A building known as the Wayfarers, a pub which once had this notice in its window, and used to be notorious for hosting Country and Western nights every Sunday where people turned up in all the gear, had been struggling for years and finally shut its doors about two or three years ago. Earlier this year demolition started and was completed at the end of April/beginning of May.

There was then revealed this view of Markinch’s Parish Church, St Drostan’s, sitting on top of its hill.

How long this view will be available who knows? The owners will have something in mind for the site no doubt.

The Back Burn, see here and here, runs through the old Balbirnie estate and on past Markinch.

Just near where we live it passes through a declivity. The burn isn’t easily spotted in this photo:-

It’s just to the bottom at the right here:-

It flows over some rocks about halfway along:-

There are some flatter stretches too:-

Then it forms a barrier cutting off the golf course’s 18^th fairway from the green.

Further on, looking back from beyond the golf course’s car park, you can see a second old bridge across the burn which was not undermined in the floods I mentioned here.

Another cascade:-

Flowers by the burn’s side:-

Trees by burn side:-

You can see the bridle path crossing in this one:-

Last August I noted floods at Balbirnie Golf Course. The bridge featured in that post was sunsequently removed probably because its supports had been undermined.

In April this year I photographed the foundations of a replacement bridge.

The golf course itself was looking fine.

18^th fairway and green:-

The 10^th tee had some striking shadows:-

10^th tee and 18^th fairway:-

I have posted photos of Dysart harbour before.

The harbour from the edge of Ravenscraig Park in April 2021.

The main building is the former Harbour Master’s house. St Serf’s Tower and the red-tiled roofs of the white painted houses of Pan Ha’ lie behind.

Dysart Harbour looking over to North Berwick Law and the Bass Rock:-

Balbirnie House (Balbirnie House Hotel) in winter. 28/1/21 to be precise:-

A week or so later, snow had fallen:-

Snow on Balbirnie Golf Course:-

Our walk for the newspaper is to the nearest town/village to Son of the Rock Acres, Markinch. Fifty years ago in January Markinch lost five boys to the Ibrox Disaster.

A memorial was erected soon after.

On the 50th anniversary there was a well-attended ceremony to remember them. (The anniversary is almost as big for Markinch as Remembrance Day.) I took these photos in late January:-

Memorial, names and floral tributes:-

On weekdays and Saturdays, if we’re not on an excursion or supermarket shopping, we normally walk through Balbirnie Park on our way to Markinch for the newspaper. Usually by the path which flanks Balbirnie Golf Club’s front nine holes by the road up to/down from the hotel.

We vary our Sunday walk.

Sometimes we go on what we call the loop, round the other side of the golf course from that path and past a field near the Markinch roundabout where there are usually some horses grazing, then up by the main road (safely behind the old Balbirnie Estate wall) till the path turns back onto the access road which leads to our house.

At others we go up by Balbirnie golf club’s back nine holes.

Last January not much play would have been possible. Or if possible, not easy. The flooded parts had iced up:-

Mind you the water hazard might have been a bit less so. (Not that playing off the ice would have been advisable):-

In January we had a cold spell. Our walk down to Markinch to get the newspaper was made just a bit more hazardous. The short cut we had adopted during Covid times – over the path by Balbirnie Golf Club’s practice putting green – was very treacherous:-

The floods I featured earlier iced over completely.

Ice skaters/ice hockey players took advantage of the frozen pond:-

Kelty‘s War Memorial stands beside Station Road.

A greatcoated soldier with slung rifle on a square plinth.

Dedication, “To the glorious memory of the men of Kelty who gave their lives in the Great Wars 1914-1918 and 1939-1945,” plus Second World War names:-

East aspect. Great War names:-

West aspect. Great War names:-

Kelty is a former mining village in Fife.

Incidentally their football team recently won promotion to the SPFL.

These photos were taken in October 2019 though.

On Main Street there’s a 1930s/Art Deco bank building. Horizontals, verticals, flat roof. The glazing looks updated but has kept the 30s style:-