We return east to the kingdom of Fife this week to visit Kinross and Loch Leven.
Loch Leven (Kinross-shire) lies between Edinburgh (31 miles) and Perth (20 miles), in the east of Scotland’s Central Lowlands.
Kinross is a commuter town that has grown from its old village, on the shores of Loch Leven.
Loch Leven, the largest loch of the Scottish Lowlands, is the main feature of this area. Declared a nature reserve in 1964, the Loch today is of international importance, attracting around 15,000 wild geese every autumn.
Sitting peacefully on an islet in Loch Leven lies enchanting Loch Leven Castle, the 
Castle gained infamy when it acted as a prison to Mary Queen of Scots in 1567. Her dramatic escape by boat is one of Scotland's most romantic tales.
It is from Kinross that we park the car and head round the Loch Leven Heritage Trail, Emma by bike and Eric by running shoe. Loch Leven Heritage Trail is a unique trail linking natural, historic and cultural heritage around the north and east shores of Loch Leven. Level and barrier-free for most of its length the path provides a comfortable surface to run and cycle on as we leisurely cover the 12.5kms from the Pier, Kinross to RSPB Vane Farm. The trail is furnished with multiple interpretation facilities coupled with finally crafted seats and stone sculptures. Lasting views of the loch are restricted by the wandering nature of the path and the abundance of shrubbery around the loch's shores but this restriction is compensated by the sound of flight calls overhead which herald the arrival of thousands of pinkfooted geese to feed in stubble fields, while flocks of fieldfares and redwing search for berries in woods and hedgerows.
At Vane Farm the trail ends and we take to the drudgery of tar macadam road back to Kinross, an extra 10km on a busy commuter road that brings sole enjoyment in reaching its end.
Road section apart, the trail was a hidden gem and one we aim to pay a return visit to albeit the next time will be Vane Farm and return via the comfort and tranquillity of comfortable pathway.
We take a nautical meander this week as we head to North Berwick which is located on the south-east coast of Scotland overlooking the Firth of Forth, in the county of East Lothian, approximately 405 mile
s north of London and 25 miles east-north-east of Edinburgh. It is a charming coastal town with a small harbour and excellent sandy beaches, with two defining physical landmarks being the 613ft volcanic crag North Berwick Law, which overlooks the town, and the 315ft Bass Rock.
Bass Rock is situated in the Firth of Forth, two miles east of North Berwick and one mile off the mainland, a huge trachyte plug rising 315 feet, with three sides of sheer cliff, and a tunnel piercing the rock to a depth of 105 metres. The island plays host to more than 150,000 Gannets and is the largest single rock gannetry in the world, described famously by Sir David Attenborough as "one of the wildlife wonders of the world".
The Rock has a rich and varied history and previously housed a State Prison which was constructed in 1671. In 1706, the Bass was sold to Sir Hugh Dalrymple, whose descendants still own it today. But the true owners of the Bass Rock are, of course, the birds, for almost every available inch is occupied by razorbills, guillemots, cormorants, puffins, eider ducks and various gull species. But the bird of the Bass is the Gannet with a breeding colony of 30-40,000 pairs, making the Bass a mecca for international ornithologists. It is thus only fitting that this superb sea bird's Latin name "Sula Bassana" should be derived from the word Bass.
Our mode of transportation to the rock is by RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) from The Seabird Centre which is located on a rocky promontory on the north side of North Berwick Harbour. From here we are fitted with our bespoke waterproofs and offered 
procedures in the event of an emergency which we are reassured have never been used. Fully kitted out in our bright waterproofs and life jackets we are marched along the harbour to the RIB like astronauts to a launch pad. The RIB is moored at the old pier and is equipped with two 250 horse powered engines. As we leave the speed restrictions of the harbour the horses are fully unleashed and we look on with wide eyed excitement as we crash through the high rolling waves.
The first port of call is a small island en-route known as Craigleith. Once used as a rabbit-warren to provide food, Craigleith rises to 80 feet and is now noted for its seabirds, including cormorants, shag, guillemot and puffins. Geologically, Craigleith is a laccolith, a dome-shape igneous intrusion, composed of essexite, a rock popular for the manufacture of curling stones. While cruising close to the ro
ck face we are visited by a couple of inquisitive seals who lead us to their cave which sadly is too small for the RIB to enter.
As we leave Craigleith we ride the high rollers once again as we make great speed towards Bass Rock. From a distance the rock looks as though it has been subjected to a cloud explosion of white emulsion, on closer inspection you realise that each white dot is in fact a Gannet. Like pixels on a computer screen the sheer volume of their numbers create a tapestry of colour that changes daily by the ever expanding numbers on the Island from April to October. The Gannets are obliviou
s to our presence and carry on with their mating rituals, preening and turf wars as we capture their bizarre rituals on camera. Alas the time passes all too quickly and we zoom off to moor south of the island to capture some distant snaps before riding the waves back to the tranquil waters of the harbour.
Back on terra firma we look over at the island like kids who have just experienced the exhilaration of their first fairground ride and draw envious looks at the next party of rock visitors as they get kitted out in their wetsuits in preparation for a journey that we know will live long in their memories.
Into the unknown this weekend as we travel to the South East coast of Scotland and the tiny village of St Abbs which is situated just off the A1 Edinburgh to London road in Berwickshire. This is new
territory for the both of us, which it is for most of the populace from the west central belt of Scotland, as this coast has traditionally been the holiday and weekend destination for the good citizens of Edinburgh and its suburbs.
The high, craggy cliffs around St Abbs Head are perhaps the best-known landmark along the magnificent Berwickshire coastline. From here it is possible to view the full complex coastline of sheer cliffs, offshore stacks and narrow gullies which provide scenic beauty and a habitat for some outstanding wildlife.
Although best known as a seabird colony, St Abbs Head also hosts a National Nature Reserve which includes 200 acres of grasslands rich in flowers, a freshwater loch and a steady stream of migrant birds.
Parking the car at the visitor centre outside of St Abbs and after a short walk of a mile or so through some bucolic splendour the single track road leads us to a lighthouse situated high on the pinnacle of St Abb’s head. This lighthouse like all lighthouses in the UK is now operated remotely and has been uninhabited since 1993 and the foghorn disconnected in 1987, it now sits proudly as a casualty of the electronic age.
St. Abbs is also 
a popular site for scuba divers as the sea around the village is unusually clear, in contrast to the more silt-laden coastal waters further to the north or south. As we traverse the high cliffs and face the onslaught of a strong south easterly wind we spot a small diving boat sailing back to the calmer waters of St Abbs harbour.
A former fishing village St Abbs is now home to Britain’s first Voluntary Marine Reserve and a RNLI lifeboat station and while sitting by the harbour we are fortunate to see the lifeboat being hauled up the slipway after a sojourn out on the North Sea.
Daylight hours were closing in on us as we headed along the coastal path and so the decision was made to abort our planned final destination of Eyemouth at the white sands and shabby beach huts of Coldingham Bay. In the right conditions this beach is a popular location for surfers but today it is populated with kite flyers and dog walkers.
Disappointed in our failure at not reaching our end destination by foot we travel down to Eyemouth by car and promise to return at a later date to complete our missed few miles of coast.
Eyemouth is perhaps best known in Scottish history for the Fishing Disaster on the 14th October 1881 when most of the fishing fleet, some 20 boats and 129 men from the town were lost in a terri
ble storm. Including victims from other coastal towns, a total of 189 men lost their lives.
Modern day Eyemouth is now very much a seaside resort with its long manicured beach, chip shops and pubs although there does seem to be a busy modern harbour within the town providing a shelter for some fishing boats and a seaman’s mission. Our first port of call after a brief walk around the town is Mackays Fish & Chip shop on the High Street for a traditional Fish supper before a leisurely stroll along the beach with some bizarrely flavoured ice creams (Jaffa cake, white chocolate, lemon sorbet) as the sun quickly set in the darkening horizon.
Our first excursion of 2009 saw Eric run a 5k race from Holyrood Park in Edinburgh around th
e steep and winding road up Arthurs Seat returning to Holyrood Park where the World Cross Country Championships were being held in conjunction and finishing 226th out of an entry of 1884 and 17th overall for his age category.
As a warm down we ventured in to the city centre and witnessed a large turn out marching peacefully along Princess Street against the ongoing hostilities in Palestine, from here we took the brief walk to The Fruit Market art gallery beside Waverley station where amongst the other avant-garde exhibits we watched the Luis Buñuel /Salvador Dalí film ‘Un Chien andalou’ which has the renowned and disturbing opening scene of a woman’s eyeball being sliced with an open razor.
With this stomach churning image engrained in our consciousness we navigate eastwards to Leith docks and the nautical interior designed Britannia Spice restaurant which provides us with an attentive service and 1st class menu.
Castle gained infamy when it acted as a prison to Mary Queen of Scots in 1567. Her dramatic escape by boat is one of Scotland's most romantic tales.
