AT HOME we pride ourselves on our responsibilities concerning green issues. The garden produces some of our fruit and vegetables; eight compost heaps receive our organic garden and kitchen waste; and then there is the weekly ritual of sorting out ca
ns, bottles, newspapers, etc for collection.
Yet we all have a weak point in matters green and mine is hillwalking, driving some 10,000 miles a year to get to the hills. Nevertheless, my friends and I share cars as far as possible and prefer to be away for a week or more in the summer rather than make daily trips from home. Yet on 9 January I incurred a ridiculous mileage. The forecast was not exactly encouraging: severe gales with temporary blizzard conditions, when visibility would be virtually nil; wind at 900m averaging 70 to 80mph, with gusts as high as 120mph, and temperature of -4C with an extreme wind-chill.
It clearly wasn't a day for the high tops, so I spread out a few maps to see what might be possible at a lower level. My eye was drawn to Largo Law in Fife, a 290m hill that inexplicably I had never climbed. The plan was to extend the day at a lower level with a visit to nearby Keil's Den, the wooded defile of the Keil Burn.
Well, I managed the former, just, but not the latter.
None of the usual gang was free that day, so I set off on my own. Being a short day, I had a leisurely start from Edinburgh, anticipating being in Upper Largo in an hour. However, on reaching Queensferry I was dismayed to see that the Forth Road Bridge had just been closed to cars after sections of a painting platform had been torn down in the gales. My desire to climb Largo Law over-rode common sense. A detour over the Kincardine Bridge would add an extra hour, but still give time for the complete walk and, with gales forecast to subside, the Forth Bridge would surely be re-opened by my return. Big mistake! Half the lorries and cars in Scotland seemed to converge on Kincardine; and I did not reach Upper Largo until 2pm, two hours later than planned.
You can use Ordnance Survey map 59, St Andrews, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes. If coming from the west, follow the A915 through Lundin Links, bypassing Lower Largo, to reach Upper Largo. A minor road heads north-west from the village, skirting the south-west slopes of Largo Law. If in doubt, continue to the junction of the A915 and the A917, then return to the minor road. Go past Kirkton of Largo primary school and park on the east side of the road between the school and a cemetery.
A notice board at the start of the walk, at map ref 423037, gives some details about Largo Law, the eroded remains of a volcano active between 300 and 350 million years ago. Largo Law forms part of a working farm and cattle graze much of the hill's slopes. Walkers are asked not to take their dogs and to keep to the marked route.
Walk north-east on the well-marked route, a track leading to Chesterstone Farm at 428042. On my outing, the track was very muddy, scarcely surprising considering the recent torrential downpour. The route goes through the farmyard and north, the track again signposted, to reach the base of the cone. Now for the grassy climb, short but steep, to reach the twin-topped summit. The northern bump with the trig point is the higher.
The summit offers superb views over the Forth – or so the notice board says. But clutching the trig point all I could see was storm-tossed water in front of a grey curtain of cloud. The notice board also says that during summer months a variety of wild plants grows on the slopes, one such being Ragged Robin, an apt description of the storm-buffeted walker on the hillside. Buzzards are also commonly seen, but not today!
I headed home, dismayed to learn from the car radio that the Forth Road Bridge was still closed. It was back to Kincardine again. The Forth Bridge re-opened at 6pm when I was still part of a five-mile tailback before Kincardine, and too late to turn back. I got home disgusted with myself; an eight-hour day of which six had been wasted in the car; far too many carbon footprints just to climb a hill. Not even Largo Law is worth that.
FactfileMap Ordnance Survey map 59, St Andrews, Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes
Distance 2 miles
Height 250m
Terrain Farm tracks, then steep grassy hillside
Start point Off-road parking area between cemetery and Kirkton of Largo primary school, map ref 423037
Time 1 to 2 hours
Nearest village Upper Largo
Nearest refreshment spot Upper Largo Hotel
The full article contains 829 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
