After the storm...
Following the non-stop gales and rain which persisted from Wednesday to Saturday, the weather could hardly have been more different today: I awoke to beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies. I'd already decided that if the weather was pleasant today, I'd go to Kirkcaldy and walk along the Esplanade, and that's what I did. There was a light breeze by the sea in Kirkcaldy, but it felt quite warm in the bright sunshine. Lots of people were out-and-about, making the most of what will undoubtedly prove to be a very brief interlude of pleasant weather before the next lot of howling gales and torrential rain do their worst.
Walking-route on 22nd October, 2023. Distance: 5.58 miles (8.98 km).
It won't be clear from the map, but I walked from one end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy to the other four times. As it took around twenty minutes to walk each length of the Esplanade, I thought I might not have walked all that far, but I was pleasantly surprised to find when I plotted my route on MapMyWalk that I'd covered 5.58 miles. That was a fair bit further than I'd expected. When I walk around the Beveridge Park, it takes me around forty-five minutes to do one circuit, although it appears from the map to be about the same distance as one length of the Esplanade. It's not immediately obvious to me why this should be, but no doubt the reason will be revealed if I plot a circuit of the park on the map. I'm probably underestimating the effect of π! Anyway, I was pretty stiff and sore in the legs and pelvis by the time I'd made my way back to the Kirkcaldy Bus Station, but I've proved that I'm not quite dead yet and I'm still capable of walking a reasonable distance.
A view over the Firth of Forth towards Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags from the north end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A northward view from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A view towards Inchkeith in the Firth of Forth from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A cuddie on the shore at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
Folk cannae leave their bloody mobile phones alone even when they're on horseback! Seen from the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A northward view from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
Walking-route on 22nd October, 2023. Distance: 5.58 miles (8.98 km).
It won't be clear from the map, but I walked from one end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy to the other four times. As it took around twenty minutes to walk each length of the Esplanade, I thought I might not have walked all that far, but I was pleasantly surprised to find when I plotted my route on MapMyWalk that I'd covered 5.58 miles. That was a fair bit further than I'd expected. When I walk around the Beveridge Park, it takes me around forty-five minutes to do one circuit, although it appears from the map to be about the same distance as one length of the Esplanade. It's not immediately obvious to me why this should be, but no doubt the reason will be revealed if I plot a circuit of the park on the map. I'm probably underestimating the effect of π! Anyway, I was pretty stiff and sore in the legs and pelvis by the time I'd made my way back to the Kirkcaldy Bus Station, but I've proved that I'm not quite dead yet and I'm still capable of walking a reasonable distance.
A view over the Firth of Forth towards Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags from the north end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A northward view from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A view towards Inchkeith in the Firth of Forth from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A cuddie on the shore at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
Folk cannae leave their bloody mobile phones alone even when they're on horseback! Seen from the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.
A northward view from the southern end of the Esplanade at Kirkcaldy, Fife, on 22nd October, 2023.