You've travelled far (or maybe not so far), unpacked, put the kettle on, admired the seagull wallpaper - now what?
Well, although we're ideally placed for exploring Fife and central Scotland, here are some few ideas for things you can do close to home.
Explore the Coast. We say it in every post and advert: The Nethergate is just a couple of minutes walk from The Fife Coastal Path, which measures 117 miles from Kincardine to Newburgh. Originally created in 2002, the path is managed by the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk and designated one of Scotland's Great Trails.
The quickest way on to it is through the pirate playpark just through the arch of the railway bridge. Cut back under the bridge and you walk parallel to the railway track. The first few hundred meters or so aren't the most exciting, but the path quickly opens up. You can spot remnants of Kinghorn's shipbuilding heritage. Further along you will see Abden House above you on the left; now apartments, it was originally built in 1848 as the Kirkcaldy Combination Poorhouse.
Climb the steps and you can choose to follow the new path and spot seals and herons before reaching Seafield Tower which marks the beginning of Kirkcaldy. If you have sturdy shoes and a head for heights then follow the wall on your right and take the old path down to the bridge that spans the cave. Unfortunately always full of tidal rubbish, but worth a look.
Go West ? Well you can't walk to Burntisland just on the beach.... Check the tides and you can walk along Kinghorn Harbour Beach, climbing back into the village via the steps on your right. Follow the road down to Pettycur; originally a separate village this was once the landing place for the ferry coming from Leith. The present harbour dates from the 1760s with a "fearful storm" destroying an earlier harbour in 1625. Personally I think the following is well worth a look - though maybe not a classic Johnny Cash performance ....
(If you don't already know, Johnny Cash's family originally came from Fife with links to Falkland. You'll find a memorial bench on the village green there!)
As you head West you'll have a good view of Inchkeith Island. One of the larger islands of the Forth, it has an unusual and quite dark history - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p052fqzy
The lighthouse you can see was built in 1804 and designed by Robert Stevenson and Thomas Smith (the first Chief Engineer of the Northern Lighthouse Board) Now a haven for seals and seabirds including puffins!
The walk along the beach to Burntisland is a lovely one; if the tide is fully out then you can walk around the Black Rocks before you head into the town. Head under the railway bridge and you'll find the Burntisland Sands Hotel. This has a great selection of food and drinks with cosy outside booths if you have a pup with you. Before walking along the esplanade you'll pass the old tearoom with its frilly ironwork, now immortalised on the Bank of Scotland ten pound note showing Mary Somerville - the world's first scientist. One day I'll write a blog on her too....
Burntisland has a busy, independent high street with gift and coffee shops as well as award winning produce sellers. Definitely worth the walk along. If you don't want the exercise coming back, or are too full of ice-cream, then hop on the train for the one stop back. Even the station has its history as it was the Fife terminus for the world's first train ferry. The following shows a model which often comes to town as well as a lot of historical photos showing how busy a place Burntisland used to be.