“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.

Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and pal Ed Hood suffered a severe stroke in February.  We don’t count on Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future.  Learn the complete submit right here – and please think about donating.

** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **

We’ll be posting a collection of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get previous.

Ed’s Native E-Bike Gravel Rambles: Ed Hood’s love for driving a motorbike was ‘rekindled’ by his Ribble gravel e-Bike and he’s rediscovering the native paths of the Kingdom of Fife within the east of Scotland. Extra coastal views, castles, deserted villages and a pair of particular timber.

# You’ll be able to see Ed’s first E-Bike route HERE. #

Ribble trying good in Aberdour!

For Secteur Two of the Fife Coastal Path exploration I selected Aberdour to Kirkcaldy; to get to Aberdour from my house in Dysart you need to head west to return again east. I made a decision to take the ‘B’ highway over the 632 toes excessive Binn Hill which stands behind the city of Burntisland – which we’ll return to once we head again east from Aberdour. The highway passes inside a few hundred yards of the regionally well-known, ‘Kissing Bushes’ – two sycamores, both aspect of the highway in an in any other case treeless panorama.

The ‘Kissing timber’

Nobody appears to know their historical past however they’re a deal with for the attention, particularly within the early morning mild.

Burntisland warning signal

Urgent on up the lengthy drag to the Binn ridge I came across the signal which provides truthful warning however which, as a typical bicycle owner I ignored, headed south and commenced to assume that the, ‘suspension nonsense’ which I’ve all the time mocked may not be such a foul thought in spite of everything?

Deserted village

The thing of plunging down the gnarly drop was to search out the stays of a village of some 564 souls which stood on the slopes of the Binn and at one time boasted a Free Church Mission Corridor, faculty, store and soccer pitch.

Binnend information plaque

It was based in 1881 to accommodate staff within the massive shale oil refining plant which stood reverse the place Burntisland Golf Membership now stands. Nature has been fast to say again what belongs to her and now solely ruins remind you of a vibrant village and business. Shale oil being usurped by cheaper oil imported from Russia and the USA.

Aberdour Fortress

On to Aberdour and the citadel then, legend has it there’s treasure buried there; the earliest components of the constructing date again some 800 years and it’s one of many two oldest castles nonetheless standing in Scotland. I’d have favored to get in to take some higher photos nevertheless it’s closed for, ‘excessive stage masonry inspection’ and apart from, I didn’t have the £6:00 entrance payment in me again pocket.

Wee railway brig

The Coastal Path does what it says on the tin and follows the Forth all the way in which to Burntisland, the floor varies between dust with tough, polished roots to gravel to good easy tarmac. Initially the primary Aberdeen to London rail line is in your left however there’s a wee bridge takes you below the observe and there’s no extra sea view, a excessive banking in your left and a fence or wall in your proper till you arrive in Burntisland. So named from a time again in historical past when the native fishermen’s huts burned down and the identify caught.

Alcan information plaque

Shale oil wasn’t the one business misplaced to Burntisland, after I was a youthful man the ‘Ali Bam’ – the British Aluminium works dominated the city.

Burntisland Docks

The plant refined alumina from uncooked bauxite ore which got here into the docks from Ghana, the method leaving a high quality movie of pink mud everywhere in the city. A housing property now stands the place the works as soon as had been and rig service vessels exchange bulk carriers on the moorings.

Large submarine cable drums

The Shipyard remains to be there although; now a fabrication facility for the oil business; ships first rolled down the slipway in 1918 proper up till 1969 when the final ship was launched.
The ‘path’ takes to the primary coast highway out of Burntisland however there’s a pleasant, quick cycle path and that doesn’t imply it takes a break from historical past.

Monument

On the river aspect of the highway between Burntisland and Kinghorn stands the monument to Alexander 111, Scotland’s final Celtic King. A person for the women, he was warned to not take the tough path from the ferry at Queensferry to the place his younger spouse waited for him at Kinghorn Fortress on a stormy evening; however he ignored the warnings, his horse misplaced footing, with steed and monarch discovered useless on the rocks above the seaside on the morning of twentieth March 1286.

Vacation Park view

A tad incongruously, simply throughout the way in which is Pettycur Bay Vacation Camp, scene of, ‘Life on the Bay’ TV present with the very best vacation properties having fun with gorgeous views again to Burntisland, the river and Lothians.

Bike on Coastal Path, Inchkeith within the background

At Kinghorn we’re again on the gnarly stuff, quick gravel alternates with steps and people tough sections the place massive polished rocks poke as much as catch you unawares. The views are gorgeous although, out throughout the Forth to Edinburgh, the massive island you see is Inch Keith the place legend says that in 1493, King James IV transported a mute lady and two infants to see what can be, ‘the language of God?’ Some say it’s a fable and there’s no strong file of the results of this grim experiment.

Seafield Tower

Seafield Tower stands beside the trail simply west of Kirkcaldy, now a damage however again in 1542 it was the stately house of the Multrare household.

Seafield plaque

Previous the tower there’s a non-public housing property which sprawls alongside the coast on the location of what was the huge Seafield Colliery advanced which together with the Frances Colliery on the east finish of the city, framed Kirkcaldy. Now all that is still is a plaque beside a youngsters’s play park, a tragic reminiscence of business which as soon as supported hundreds.

Adam Smith Shut

Kirkcaldy’s most well-known son – no, not the late darts participant, Jocky Wilson – is Adam Smith, economist and thinker who was a pioneer of political financial system. There’s a live performance corridor within the city which bears his identify however we don’t actually give him a lot recognition; albeit there’s ‘Adam Smith’s Shut’ a 328’ lengthy passage from the Excessive Road right down to the promenade with key occasions in his life inscribed within the paving slabs beneath your toes – which is about as a lot as the good man will get.

Feuars Arms

I started my final wanderings with one among my favorite Kirkcaldy watering holes, so greatest embody one other as my meanderings take me again to Dysart. The Feuars Arms is the actual deal, an authentic Edwardian pub with acres of Doulton ceramic tiles and delightful stained glass home windows. There’s extra space behind the bar than regular in a pub to accommodate the additional workers wanted to deal with the human waves washing in from the close by factories.

Nairns

And let’s shut with what’s left of these factories and the business that made Kirkcaldy well-known and gave it a novel however not disagreeable – however then I’m a Kirkcaldy boy – aroma.
The scent of linseed oil; there’s even a poem about it.

Poem

Linoleum is a flooring protecting constituted of solidified linseed oil together with wooden flour, or cork mud, over a burlap or canvas backing. The rationale for the buildings being so tall was that when the linseed based mostly paste was utilized to the canvas backing it needed to dry, the heavy materials was draped over metal beams on the high of the buildings – a lot as when making use of previous to wallpaper then draped down to only above the ground stage, this distance was round 90’ and decided the size of the rolls. Yours actually labored there when he left faculty – the perfect job I ever had. . .

Subsequent time we’ll head additional east. . .

# You’ll be able to examine Ed’s journey from time trial bike to Ribble e-Bike HERE. #

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