Excellent Books about The Fife Coastal Path

 

 

If you are about to walk The Fife Coastal Path there are some excellent resources.

For extensive background information I don’t think you can better

Hamish Brown’s Along The Fife Coastal Path.

I actually have an older version The Fife Coast by Hamish Brown, bought in a wonderful back street secondhand bookshop in Burntisland, long before I met Hamish.

 

 

Certainly, the next essential purchase is a good map. You could buy an OS map, but you would probably need two or three to cover the route.

 

We found The Fife Coastal Path Footprint by Harry Styles brilliant ~ a complete map/ guide with comfort stops and cafes along the way, as well as tide information and alternative routes. It is split in manageable day chunks and comes complete with a plastic see through cover. We bought ours at The Harbourmaster’s House at Dysart, a cafe and information centre by the harbour, but you can also purchase it in Waterstones, Smiths or on Amazon. I believe there maybe a newer version of this trusty map now available.

 

 

 

 

Finally there’s a combined guide and map if you don’t want quite as much detail as Hamish Brown’s book, although equally interesting. Fife Coastal Path, a Rucksack Reader by Sandra Bardwell and Jacqetta Meggary, is a great size to take with you and read snippets sitting on a rock beside the sea, pausing a wee while on a convenient bench or even while you enjoy a pit stop lunch in one of the numerous cafes. We bought ours in Waterstones, Kirkcaldy but there are numerous places you can buy it along the way.

 

 

 

The Healing Paths of Fife by Diana Jackson is also for sale in aid of Kirkcaldy Foodbank until the end of February 2020, both paperback and on Kindle. It is also for sale in Baker’s Field cafe, Kirkcaldy, and at the In Design shop in the Olympia Arcade, Kirkcaldy. All profits go to the foodbank ~a worthy cause. Over £500 has now been raised for local charities so far through the sale of The Healing Paths of Fife.

Book Launch ~ a Positive Postponement

A Positive Postponement

I had intended to launch my new novel this autumn. This promise has been hanging over me until just now, when I read one of my favourite blogs for information, hints and advice regarding self publishing.

BOOKSDESIGNER.COM

This suddenly set me free. I’m nowhere near ready for a book launch this autumn and I suddenly decided to postpone it. No guilt, no anxious fretting ~ just peace.

Family Comes First

Family matters have been taking up 90% of my time of late and in the end family comes first. Instead of being disappointed it has made me quite excited, because out of the fog of indecision and thanks to bookdesigner.com I now have a plan to follow.

Proper Preparation for a Book Launch

You see, I’ve been going to write a plan for weeks now, but I have just never found the time or the space to think.

I hope my new novel will be published in the spring of next year but meanwhile I’ll let you know each step I’m taking to make it ready. Instead of being depressed about this I feel empowered.

I hope this post can be an encouragement to others.

best wishes

Diana

Glen Clova ~ a gem of a journey for creative inspiration

We were talking about trips to the mountains from Fife with our local artist and friend Douglas Gray and he mentioned Glen Clova and described how to reach it via Dundee. Douglas returns there frequently for inspiration for his painting, but for me it was a taster day to reinvigorate my ‘little brain cells’.

Around fifteen miles north of Dundee you reach the little town of Forfar, the birthplace of James Matthew Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Glen Clova can be reached on the other side of Forfar; a beautiful drive through the lowland hills towards the mountains ~ the Cairngorms. A five hour walk from Glen Clova itself will take you to Breamar so I’m told. The settlement itself is tiny; the hotel and various log cabins are dotted up the hill behind it.

At the base of these foothills is Hotel Glen Clova, a great place for lunch, refreshments to break up your drive or to enjoy at the end of a lovely walk, of which there are many. It is one of those places we will return to, maybe to stay the night on a special occasion when we can set out on a hike for a full day.

As the view of the hills leads your eyes into the far distance, and you breathe in the fresh clean air, it clears your head to be refilled with renewed creativity.