The Cadgers Road
The purpose of the
Cadgers Road right-of-way was to shorten the time it took for
fish that were caught and landed at the
Earlsferry beach to be transported from there to Falkland
Palace, a distance of twenty five miles or so.
By the time I arrived
on the scene in Earlsferry there was
no king in residence at the palace and
Earlsferry caught fish were no longer being taken to
Falkland. However I remember the good catches of fish that were
still being landed at the Cockstail
Rocks by the local fishermen in their small boats. In these days
fish were plentiful in the sea and one only had to fish for a
short time just off the Earlsferry
beacon in order to have a good boatload of big cod and other
fishes. The favored method of fishing was
sprueling; lowering a large lead weighted and
unbaited pair of twin hooks to the
bottom and jerking the lure up and down.
However, while fish
haulers were no longer using the Cadgers Road, the right of way
was very much in use by the people of
Earlsferry as one of our favorite Sunday walks.
The right of way starts from the Cockstail Rocks then goes north
through Earlsferry
by way of Allan Place. Allan Place is a narrow lane that goes
between the High Street and Links Road. Today Allan Place is
blocked off to vehicles but in my early years Allan Place was
traveled in both directions by horses and carts, cars and small
delivery vans. At this time all of the streets and roadways in
Earlsferry were two-way and
occasionally it was necessary to back up and wait your turn
(After you Claude. No, after you Cecil) when someone else was
already in transit in one of the narrow roadways.
From Allan Place the
roadway continued on straight across the golf course to the
Grange Road. Today the tracks of the Cadgers roadway have been
filled in where it crosses the links and the roadway is no
longer visible. The tracks were just at the right distance
from the driving-off 4th. tee at the Ferry Road that invariably
your golf ball would end up being trapped by one of the three
ruts that were the Cadgers Road. The Cadgers Road was a
hazard that added to the fun of the game. The Cadgers right of
way was always a good talking point. Long drivers at the
4th. would hit to clear the tracks and others less powerful
would play short.
At the Grange Road an
iron wicket gate allowed passage into and across the cow park of
the Grange farm and a similar iron gate provided continuance of
the roadway at the high end of this field. At the Grange farm
the roadway went between the farms outbuildings and the grain
stack yard. From there the roadway
went straight north and downhill and made for a separation
between the grain fields. In early
springtime many nesting birds, mostly
peewits but sometimes curlews could be seen in the
fields. At the bottom of the hill a wooden bridge
provided passageway over the burn that continues on to flow out
to the sea at the easterly end of Shell Bay.
From the wooden bridge
the road continued on to a large and level grassy field known
as
Aerodrome
Park. This field was a summer encampment place for a detachment
of air force flyers. For several summers the men came and set up
a regular village of tents in this field. The airplanes that
they brought with them were biplanes that they took off and
landed on the grass. At other times when the fly boys didn't
come in the summer time the park was occupied by kilted
detachments of the OTC, the Officers Training Corps, from the
various colleges at Edinburgh. Along with their rifles the
young men of the corps came with their bands of bagpipers and
drummers. The men were impressive when they marched with their
kilts aswinging
in time to the old highland tunes. When the OTC didn't use the
Aerodrome Park they put up their tents and spent the summer in a
field next to the coastguard houses at
Wadeslea in Elie.
 |
|
At the north end of the
Aerodrome Park another iron gate let the users of the Cadgers
Road pass through to the road that goes from
Kinneucher railway station to Shell
Bay. Usually at this gate, which was but a short distance from
the waterwheel powered Muircambus
Mill, we left the Cadgers Road. It was always fun on days
after rains and the level of the Cockle Mill Burn had risen to
see the water from the burn powering the wheel and sacks of
oatmeal being produced. Now the mill has fallen into disrepair
and the roof is gone.
|
We now continued on a
walk that follows the Cockle Mill Burn and continues on to meet
the sea at Ruddons Point at the east end of Largo Bay. This was
our place to rest awhile as we enjoyed a snack while taking in
the sights of the numerous sea birds.
From
Ruddons Point we then walked the
length of Shell Bay. From Shell Bay if the tide was on the ebb
we'd take the low road, the cliff chain walk/scramble, back to
West Bay. If the tide was on the inflow we'd make our way
along the top of the cliffs to the Croupie Rock then go down on
to the beach at West Bay. Our walk continued along West Bay then
around The Chapel and back to the Ferry Beach to our place of
beginning.
At other times, from the east end of Shell Bay, instead of
returning by way of the cliffs we'd take the landward track to
the north that follows the dark side of the hill of Kincraig.
Our path then went by way of the
Damflit, the 'Leven Trees,
(at one time there were eleven trees that grew in a line along
the side of this road), the wild pear tree that grew from a
discarded seed from the core of an eaten pear, the old burned
out and ruined mansion house between the Grange and
Grangehill farms, then followed the
track road across the links to Glovers Wynd
and to the beach at Earlsferry
House. We then ended up walking the beach back to our
starting out place.
A note about this pear tree. My brother John had a pear tree in
his garden that would produce but a very few pears. John came to
the conclusion that his pear tree needed some help. John
took a tiny paint brush and an envelope and collected pollen
from the wild pear tree then used that to pollinate the tree in
his garden. Bingo!
From
Earlsferry there are numerous great
walks. The round trip walk by way of the Cadgers was a
favorite.
Another great and extended walk for the energetic is after getting
to Shell bay, to cross the Cockle Mill burn, walk the length of
Largo
Bay
then go to
Upper
Largo
and to the top of Largo Law. The 360 degree view from the top is
quite outstanding. If you go, take some water and a sandwich.
