An East Neuk Easter

My family has always loved Easter - all cute bunnies and chicks, the start of better weather and lighter days, family meals and days out and more chocolate than is really good for you.  When we were little my sisters and I even had our own special Easter roles - I was an Easter Chick, J was an Easter Bunny and C was an Easter Lamb. Easter is a festival of rebirth, new life, whether you're religious or not. It's also a great time to visit the East Neuk. Borrowing J's role for a moment and using my official Easter Bunny name of "Snuggly Socks" (what's yours? http://easterbunnyname.com/) I thought I'd bring you a sweet selection of what to do this Easter in the East Neuk to keep everyone in your family entertained:

Anstruther duck race

1. Race a duck - For great fun with the competitive thrill of a chance of winning a prize check out the annual Anstruther Duck Race on Easter Saturday. The Dreel Burn in Anstruther is the venue and no they are not real ducks but cute rubber ones! Entry is £1 - sponsor your duck in a local shop or on the day, if there are any left. It's organised by the Anstruther Improvements Association (AIA) and the money goes towards improving the village. 

2. Picnic with the King - As well as the Duck Race itself there is a whole music festival in Anstruther over the Easter weekend called "Yellae Deuks". Concerts are on at the Dreel Halls in Anstruther on the Friday and Saturday nights and during the day on Sunday when there will be an indoor picnic. Don't miss King Creosote himself playing at the Sunday event. Family friendly until 9pm. 

Kellie Castle and Gardens

3. Hunt eggs at a castle - National Trust properties around the country are playing host to Cadbury's Egg Trails this Easter. Where better for the little ones to run about in search of eggs than Kellie Castle, near Anstruther, with its gorgeous gardens and estate. Easter egg trails open 12-4pm on Easter Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

Bunny, Isle of May

4. Spot the bunnies - April marks the beginning of the season for boat trips on the May Princess or RIB Osprey to the Isle of May. You're sure to see lots of cute bunnies on the island (though they're a little shy) and lots of seabirds and seals too - I hear that the puffins are there already so it's a great time to visit! Book ahead if you want a seat on the daily boat trips as it's bound to be popular.

5. See some art & crafts - Pittenweem Artists & Galleries weekend 2015 is taking place on 3-6 April in various venues around the village. It's organised by the same people as the village's famous annual arts festival, though the weekend is on a more compact scale with six exhibiting artists. 

There's also a local art and crafts event called "Spring in the Loft" upstairs at the Ardross Farm Shop, near Elie on Easter Saturday (9am-5.30pm) and Sunday (9am-4pm).

6. Find the Gruffalo - I reckon a lot of little ones are going to be very excited about the new Gruffalo Trail which opens on Easter Sunday at St Andrews' Botanic Gardens. 11am-4pm. £5 adults, free for kids. 

7. Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate - Get your Easter chocolate fix at The Cocoa Tree cafe and Pittenweem Chocolate Company shop, Pittenweem, Iain Burnett The Highland Chocolatier, South Street, St Andrews or Fisher and Donaldson, Church Street, St Andrews. Yum!

Leave a comment if you know about something fun that I've missed.

Happy Easter all!

Copyright Snuggly Socks (normally known as Sara Scott) 2015

Happy Days in the East Neuk and St Andrews

Here's some news about an artist that I admire for her colourful and fun paintings which do indeed invoke heart-warming memories of happy days spent in the East Neuk of Fife and St Andrews and bring a smile to your face:

Scottish artist, Jennifer Thomson is launching a new book of her paintings called "Happy Days in the East Neuk and St Andrews" at her forthcoming exhibition  in the East Neuk village of Elie, Fife. Jennifer is well known for the unmistakable style of her paintings, packed full of colourful people having fun and enjoying life, often in popular Scottish locations. The book brings together the best of her paintings from the last fifteen years of painting in the East Neuk of Fife. Included are paintings of Lower Largo, Earlsferry, Elie, St Monans, Kilconqhuar, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Crail and the neighbouring St Andrews.

Jennifer attended Edinburgh College of Art from 1987-1992 where she gained her honours then post-graduate degree along with several awards and prizes. She taught art for a few years at Madras College in St Andrews before giving up teaching to paint full time in 1998. Since then her paintings can be found in many art collections such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, Edinburgh's City Arts Centre, The BBC and Paintings in Hospitals. Her work is spreading all over the world and she has been commissioned by organisations and individuals in the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.

Alongside each painting in the book are Jennifer's notes about each scene. You discover what inspired the artist to paint each composition and begin to see what Jennifer was thinking when she painted each scene and share in her often humorous insights. In some of the paintings you might spot the artist's faithful painting companion Brodie, a mischievous wire haired fox terrier. For admirers of Jennifer's work and East Neuk fans alike, this book will warm your hearts and make you smile. 

Jennifer will be signing copies of "Happy Days in the East Neuk and St Andrews" at her exhibition of paintings of the East Neuk and travels round Europe at The Old Post Office Gallery, Links Place, Elie, Fife, KY8 1AX from 27 July to 10 August 2014 10am-5pm. The book can also be ordered from her website www.jenniferthomson.com. 

Four easy steps to beating the January blues

Happy New Year! Apologies that I've been a little quiet on the blog recently but I thought I'd change all that in 2014, starting off with a wee blog about four easy steps to beating those pesky January blues, all with a connection to the East Neuk and St Andrews of course!

Step 1 - Enjoy your lovely Christmas presents

I was lucky enough to get this painting for Christmas, which is now brightening up my house with its gorgeous colours:

Boats in Crail Harbour by Robin Forsyth; Close-up of the blue sea

The artist is Robin Forsyth, one of the Cellardyke-based artists who opened his home studio to visitors as part of East Neuk Open Studios (ENOS) in November. 

It's a painting of two cute little fishing boats in Crail harbour, so I loved the subject matter. I was also really struck by the intensity of the blue water, in striking contrast to the pure white of the frame. It's cheering me up in the dark, damp horribleness of January by reminding me of a sunny Summer's day by the sea!

Hopefully you have some equally lovely presents you can enjoy this January. 

Step 2 - Escapism

Speaking of presents, if Santa didn't bring you any reading material to get you through the dark Winter evenings, maybe it's time to get some new books for some blues-busting escapism.

Transport yourself to the life of a musician by reading the excellent "Songs in the Key of Fife". This is DJ Vic Galloway's collection of the intertwining stories of the artists who created a musical revolution from the East Neuk including KT Tunstall, King Creosote, the Beta Band, James Yorkston and more. Listening to some of these locally-raised gems is also a great blues-buster - I particularly love King Creosote's "Diamond Mine" album. Another local up-and-coming artist who is not in the book but is also worth listening to is Lidh, who has the voice of an angel. Check them out on iTunes or, better still, see them live.

(Picture: Vic Galloway at the launch event of the book at Cambo Estate last year; The book itself)

If you're more into to immersing yourself in a gritty crime novel then check out TF Muir's books about DCI Andy Gilchrist ("Eye for an Eye", "Tooth for a Tooth" etc.), who is the Inspector Rebus of St Andrews.

See my local books page for more ideas.

Step 3 - Celebrate our bard

What could be more cheering than a celebration of the bard, Rabbie Burns, and all things Scottish? And where better to enjoy the fun evening that is Burns' Night (25 January 2014) than in St Andrews! You could sample some haggis or other delicious Scottish dishes at The Dolls' House or The Vine Leaf on South Street. The Vine Leaf are offering their haggis neeps and tatties as "a potato basket filled with haggis, thyme poached turnip and drambuie cream" plus an equally tasty dish with veggie haggis too. Or for something a bit more spicy the award-winning Nahm-Jim's on Market Street, which I've blogged about before, offers Scottish-Thai fusions extraordinaire such as "Thai Haggis Bombs" (haggis in crunch pastry with a spicy dip) or the "Nahm-Jim Thai Haggis" (haggis combined with chilli, basil and Thai omelette).

An after dinner drink at the new St Andrews Brewing Company pub on South Street would be an obvious next step - sample craft beer and cider (check out the Thistly Cross Ginger Cider) in cosy, chalet-like surrounds. A special Burns' Night tasting event is being held at 7.30 with tutoring (by Douglas Clement from the Kingsbarns Distillery - more on that below), tunes and tapas (£10 a ticket, available in advance at the bar).

Then burn off some of those calories you just consumed with some lively traditional ceilidh dancing in Forgan's on Market Street (Forgan's are also doing a Burn's Supper event if you wanted to eat there too).

(Picture: Sample of craft beer at The St Andrews Brewing Company pub; Robert Burns biscuits from Fisher & Donaldson confectionary and bakery, St Andrews)

(Picture: Forgan's bar, including one of their inviting bothies in top right, ceilidh band in bottom right and unusual lighting in bottom left)

If you know about other things happening in St Andrews on Burns' Night then let me know. Enjoy!

Step 4 - New year, new social calendar

January is a month of planning ahead so plan your 2014 social calendar and give yourself masses of events to look forward to! To help you do this, check out my handy East Neuk and St Andrews Events Calendar.

The brand newly opened Dreel Halls venue in Anstruther may be the location for some new events this year - I'll keep you posted. 

Something to look forward to later this year is the opening of the Kingsbarns Distillery, which I'm really excited about. I sneaked a peak at the site last year and it is already looking very promising as they convert historical buildings on the edge of the Cambo Estate. They're hoping to open the doors on St Andrew's Day (November) and I can't wait!

I'm also looking forward to more blogging for this blog, the Visit St Andrews website and the Crail Food Festival. In the meantime I hope these blues-blasters lift your spirits!

More information:

www.paintingsilove.com/artist/robinforsyth

www.eastneukopenstudios.org

www.dollshouse-restaurant.co.uk

www.vineleafstandrews.co.uk

www.nahm-jim.co.uk

www.standrewsbrewingcompany.com/thebrewpub

www.forganstandrews.co.uk

kingsbarns.wordpress.com

Copyright Sara Scott 2014

A very arty little neuk - East Neuk Open Studios 2013

After a visit to the Crail Food Festival on Saturday 15 June (see my blog post on this), we decided to check out the other event happening that weekend: East Neuk Open Studios (ENOS).

The event was happening throughout the East Neuk that weekend and the one before. We decided to head to the East Neuk village of Cellardyke (which adjoins Anstruther) to see some of the artists there who were opening their doors to let visitors see their artistic creations in the studios they were made in. 

I can see why petite Cellardyke has so many artists. Its old, narrow streets surreptitiously wind their way into your heart with their quiet, old-fashioned wind and sea-swept charms. Every so often you get an access point to the shore with its beautiful natural rock features and spectacular views out to the shimmering Isle of May. The communal washing lines at the harbour seem to belong to another age yet are still very much in use today. The pretty, well-tended flowers at the harbour speak of a community that cares about its village. So for me a wander around some of the studios was as much about the real life of the place itself as the art. I have to say I seriously envy many of the artists their studios as well as their artistic talents!

Charming Cellardyke - clockwise from top left: "Cosy Neuk" doorway, harbour x 2, rock formations at the shore

We started off seeing Renate Heath's landscapes and learning about her techniques (she mostly paints landscapes from her car!). We admired her uninterrupted Isle of May view and quirky garden and bought some of her beautiful postcards.

Views of the Isle of May: real life (left) and art by Renate Heath (right)

Then we enjoyed Ken Wilkinson's land and seascapes, in an outbuilding accessed directly from the beach! We left with some more cards, in my case of his Cellardyke paintings which I really liked.

Cellardyke harbour with its washing lines: Real life (left) and art by Ken Wilkinson (right)

After that it was Kate Hajducka's beeswax creations and adorable garden with the blue gate onto the shore. Mum was very struck by her colourful, Impressionistic paintings of wild flowers. More cards were purchased - the subject of mine was her garden.

Kate Hajducka's adorable Cellardyke garden: Real life (left) and art by Kate (right)

Last but definitely not least that day was Kate Laundon's more modern prints, which I had been dying to see after she'd tweeted a photo of them earlier that week. I came away with this über cute, quite Japanese-style chaffinch print, which is now on my wall at home. Mum bought another of Kate's cute bird prints and some cards. I could easily have bought a lot more! 

Chaffinch print by Kate Laundon

By this point the boys were weary from their earlier golf match at Crail Golfing Society and were worrying that this was turning into a shopping trip. They were angling to get back to Rose Cottage for some chill out time. So off we headed with our arty goodies. More Cellardyke artists to visit next time though, not least talented illustrator Jill Calder. Even by the East Neuk's high arty standards Cellardyke really is a very arty little village!

Mum and I found time the next day, Sunday 16 June, to visit one of the Crail artists who was taking part in East Neuk Open Studios. We visited the garden studio of Elizabeth Shepherd, who was displaying a series of etchings of East Neuk buildings which she'd been commissioned to do. I was very tempted to buy a print she'd done of Cellardyke harbour (bit of a theme here, isn't there!) but having only recently bought one of Keith Brockie's Isle of May originals my art budget is currently severely depleted! Having said that, one of the great things about ENOS is that is a very affordable way to buy art.

Unfortunately time didn't allow us to check out the other studios that were open in the other villages. Good news then that ENOS is happening again on the weekends of 23-24 November and 30 November-1 December 2013. I'll definitely be back to see more, hopefully with a bigger budget this time!

Text and photos copyright Sara Scott 2013, excluding photos of art works

Crail Food Festival 2013 part 1: cookery demos, gingerbread streets and dancing

I had been looking forward to the Crail Food Festival (www.crailfoodfest.co.uk) for a long time. I'd never been before and had been helping in the preparationa and promotion by being part of the blogging team. When the weekend itself, 15-16 June, came closer I realised that in fact it co-incided with the East Neuk Open Studios (www.eastneukopenstudios.org) event as well. Brilliant combination I thought - a weekend of great food, art and even music in fantastic settings!

Day 1, Saturday 15 June, was all about cookery demos, Cellardyke artists, gingerbread streets and dancing.

After the boys returned from the inevitable golf match (at Craighead Links, Crail Golfing Society), we headed to Crail Community Hall for our first taste of the Crail Food Festival. We weren't alone - the hall was packed full of enthusiastic foodies, going round all of the stalls to sample and buy tasty local produce. The good people from the excellent Grill House restaurant (www.grillhouse-restaurant.co.uk) in St Andrews were having absolutely no trouble at all getting takers for their hot food samples. I however was having trouble getting to them in time before they all disappeared! A cookery demo by Craig Millar was announced. Craig is chef and owner of Crail Millar @ 16 West End restaurant (www.16westend.com), a great place right on the shore in the lovely East Neuk village of St Monans. The hall slowly emptied as the Chef's Theatre filled. We all went in except for R, who had identified this as the ideal opportunity to get the lion's share of the food samples (a cunning and very successful plan!). However he missed out on an entertaining, amusing and informative demo from Craig, as well as a taste of the finished product.



Craig Millar provides a cookery demo, Chef's Theatre, Crail Food Festival 2013

Hebridean sea salt and Israeli couscous were two recommendations I resolved to try at home. Craig also revealed he tends to go local by using Scottish rapeseed oil rather than olive oil - I'm with him on that. Some of Craig's recipes can be found in the Relish Scotland, Second Helping book, along with recipes from other great chefs based in some of Scotland's finest restaurants. I bought a (signed) copy of the book on the day for the rose cottage cookbook collection and would thoroughly recommend it.



Relish Scotland - Second Helping - book of original recipes from Scotland's finest chefs and restaurants



Back in the main hall we had the chance to purchase a great selection of foodie treats from the Fife's finest producers on the stalls all round the hall. I ended up buying raspberry jam from two of my favourite farmshops, who had stalls there: Balgove Larder (www.balgove.com), near St Andrews and Ardross Farm Shop (www.ardrossfarm.co.uk), near Elie. You can never have enough raspberry jam in my book!

 

Balgove Larder, farm shop near St Andrews - one of the stall holders at the Crail Food Festival 2013

However the icing on the cake on that chilly afternoon was the warmly comforting hot chocolate from our local chocolatiers, The Pittenweem Chocolate Co (www.pittenweemchocolate.co.uk). To die for!

Time was ticking so we departed for Cellardyke to see some of the East Neuk Open Studios (ENOS) - more to come on this in my ENOS blog soon. 



That evening we were back in Crail for more Food Festival fun - this time dinner and dancing. In just a few hours the Community Hall (an old church) had been transformed into a dinner and music venue. The hall was noisy, buzzing with chatter at this sold-out event. We shared a table with a Scottish family. The parents lived in California and were finding Crail rather cold in comparison! (More on this in Part 2!) 



A three course meal followed. Starter and main course from Hatters & Co (www.hatterscatering.com), caterers at the Edwardian tearoom in Hill of Tarvit Mansion House, were quickly scoffed. However  the highlight for me was definitely the dessert from Sucre Coeur (www.sucrecoeur.co.uk), creators of an entire gingerbread street which was displayed in the window of Crail Gallery. One of the band members (more on them in a minute) also serenaded us with a little ukulele number at our table while we ate.

 

Sweet treats. From top: East Neuk Street made from Gingerbread and Dessert, both by Sucre Coeur for Crail Food Festival 2013

Wine was provided by the St Andrews Wine Company (www.standrewswinecompany.com), who have a great wine shop in Bell Street, St Andrews. They select wines to have labelled as their "house white" and "house red". They were also manning the bar and doing a great trade in beer from the St Andrews Brewing Company (www.standrewsbrewingcompany.com), who created Crail Ale for a previous year's Crail Food Festival. It was so popular that they kept making it and it recently won a craft beer competition and will be available in Sainsbury's supermarket so more of us can get to enjoy it! Unsurprisingly that night the Crail Ale had completely sold out but R and I enjoyed the IPA instead and it went down very well indeed. 

 

Dinner over and bellies full, it was now time for the music to begin. If, like me, you loved the soundtrack of quirky George Clooney film "O brother where art thou?" you would have loved the first local Fife band who took to the stage: Black Cat Jook Band. They transported us from Crail to the Deep South with their madcap bluesy sounds, even making what seemed to be a box with a stick and a piece of string into a quivering, deep bass. It was utterly impossible not to tap your feet along. 



From left: Black Cat Jook Band, King Creosote's Band and Crail Ale

  

Then it was time for a second local band with a bigger reputation: King Creosote (www.kingcreosote.com). With one of the band members hailing from Crail it was definitely a home crowd for them. They masterfully entertained us with a more mainstream sound, including a song about Crail which had the dance floor packed. The atmosphere was great.

When King Creosote's band finished their set on a climatic high the party was over. Off we went, weary but happy, to get some rest ready for Festival Day 2! My Part 2 blog is coming soon with all the details! .

Text and photos copyright Sara Scott 2013

5 great things to do in the East Neuk right now

Do you think that February/ March is not a good time to holiday in Scotland? Think again - there's lots to do at this time of year in the East Neuk of Fife. Here are 5 ideas:

1. CATCH THE SNOWDROPS IN BLOOM - you may have missed the Snowdrops by Starlight event but the famous snowdrops at the Cambo Estate are still making an appearance by daylight and they are gorgeous! The sheer volume of them creates a lovely effect, especially alongside the Cambo burn. The unusual varieties near the house are also worth a look for their delicate perfection (there are over 350 varieties of snowdrops at Cambo). You can also buy snowdrops from the plant shop in the hope of recreating Cambo at home (I'm not known for my survival rate with plants so let's see how my efforts in the Rose Cottage garden go!).

Kids love to see the Cambo piglets as well and I must admit I did too - they have bags of energy, charging about, play fighting and eating.  (Cambo Estate, Near Kingsbarns; Open daily 10-5)



Piglets at Cambo

2. BUY LOCAL - have yourself a cheese board with the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheddar and Anster Red cheeses from the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company. The shop there also has quality Scottish produce such as the posh, award-winning Summer Harvest rapeseed oil, which I suppose is Scotland's answer to olive oil (from £4). We took some of this to dinner with friends and it got plaudits for being something different, with a nice smoothness and subtlety, for dipping bread into. There's also a tearoom at the cheese farm where you can enjoy homemade cheese scones, cheese toasties, cakes etc, while enjoying the views over the fields and out to the Isle of May. It's a nice child-friendly place for lunch or a daytime snack in the country, with the chance to learn about how the cheese is made. (St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Falside Farm, Near Anstruther & Pittenweem; Tel: 01333-312580)

 



Ratatouille & goats cheese tart Fresh basil & pine nut pesto

3. EAT LOCAL FOOD AT THE PITTENWEEM INN - R and I recently tried this family-run restaurant out for the first time and we were impressed. Chef Brian Murphy does great things with fresh, seasonal local produce, including a weekly market menu. Prices are reasonable, service is friendly, the dining room inviting (with local art on the walls) and the atmosphere nice and informal. My mouth still waters when I look at this picture of the appetising goats' cheese starter from the a la carte menu (OK all this talk of cheese is really making me hungry now!). If you haven't been yet, you definitely owe it to your taste buds to pay a visit ASAP. (Pittenweem Inn, 42 Charles Street, Pittenweem; Tel: 01333 311326, Thu-Sun only)

4. PUT A LITTLE BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL - Susie Lacombe at the Crail Gallery has made a new batch of birdhouses shaped like historic Crail houses for 2013 (£40 each). I was lucky enough to be in the Gallery when she was painting them (with Farrow and Ball paint no less) so I even got to have a say in the design process of mine! Susie told me that birds look for a mate round about Valentine's day so now is definitely the time to do your bit for birdlife and put a birdhouse in your garden. Speaking of birds, daily boat trips from Anstruther to the Isle of May kick off for 2013 on 29 March, so it will soon be puffin-spotting season. (Crail Gallery, High Street, Crail; Tel: 01333 450316; Open 10-5 Mon-Sat & 12-5 Sun)



5. ENJOY A UNIQUE EVENT - Go to Scotland's only regular poetry festival - StAnza in St Andrews (6-10 March). It's international in outlook and was founded 15 years ago. Then there's the Fife Science Festival, also in St Andrews, at venues including the Castle and University (15-25 March). You could also plan ahead by booking tickets for the ninth East Neuk Festival (3-7 July) now before the events sell out. The Scotsman newspaper said the festival "promises more big names in intimate surroundings...so book ahead". I'm looking forward to experiencing it for the first time this year. For more details on these and other events see the Events page of this blog.

Like I said, lots to do so what are you waiting for?

Text and photos copyright Sara Scott 2013.





Snowdrops by Starlight - don't miss it!

Nowhere in Scotland does snowdrops quite like the Cambo estate and their showcase event, "Snowdrops by Starlight" (5-9.15pm, Wednesday 13- Sunday 17 February 2013) is a stunner.

You'll have seen from my Cambo Magic blog post that I have a big soft spot for the Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns in the East Neuk of Fife. So an event which takes Cambo, the beautiful swathes of white snowdrops they so carefully cultivate each year then adds state-of-the-art lighting effects, plus music, arts and crafts was pretty much guaranteed to float my boat. Something about arriving in the darkness and walking through woods lit up pink, blue, green, red and white, wearing glow bands is unique, magical and slightly surreal; like walking through some sort of enchanted forest. I think you'd like it too.

 

Enchanted forest, including Cambo Burn

Last year when we arrived (which was normally by shuttle bus, though in our case we just walked there) we were given a glow band in exchange for your tickets and simply make your own way round the route. This started in the stables where there was an art exhibition. The stables themselves are a lovely old building, still in their original stable form. They are going to be redeveloped as part of the Cambo Institute Restoration project. This is great for the community and area but I can't help thinking it's a bit of a shame that the building will be changed. The last room in the stables, which has a striking mural of horses on the wall, was a workshop for making snowdrop lanterns.

Snowdrop lantern, workshop at the Stables



Mural, workshop at the Stables

From the stables we then joined the path which takes you to the woods, down to the Cambo burn and then back round to the house itself. On the way were literally thousands of snowdrops of many varieties, lit by thousands of fairy lights. This display on the ground was skilfully complemented by beautiful colour effects in the trees and various environmental scultures, including living willow sculptures by Jon Warnes and some interactive installations which were very popular with kids.



Living sculptures



Some of the lights changed colour, making for a wonderful effect (if a few photography challenges). Even the Cambo burn was lit up. Music added to the atmosphere.







 



The house itself was strikingly illuminated with a giant snowdrop pattern and in the flower beds just beside the house were some of the more rare (and expensive) snowdrop varieties, lit by dramatic spotlights.

At the end of the trail there was a chance to buy some snowdrops to take home at the plant shop in the courtyard, a gift shop and cafe for winter warmer refreshments. We took some home and then planted them in the garden so they will grow again in future years (fingers crossed anyway!).

Snowdrops lit by spotlight, outside Cambo House





Cambo House



2013 is the event's fourth year. This year there will be a new interactive trail. Transport will also be easier as  you can park at the Estate itself (which avoids the need to do a shuttle by bus from Kingsbarns Golf Club). Our advice is quite simple: make sure you don't miss it!

A nice way to continue the evening and warm the cockles is to book a table for dinner in the nearby pub The Barns at Kingsbarns. They have a lovely crackling fire, comfy chairs and decent pub food such as macaroni cheese, steak, fish 'n' chips etc.



Essentials: Tickets for Snowdrops by Starlight cost £10 plus booking fee for adults, £8 concessions, £5 for children (under 16s) - under 5s go free. They must be bought in advance from The Cambo Estate - Tel 01333 459313 or 01333 450054 or email cambo@camboestate.com. For more details see the Snowdrops by Starlight website. (Tickets already purchased from The Byre are still valid). Make sure you wrap up warm. If you plan to take photos a tripod and patient companions are essential!

Can't make the Starlight event? Cambo is also open during the day for "Snowdrop by Daylight" viewing (10am-4.30pm, 2 February to 17 March, £5 adults, children free), buying snowdrops and meeting the pigs and piglets (who are an essential part of the workforce at Cambo: they eat the moss which would otherwise smother the snowdrops).
 

Text and photos copyright Sara Scott 2012-2013.

 




Cambo Magic

Two years ago I didn't know it existed but now I'm a big fan of the Cambo Estate, near Kingsbarns in the East Neuk of Fife. Ever since I first set foot there in 2010 it has utterly charmed me. What is it about this privately-owned estate which is open to the public that makes it so magical?

Maybe it's the herd of deer you sometimes see by the entry road. Or the beautiful and endlessly photogenic Victorian walled garden which is ingeniously designed using modern techniques to be a garden for all seasons. Maybe it's the arty, musical, colourfully lit, snowdrop-filled woodland at their annual Snowdrops by Starlight event (part of an ever-growing and varied annual events calendar)? Or the charming walk down to the Fife Coastal Path and Kingsbarns golf course. Or is it the cute piglets, cats etc which are "interviewed" for the Cambo Courier? Maybe it is how the Estate is helping and working with local artists? Or the remarkable number of quirky snowdrop and pig-themed gifts in the gift shop (who knew that so many of these even existed?!)? I think the magic comes from all of these things.

The Cambo website describes it as "an oasis of calm an tranquility" and "respite from a busy world". They are not wrong.

If you haven't been yet and don't know what I'm talking about, here are some of my photos which attempt to capture that infectious Cambo charm.

Open daily 10-5. Adults £5, children free. Annual season ticket £15 single, £25 double. Tel: 01333 450313. www.camboestate.com/gardens

Copyright Sara Scott 2012

Art in the East Neuk: Pittenweem Arts Festival 2012

This was my second year visiting the Pittenweem Arts Festival (www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk) and I love it - it makes a great day out and is a great showcase for Scottish artists. Pittenweem is one of the prettiest of the fishing villages in the East Neuk of Fife area and for a week each summer it becomes THE place to be. This is the festival's 30th year. It takes place from 28 July to 5th August 2012 with a whopping 120 artists in 90 venues. These venues range from proper year-round galleries to churches, schools and halls to people's living rooms, sheds and garages. Some famous artists are invited to exhibit such as John Byrne of Tutti Frutti fame and ex-husband of actress Tilda Swinton this year. The majority of artists simply turn up. Here's a picture of the festival brochure, featuring a John Byrne picture:

The venues are actually as much of a draw as the art itself as you get to see inside places you wouldn't normally be able to - such as venue 39, Rock Villa which literally sits on some rocks in the harbour. Some of the venues are the artist's own residence, such as venue 44 which is on the picturesque West Shore, by a beach. A really chilled out place and home of artist Heather Cunningham (www.west-shore-art.co.uk), who creates some lovely local paintings, inspired by her East Neuk surroundings. Her pet cat Lily made us feel right at home! Couldn't resist buying this painting called "High Tide at the Gyles" - the Gyles is at the east end of the Pittenweem harbour - which will be proudly hanging on the walls of Rose Cottage very soon:

I'm also a huge fan of another East Neuk artist - Susie Lacombe of Crail, who does eye-catching limited edition linocut prints and original collages of local scenes and animals (Crail Gallery, 23 High Street, Crail; www.crailgallery.com). She was at the bustling venue 26 on Mid Shore with talented black and white cermaics-maker Susan McGill and local painter of boats, fish etc Malcolm Cheape (the venue was Malcolm's home). Here's one of Susie Lacombe's prints that I bought recently:

And at venue 23 also on Mid Shore I was as impressed and inspired as I was last year by Fife scientist turned artist Paul Bartlett's collages of birds and animals. Very life-like and beautiful! Here's one of them in  the festival brochure but they are much better in real life when you can see all the impressive detail:

To keep our energy levels up we bought some delicious chocolate from The Cocoa Tree (www.thecocoatreeshop.com), a chocolate shop and cafe on High Street (Pittenweem's main shoping street). Check out their Pittenweem Chocolate Company Ginger Crunch - just yum!

The only thing I was slightly disappointed about was that there was no exhibition on the pier at this year's festival - the life-sized metal animal sculptures on the pier last year were a real crowd-pleaser (when else would you see a camel looking out to the Isle of May?!). Here's a photo I took of one of them:

Can't wait to go again next year!

p.s. There is lots of space for parking in the festival car park (donation of £1), a shuttle bus service (we just walked - it's not far) and festival programmes cost £3.50 from a stall outside the car park. There is no cash machine in the village but you can get cash over the counter at the Post Office on High Street or get a cash machine in the neighbouring East Neuk village of Anstruther. Bus number 95 connects the East Neuk villages and runs approximately hourly.