Skulferatu #126 - Coastal Turret, Ravenscraig Park, Kirkcaldy

 

It was one of those days made for walking, cool and sunny with no wind.  So, I jumped on a train and headed over to Kirkcaldy, a town in Fife.  I have always meant to do a bit of exploring around Kirkcaldy, as I don’t think I’ve had a serious wander about there since I was in my early teens.  All I can really remember from then is going to a swimming pool somewhere near the sea front, and that there was a big ugly shopping centre, now demolished.  There was also a café, which may have been part of the swimming pool complex, that had a really good jukebox.  I have memories of drinking cups of tea to Bowie, Blondie, The Undertones, and lots of other stuff that blew my mind at that age.

 

Arriving in Kirkcaldy, I wandered down through the town, down the High Street to the seafront.  Though lively, the town seemed almost to have a bit of a split personality with trendy sushi places and cafés sitting next to run down looking betting shops, charity shops, bargain shops and derelict buildings.  The town centre is one of those places full of potential and screaming out for a bit of investment.  Maybe one day it will get some.

 

Wandering along the seafront I passed by old industrial buildings, new industrial buildings, and a few rather bland housing estates.  After cutting down by a rather ancient graveyard I ended up on the beach along from the castle at Ravenscraig, and just down from Ravenscraig Park.  There I spotted a small turret on a wall reaching out towards the sea.  It looked like it should be part of some grand Disney style castle, so intrigued I decided to go and explore. 

 

Ravenscraig Beach

 

View along to the Coastal Turret

 

The Coastal Turret

 

Bathing…at this point

A view of the Costal Turret

 

A view of the Costal Turret

 

Leaving the beach, I wandered up some stairs past an old Doocot and moseyed on to the little tower.  There was no castle, just this little turret on the curve of a sea wall.  It was nothing more than at attractive little folly to add a bit of interest to the wall.  The wall that runs around Ravenscraig Park and overlooks the Forth.  The park was originally part of the grounds of Dysart House and was gifted to the people of Kirkcaldy in 1929 by Sir Michael Nairn, an industrialist who owned several linoleum factories in the area.

 

A view of the Costal Turret and the Forth

 

Doorway into the Coastal Turret

 

View out from the Coastal Turret

 

View along the coast from the Coastal Turret

 

The Lookout Tower was built in the early 19^th Century, it serves no real purpose and was built as a folly or a gazebo.  It is however quite an aesthetically pleasing little building, especially when viewed from the beach.

 

After taking in the views, I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me, in a gap in the wall by the tower.

 

Skulferatu #126

 

Skulferatu #126 in a gap in the wall by the Coastal Turret

 

Map showing the location of Skulferatu #126

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are -

 

Latitude 56.118922

Longitude -3.136093

 

what3words: decent.orange.reduce

 

I used the following sources for information on the Coastal Turret –

 

Historic Environment Scotland - Ravenscraig Park Lookout Tower

Skulferatu #114 - Botany Bay, Broadstairs, Kent

 

Some days all you really want is a good beach.  Today was one of those days.  With an egg sandwich and a bottle of water in my bag, I walked along to Botany Bay near Broadstairs.  Not to be confused with Botany Bay in Australia, the landing place of Captain Cook.

 

View over Botany Bay

 

KEEP OUT – Unstable Cliff Edge

 

Walking down on to the golden sands, I left my shoes behind and went for a paddle around the many rock pools.  As I usually do when I’m here, I had a scout around for fossils, as this is an area renowned for its fossils.  I didn’t find any, though did find a rather ergonomic light sort of stone that fitted in the grasp of my hand like it had been specifically designed for that purpose.  It went in my pocket.

 

Back on the beach the white cliffs towered above me, while just along from me were two chalk stacks where an endless array of scantily clad people posed for selfies. 

 

Sandcastles on the beach at Botany Bay

 

Chalk stack at Botany Bay

 

I ate my egg sandwich, drank my water, and pondered on the fact that a couple of hundred years ago, rather than being a tourist spot for sunbathers and fossil hunters, Botany Bay, like many of the bays around this area of Kent, was notorious for smugglers.  One of the most famous of these was Joss Snelling, who led the Callis Court Gang.  On a cold winter morning in 1769, Joss and his gang were down on the beach at Botany Bay.  There, boatmen had delivered a load of illegally imported wine, brandy, schnapps, and tea.  The gang were just loading it onto carts when they were ambushed by a party of Excise Men.  A bloody battle between the two groups then took place, leaving most of the gang either captured or dead, one of the Excise Men dead, and several of them seriously injured.  Snelling and a couple of his men escaped and though suspected of being members of the gang, were not prosecuted.  Within a few months Snelling was back smuggling and had quickly replaced his lost gang members with new recruits.  

 

Snelling carried on his smuggling activities until he was an old man.  At the age of 89, he and a friend were prosecuted after Excise Men found them on Kingsgate beach by a load of kegs of brandy and rum.  In court Snelling and his friend both stated that they were not involved in smuggling, but rather had found the kegs on the beach while out walking and decided to take them. As there was no evidence of them being involved in smuggling, they were both instead fined for possessing illegally imported goods.   

 

Snelling went on to live to the grand old age of 96 and had achieved such notoriety that in 1829 he was introduced to the future Queen Victoria as ‘the famous Broadstairs smuggler.’

 

Chalk Stack at Botany Bay

 

Chalk Stack at Botany Bay

 

Chalk Stack at Botany Bay

 

Graffiti in the chalk cliffs

 

In the heat of the afternoon sun, I went for another quick paddle and a wander.  Looking around the chalk of the cliffs and the stacks I found lots of graffiti carved into them.   I didn’t remember there being so much last time I visited, and in my memory the cliffs were almost a pure, virginal white.  But hey, memory plays tricks, and it was quite a while since I last visited.

 

As the beach became busier, I decided it was time to make my way home.  Before departing, I left a Skulferatu in a skull and crossbones that someone had carved into the chalk.  

 

Skulferatu #114

 

Skull and crossbones carved into the chalk cliffs

 

Skulferatu #114 in the eye of the skull

 

Skulferatu #114 in the eye of the skull

 

Map showing the location of Skulferatu #114

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

 

Latitude 51.388732

Longitude 1.436268

 

what3words: gosh.discouraged.client

 

I used the following sources for information on Botany Bay –

 

East Kent Times and Mail - Wednesday 19 March 1969

 

Isle of Thanet Gazette - Friday 13 February 1998

Skulferatu #32 - Berwick Lighthouse, Berwick Pier, Berwick upon Tweed

 

If you have ever travelled on the East Coast Railway line from Edinburgh down towards London, you will have passed through Berwick upon Tweed.  After pulling out from the station you may have noticed the pier and the rather iconic lighthouse out on your left side as the train begins to build up speed and shoot off down the line.  If you have the time, take a trip to Berwick upon Tweed one day and have a good walk around.  There is plenty to see in Berwick itself and across the bridge in Spittal there is a lovely, big sandy beach and also a bit further along, a clifftop path, which I think eventually takes you to Holy Island.  Or you could just take a rather bracing walk out on the pier to Berwick Lighthouse where the North Sea winds will batter you, no matter how calm the day is in the town.

 

Berwick Pier and Lighthouse as seen from Spittal

 

Berwick Lighthouse as seen from Berwick town

 

Berwick Lighthouse – view from the pier

 

Berwick Lighthouse was built in 1826 to a design by Joseph Nelson.  He was also responsible for the building of the lighthouses at Lundy and Longstone.  The lighthouse took eight months to build and was opened with much pomp and ceremony.  The light was turned on for the first time on 10 October 1826.

 

Berwick Lighthouse

 

Berwick Lighthouse

 

Berwick Lighthouse

 

In 1927 the lighthouse made the news because it was being run by a woman (Yup, that was big news back then!).  The lighthouse keeper at that time had taken ill and his daughter stood in for her father for a few weeks carrying out his duties at the lighthouse.  Something she said she enjoyed though did find a little lonely, as there was not even a wireless there to keep her company.

 

The keepers often worked in the lighthouse during extreme weather. In 1937 William Cowe described his experiences to a reporter from the Berwick Advertiser of working there while a severe storm raged outside.   He described how huge waves had pounded into the building making it sway, while other waves had been so big that they had crashed right over the top of the lighthouse.  The seas had been so rough that at times the pier had been under at least four feet of water.  However, Cowe had felt quite safe within the lighthouse and the light had not failed once during the storm.

 

In 1947 the lighthouse was automated, and the keepers were no longer required.

 

The lighthouse has featured in works by artists such as L S Lowry and Emrys Williams.  Given its iconic looks and the ever-changing seascape and skyscape around it, it will no doubt continue to inspire artists for years to come.

 

Today, on yet another grey and cold day, I took a walk to Spittal Beach and then back and around Berwick before heading over to the pier and along to the lighthouse.  I battled through the howling wind and past group after group of cold tourists, who like me, were just desperate to be out and about.  On reaching the lighthouse I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me on my walk around Berwick by one of the metal structures on the pier wall.

 

Skulferatu #32

Skulferatu #32 on metal structure on pier wall

 

Close up of Skulferatu #32

 

Google Map showing location of Skulferatu #32

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

 

Latitude 55.764873

Longitude -1.984140

 

I used the following sources for information on the lighthouse –

 

The Berwick Advertiser – Thursday 3 March 1927

Berwickshire News and General Advertiser – Tuesday 1 May 1928

The Berwick Advertiser – Thursday 4 February 1937

Berwickshire News and General Advertiser – Tuesday 4 February 1947

 

Historic England website -

Historic England - The Pier and Lighthouse, Berwick-upon-Tweed

 

British Listed Buildings website -

Pier and Lighthouse, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland

 

 

Article and photographs are copyright of © Kevin Nosferatu, unless otherwise specified.