HOW FAR WOULD YOU TRAVEL for fish and chips? Since April had brought not only showers but snow and hail, overnight camper van sorties were a chilly prospect. Day-tripping was the alternative and, ebullient with the prospect of award-winning fish and
chips, we embarked on the Fife Coastal Route which snakes along the Forth to Anstruther.
"Coastal route" evokes driving daydreams of cruising along, elbow out of the window, drinking in wonderful sea views. Dream on. The Fife Coastal Route proved to be a torturous obstacle course of a road, through a succession of towns and villages. In an attempt to slow the steady stream of traffic, speed limits of 20 or 30mph are frequent, along with an unbelievable amount of speed bumps.
Glimpses of the Forth were occasional, mostly during our frequent wrong turns. The small, brown signs designating the Coastal Route became harder to spot as the afternoon wore on. One of our wrong turns took us along the promenade between Buckhaven and Leven. This short stretch boasts the most vicious speed bumps. We bumped and groaned along, only to arrive at a static caravan park and a dead end.
Faced with running the speed bump gauntlet again, we paused to recover. Across Largo Bay we could see Bass Rock and North Berwick Law in the distance. With Methil power station at one end and a sprawling caravan park at the other, the promenade made a lovely viewpoint.
Two and a half hours after leaving Edinburgh, plus half an hour in the queue for the Anstruther Fish Bar, we sat down for eats. Happily, the lemon sole made our jolting journey worthwhile.
Bellies full, we wandered away from Anstruther along the narrow streets to Cellardyke. John Street seemed scarcely changed since Cellardyke was known as Skinfast Harbour and was filled with fishing boats. Washing now occupies the harbour, strung out along the water's edge. A handful of redshanks were skittering about on the sand, their orange legs flashing. A man walked along the 16th-century harbour whistling Bare Necessities in the sunshine and I realised I'd forgotten about my worries and strife. And speed bumps.
As a token of appreciation for the continued support of our camper van's suspension, we took the straight route home and made it back in just over an hour.
The full article contains 400 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
