When we sat down in the winter to plan our travelling for this year there was one place we both wanted to revisit; Knockhill CL. This is on the edge of the village of Strathkinness about two miles to the west of St Andrews. It is unusual for us to revisit a site so soon, but when we were there last year we had a cracking week.
As soon we have set up at Knockhill we head for the West Beach at St Andrews to let the dogs have a run around. When the car stops both dogs are scrambling to get onto the beach and within minutes they are chasing a tennis ball.
As ever Crosby cannot resist the temptation of going in for a paddle. He is becoming more adventurous and I expect him to start swimming soon.
This huge expanse of sand is almost deserted and is a great place to be on a summers evening. We are not experiencing the sweltering heat that friends down south are getting, but I would not swap this with anyone!
Besides the beauty of the Fife peninsula and the views from Knockhill CL the other draw to this site was the opportunity to revisit The Tavern at Strathkinness. We stupidly left it until the last evening of our stay last year to pop in for a meal and a pint. It was outstanding, so after eating today we call in there to establish if the same folk are running it. They are, the beer is stunning and the welcome exceptionally warm.
It is quiz night in the pub and we are invited to have a go at the final round. There are not many pubs that you can walk into as strangers and get such a welcome. We promptly book a table for tomorrow night.
It is unusual for me to cover two days in one blog, but our first full day at Knockhill CL was a very wet one. We have not had many days whilst travelling when it has rained for most of the day, but we have just experienced one!
When it eases slightly I don my waterproofs and take the dogs down to the West Beach. It is half past seven on a Wednesday evening and I am the only person on the whole beach!
Back at the van and we pop along to the Tavern at Strathkinness to eat. We have purposely avoided reviewing pubs on this blog. After all we all have different tastes in pubs and restaurants. The exceptions have been the Little House in Settle (our favourite restaurant), the Talbot in Settle (consistently the best beer and pub grub we have come across) and the George and Dragon in Hudswell, (a warm welcome, good ale and great food). The latter is community owned and is the current Community Pub of the Year.
So let’s add the Tavern at Strathkinness to the pubs we would recommend. Graham the chef/landlord serves great food, it is a family run pub and his father (also a chef) is in the kitchen, his mother is waiting at table and his wife Colleen serves behind the bar. As soon as we finish the meal we are already booking for another visit in a couple of days! That has got to be the greatest recommendation.
21st June 2017
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2017)