Travels over Hill and Dale

You may not realize this, but when I travel, I like to have a plan.  A detailed list of things to do with maps and directions to make things simpler.  But, this trip was a last minute decision on my part so I have had to adjust to just "winging" it.  The woman at the local information center was a huge help in giving me ideas and brochures with maps to help me stay oriented.  But it didn't take long before I had exhausted all of her ideas.

So, today, I headed off to Cupar, a bit nervous, since I had no plan.  The train has limited stops in this town, so I had to plan my trip accordingly.  I wanted to be certain to catch the 3:55 train back to the local station. 

I walked into Cupar from the station with the hopes of finding an information center, and what did I see just down the block?  The local library.  Now, that seemed like a great place to ask for a map or some sort of info on the town.  

So, I went to the desk and explained my dilemma, and the woman gave me a Cupar Heritage Trail brochure, complete with a marked map to follow as well as a brochure on Cupar Trail walks.  I thanked her and headed out of the door, ready to investigate the town.

Cupar has existed since the 7th or 8th century.  It was created a royal burgh in 1328 and was once extremely prosperous since it lay on the main road from Edinburgh to Dundee and Aberdeen.

A Mercat cross stands in the center of town, symbolizing the burgh's right to hold a market.. Several of the towns that we visited had a Mercat Cross in the middle of the streets that were lined with shops although I don't know the significance of the unicorn that always stands on top. It's always difficult to photograph the top since my camera doesn't seem to adjust well to the lighting.

Down the street there is a lovely winged angel that stands in tribute to the fallen soldiers from this town.  

One of the distinguishing features of Cupar is the number of churches that it holds in its few blocks. Each is certainly unique.  St. John's, Free Church of Scotland boasts a 160 ft. spire looming over the town. Quite an impressive sight while walking along the street.

Contrast that with St. Columba Roman Catholic Church, built in 1964 on the edge of town. 

Looking down the road from this church, I couldn't help but take a detour to admire the view.

                                      

Isn't it gorgeous?  Well, I certainly thought so.  Those little white flecks at the top were sheep grazing on the hillside. It just seemed so picturesque.

And it was at this point that I came to a sudden realization.  When one walks around a town with a map in hand, here in Scotland, the locals presume that you are lost.  In nearly every town where I used a map to determine my whereabouts, a kindly person approached me and asked if I needed direction.  Today was no exception.  When asked if I needed help, I mentioned that I was enjoying the beautiful view.  The woman then said, "So, you're enjoying being lost then?"  I nodded and she went on her way.  That's when I stashed the map in my purse. 

It was early yet, and I had hours to go until my intended departure, so I headed to a tea room that I had spotted while walking around town. "The Best Tea Room in Scotland" it was called. It was a tiny establishment, run by a woman and her daughter and I received a welcome greeting when I walked through the door.  I decided to try the cream tea for comparison and was certainly not disappointed.  Unlike yesterday, there was a small pot of sweet cream,  a warm pancake, a tender and tasty scone that was obviously recently baked, and chocolate treat that melted in my mouth. It was FABulous!

Ok, so by now I was feeling a bit guilty about partaking of this extreme indulgence. But that would change in short time.  While enjoying this treat, I looked through the walking tours brochure that I was handed at the library and decided that I had plenty of time to follow the trail to the little town of Ceres which the brochure made out to be quaint and lovely.

Before I go any further, let me assure you that  these are approved Scottish walks that take one into the countryside.  I just don't want you thinking that I decided to truck through a field on my own accord.

So, I set off on the road, following the directions for Walking Tour #13.

The tour involved walking on a footpath that connected the two towns.  When I arrived at the entrance to the footpath, I was amused by a sign that stated that no horses, cattle or sheep were permitted on the trail.  It was strictly for walkers.

The path was lined on one side by a rock wall  and a tree line on the other.  Some of the trees had fallen against the wall, and I needed to duck under them in order to continue along.  I noticed that I was climbing up at a pretty quick pace, and about half way up the hill, the trail became increasingly muddy.

I thought about turning around, but I had already walked pretty far, and I was sure that I had to be near the top.  The brochure implies that once at the top, one begins to descend into the town, so I was eager to finally get to the top.  By this time, I found the trail to be very muddy, and I was slipping a little, so I had to slow my pace.  The last thing I needed to do was to slip and fall on this trail, literally in the middle of nowhere.  I trudged along, passing a couple of horses, behind a fence in the field, who seemed to be curious as to why I was walking by. Perhaps it was my bright red coat.  Most people here seem to where dark, drab colors.

Then, I finally made it to the wooden gate mentioned in the brochure, eager to see spectacular view of the town of Ceres.   I made my way down the trail which, by this time, was extremely muddy, carefully stepping as to not fall along the way. I was so busy watching where I was walking that I missed any vistas that would have taken my breath away, according to the brochure.  It seemed to me that I lost most of my breath climbing the grade of that hill anyway, so there really wasn't much to spare at this point.

Finally, I found myself on pavement, making my way into the town.

It seemed rather bizarre to come from a field onto a road with lights!  By this time I decided that there was no way that I was going back the way I came, so I headed into town to find the shops that were mentioned in the walking tour.  I noticed some bus stops along the walk, and it was my intention to find a bus that would take me back into the town of Cupar so that I could take the train back since I had purchased a round trip ticket.

I walked pretty far into town, waiting for "charming" to pop out and greet me, but such was not the case.  I found myself in front of the Fife Folk Museum, only to see the Closed sign hanging on every door.  I never did find the quaint little shops mentioned in the brochure. Come to think of it, I didn't have a map of the town of Ceres.  Not that it would have made much difference.  There were no people walking around to tell me that I looked lost.

I finally found a post office/grocery store and asked two of the employees there if they could help me.  I mentioned having taken the footpath and neither of them seemed very daunted by that admission on my part.  I then said that I did not want to go back the way that I had come, and could they help me out with the bus schedule?  Apparently the bus isn't too popular in Ceres, because neither of them could offer any insight to help me.   

I then asked if I could walk the road back to Cupar, not being familiar with the road laws in Scotland.   I was told that it was a 2 3/4 mile walk and that it would take me about 40 min.  I would be perfectly safe walking along the road, and I was told that I would be easily spotted due to my bright red coat. Suddenly, I remembered the comments of several people this week, whom had checked my coat, saying, "Your's is the bright red one, right?"  

 I'll admit that this wasn't the course of events that I had hoped for, but it seemed a far better option than climbing through the mud in the middle of nowhere, especially with the skies getting darker already. My bright red coat might make me visible to a passing farmer, but I wasn't taking that chance.

Do you see those trees in the background?  That is the tree line that I had followed into town.  Sure, they look lovely, but I appreciated them more from a distance.

I passed the last cottage in Ceres and headed along the road to Cupar. One thing  that  I noted in the town was that each of the houses had a name, similar to the beach when people name their beach houses. Each one was designated by the word "Cottage" with a unique name inscribed on a plaque on the front of the house. I'll chock that up to "quaintness", but really, if I'm going to hike a trail I'd like a better reward at the other end!

 

Since the people in Scotland drive on the opposite side of the road,  I was walking into traffic, which seemed the safest way to travel on this country road.  At first, cars would give me plenty of room by moving into the opposite lane until they passed me.

Soon, I noticed a definite trend in driving patterns.  The older the car, the nicer the driver.  When a newer sports car was headed towards me, I knew to jump up onto the green.  At first, I was a bit shocked at the boldness of these drivers who actually seemed to enjoy my hopping into the field.  My mind began to envision a bull and matador, and I remembered that the matador wore bright red, similar to my coat.  I likened these drivers to the bull!

So, I carefully continued along the road and only had one bus pass me. I had envisioned a parade of them heading towards town while I was trotting along the path, envious of the possibility of being able to rest my feet. But it appeared that I had made the right decision.

  A short way out of town, a path showed up for walking, and I could relax a bit and not worry so much about oncoming traffic. I could even take a photo without fearing for my life.

When I rounded the corner, just at the point where the footpath had originated, nothing looked better to me than the welcoming sign of Cupar.

 I had made the journey with plenty of time to spare until the train departure.  That being said, I didn't waste any time heading right for the station and collapsing on a bench until the train arrived.  The ride back was completely uneventful, but really, did I need anymore excitement for the day?

I think NOT!

So, I've decided that my walking adventures have come to a close here in Scotland.  Although each was beautiful in its own right, my feet are tired and I just don't want to tempt fate.  No more traipsing through the countryside on my own. I think I'll spend the remaining days walking through museums.

I just hope that I can come up with something exciting enough to write about!