After the hiking bug bit me hard last year, I was determined to get fit enough for longer adventures in 2021.

As soon as the weather permitted, I started hitting sections of the Fife Coastal Path for training walks, taking meandering rural buses to and from the end points each time.

Having read up on its many different sections, I was quite sure of which parts I wanted to do, and which I was happy to skip. Generally speaking, I was most interested in the stretch between Leven and Tentsmuir, and so I planned my days out to tackle the ~64km bit by bit, in manageable chunks.

To build up the miles, I have been making a regular circuit of our local stretch of the FCP and surrounds, gradually increasing the distance and the weight I carry. 2 litre bottles filled up with tap water are a great substitute for all the gear.

As for the actual trail, so far I have trodden the distance between Lower Largo to Crail, in two day trips on weekends in March. It is delightful to walk by the sea, push against the salty buffeting winds, treading sand for miles. Mostly it’s just a great way to clean my head, both the walking and the windy bus journeys.

Crail to Tentsmuir will be more of a logistical challenge now, slightly longer distances and trickier public transport connections to manage.

Stay tuned for photos from when I tackle those.