Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Start the New Year on a high

Post Thumbnail

To start the New Year (or indeed end the old one) on a high, there are few summits in this part of the country more prominent and accessible than East Lomond in Fife.

Tall enough to afford extensive vistas over the surrounding landscape but straight-forward enough to ascend in all but the worst weather conditions, it is one of my favourite spots for a brisk winter hike.

This wee hill with the big outlook is most commonly climbed from either the royal burgh of Falkland, which sits at the foot of its steep northern flank, from Craigmead, where a car park occupies the col between East Lomond and her sister summit, West Lomond, or from Purin Hill car park, on the eastern shoulder.

There is, however, another option, an approach from the south, starting on the periphery of Glenrothes and following paths and tracks up through farmland and forestry and over moorland on to the exposed top.

The route begins at Fife Coast and Countryside Trust’s Pitcairn Centre which not only provides a car park and access point to the Lomond Hills but also to a network of trails through Formonthills Community Woodland and Coul Den Nature Reserve.

A blend of established trees and new planting interspersed with open ground, wildflower meadows and sculptures, the community woodland was established in the 1990s while the neighbouring nature reserve occupies the bowl of a former reservoir.

Striking out between the two, I wandered below broadleaves, an old wall leading me past evergreens, where I spotted the distinctive cone of East Lomond through a gap in the conifers, before dipping to cross Coul Burn.

A little way downstream, a reservoir built in 1890 supplied water from the burn to the John Haig whisky bottling factory in Markinch. Decommissioned in the 1980s when the site closed and partially drained, the shallow loch is now a haven for amphibious wildlife and birds.

The path runs by the burn briefly before climbing first by a band of woodland and then between fields to a plantation cloaking the southern slope of East Lomond.

Above the conifers and a band of Scots pines, open moorland beckons, the trail weaving up through heather to Purin Hill car park with its lofty metal transmitter masts, modern day landmarks.

The car park, with its information boards and viewpoint indicator, offers a flat spot to pause, catch breath and cast eyes over the surrounding countryside before embarking upon the final push to the top.

Below the masts, a broad, well-signed path cuts through the heather, home to red grouse, before rising over grassy slopes and past the hill’s trig point, which sits on a wee spur to the left, below the summit.

An oft-windy spot, the top enjoys extensive views in all directions, a feature not lost on our prehistoric ancestors who took full advantage of its commanding position, establishing an ancient stronghold here.

The hill fort is believed to date from the Iron Age while evidence of an earlier Bronze Age burial cairn and later Pictish occupation has also been unearthed.

With panoramas extending north beyond the estuary of the River Tay and south across the Firth of Forth it is little wonder that this has long been a top spot, whether borne of defensive necessity or, these days, recreational enjoyment.

ROUTE

1. At top of car park, take middle of three paths, passing between wooden fences. Ignore bridge on right and follow path as it curves right and runs between wall and fence down into Coul Den.

2. Cross bridge, turn left and ascend path along edge of woodland. Swing left at top to gate and ascend path between fields to enter forestry.

3. Go right at marker post and follow path then track to track junction.

4. Turn left and follow track 400m west.

5. Turn right and ascend path through forest, emerging on to moorland. Fork left at next junction and ascend to Purin Hill car park.

6. Cross car park and ascend signed path to summit.

7. Descend grassy path south-west to meet track.

8. Turn left and follow track east to Purin Hill car park.

9. Descend path (signed Glenrothes) to meet track. Go right to point 4, turn left and retrace steps to Pitcairn Centre.

INFORMATION

Distance: 10km/6¼ miles

Ascent: 340m/1120ft

Time: 3 hours

Grading: Moderate upland route following good paths and tracks over a well-graded ascent to viewpoint summit. Keep dogs under close control to protect livestock and wildlife

Start/finish: Pitcairn Centre, Moidart Drive, Glenrothes (Grid ref: NO 266034)

Map: Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger sheet 59; Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheet 370

Tourist Information: St Andrews iCentre, 70 Market Street, St Andrews KY16 9NU (Tel 01334 472021)

Public transport: Nearest bus stops for local services are on Pitcairn Avenue at its junction with Tanna Drive