Frolicking in Fife...

Barring the odd day trip, the East Neuk of the Kingdom of Fife is an unexplored part of Scotland's central belt for us. Nestled between Edinburgh and Dundee, the area is famed for its pretty harbour villages, lovely beaches, fish and chips and more hours of sunshine than elsewhere in 'Europe's sun capital' Scotland. So with the fine weather continuing we stocked up on extra sun cream and headed off from Torridon to Pittenweem.

Picturesque Pittenweem 

Being the second week of the holiday our planning was a little on the light side, but this was soon overcome by a quick study of T's parents Fife Coast path map, Tripadvisors Fife top 10 and some in depth research on the proliferation of leaflets in the kitchen of our cottage for the week. So our weeks itinerary was soon sorted, and with Doodoo's warning light miraclously clearing itself, the Fife adventure began.

Our arrival in Fife took us past Tentsmuir, a favourite beach of a sadly departed dear friend of mine, Reuben. And a quick stop was called for to introduce the supreme being to the delights of the seaside holiday and reminisce about some fond memories with Reuben. Then it was on to a bus ride to nearby Elie for lunch in the sun and a glorious coast walk back...

Mummy enjoying more Scottish seafood delights

The coast path looking onto the Isle of May in the distance

Day two saw the weather take a wee turn for the worse, and so we retreated to spend a day mingling with the young jet-set in St Andrews. Our daughters love of fish (see post on the tao of fish) meant we couldn't resist a trip to the St Andrews aquarium, but bizarrely, despite seeing some massive and exotic specimens, it was the meerkats that captured the day and the imagination.

This minor rainy blip was quickly forgotten and the next days saw sunny trips to Cambo House and gardens, Kellie castle and more beaches. This was the most time I had spent with the supreme being since she was born. Two weeks of uninterrupted time with Emi was simply amazing. I got to watch her develop and was really learning how to be with her all day, every day. Despite our daughter being truly wonderful, motherhood is a tough task and I really began to appreciate the every day dilemmas for T. Still, we had the discovery of toes, the fascination of watching the wee one learn to eat, and first gum brushing to keep us entertained and recompense any sleep deprivation.

NBF's (new best friends) - the Meerkat family

The discovery of toes

Baby-led weaning going well - a pepper lunch

 Video clip: How to brush one's gums

Another gorgeous Fife coast town - this time Crail

Quality Dad-Daughter time (part 3)

An ice cream a day kept Mummy's blues away :-)

Our final day was a scorcher so we decided to take the boat trip to the Isle of May, which is a tiny island in the Firth of Forth managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. During the height of the breeding season on May, over 200,000 seabirds of 14 species can nest on the island, including Puffins, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Guillemots, Shags, Fulmars, Oystercatchers, Eider ducks, and various species of Tern and Gull. It was an amazing day, and one that Emi loved, she even got to try her first fish and chips from the 'Best Fish and Chip Shop' in the UK (allegedly) in Anstruther.

Puffin-tastic Isle of May

First fish and chips with Dad!

And so the holiday sadly came to an end and we resigned ourselves to returning back to Glasgow. One member of the team though had other ideas and Doodoo decided to vote with his battery by failing to start - the warning light was back! A visit from the local breakdown service soon had us back on the road though, and we all headed back to Glasgow via a pit stop at friends in Falkland, albeit with warning light flashing all the way. Despite this final twist, it was a brilliant two weeks, and if this was a taste of family holidays to come then long may they continue :-)

A view to remember our holiday by