the devil live in the Deils?   At high tide the sea washes into these caves.  It takes several minutes for the eyes to adjust as one explores the inner depths. There are stories of old that these caves were used by smugglers. Near the west end of the cliff walk is a large red granite boulder, a one of a kind red object that's sitting in an area that's composed entirely of black rock.  This boulder must have been dropped from an ice-age glacier that melted to deposit it there at the time that ice covered and flowed over the land.

One day my friend Jems, Jimmy Linton, and I climbed the cliffs from the bottom to the top.  Jems was ahead of me and made it to the top without incident. As I neared the top I got stuck on a sloping,  narrow and crumbling ledge. With both hands I was hanging on to the rocks above me and I couldn't move my one foot past the other. For the longest time I could move neither forward nor backward, nor down nor up.  One false move and it was down, straight down. Had I slipped it would have been curtains.  Such are the lives of boys.