Here be dragons - again

It's that time of year again, when there is a full weekend of dragon boat racing on the River Aire in Roberts Park. This is its 11th year and it seems to be even bigger and better, over three full days. The event raises thousands of pounds for charity as well as providing the participants with some adrenaline-fuelled fun. To be honest though, I don't think it's really a spectator sport. It's all rather slow, since it takes the three teams in each race quite a while to manoeuvre the long boats upriver to the start, and turn them round. Each race takes only a few minutes and then there's a long pause whilst they assemble for the next one. It's all very well organised, with six boats and long pontoons for the competitors to embark and disembark, plus a fast safety craft and marshals. If you have a family member in the races, all well and good, but just for general watching it's a bit unexciting, I find. They do have a lot of land-side attractions: street food, a funfair, charity stalls, a market and the emergency services and forces cadets showing their stuff. This year there was some live music too. 

My first photo is at the start. Teams can have a maximum of 16 rowers plus a drummer and a steerer (yes, that's what they're called). One of the crews in my photo looks a bit understaffed but maybe that makes the boat lighter and quicker? The river is quite low in flow and volume at the moment too, so I suppose that might affect the speed. 

The picture below is of (different) crews arriving at the finish - quite a close race, that one. 

The only day I had free was the first day, Friday, so I wandered down to the park to watch a few of the school and college races. The park was much quieter than it would have been over the following two days of the weekend, I'm sure, but it was a good atmosphere with the young people clearly enjoying themselves.  

The dragons don't look all that fearsome... and neither did the police dog! 😂

Another day, another canal

I went to visit a friend who lives near the Calder and Hebble Navigation. It's a unique waterway, quite different from the Leeds-Liverpool Canal (LLC) that I'm more familiar with. The Navigation is based around the Rivers Calder and Hebble. By the year 1700, they had created 'canal cuts' in places where the rivers are winding or have weirs. These canal cuts allow boats to bypass those tricky sections. It means sometimes you find yourself walking along the river and other times on a stretch of canal. This makes the waterway quite complex, with floodgates to protect the canal sections and locks to adjust the heights between the rivers and canals.

It's more urban than many parts of the LLC too, though still quite attractive in some areas. It has a few marinas, with the usual mix of hire boats, well-kept narrowboats that are used by their owners for leisure and adventures, and quite a lot of smaller, scruffier craft. Those often belong to people who've fallen on hard times and find a boat a more affordable living solution than bricks and mortar. 

Unfortunately, our planned walk was interrupted by the closure of the waterside path, due to the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). This is a major project to upgrade the railway across the north of England between Manchester and York. The TRU aims to increase capacity by adding extra track, electrifying the entire route, introducing digital signalling, and upgrading stations. It's a huge and costly project. We came up against a large working area, where they are moving and rebuilding Ravensthorpe Station. 

It meant we had to abandon the waterway and strike off along the busy main road, though thankfully after a while we did manage to find a route that led us through quieter woodland and eventually back to the canal towpath. 

It was a good walk, adding another 6 miles on my 'steps app'. My phone must wonder what's going on, since this month I've done many miles more walking than I usually average! 

Mad dogs and Englishmen...

I often struggle to adjust to 'normality' again when I return from holiday but that has been even harder to achieve since I got back from Scotland, given the record and sustained high temperatures we've been having. Hardly 'normal'! I've taken to having a walk before breakfast on the warmer days, as it is only then that the temperatures are bearable. 

On Saturday (27 June, I'm lagging well behind in posting) I was out by 7.30 am, and decided to do the longer route out along the canal and back along the river. I'd forgotten there was a regatta at the rowing club. As I walked downstream, marshals were setting up at various points along the river bank. As I neared the rowing club, it was all hands on deck prepping the boats, with more teams arriving by the minute from as far away as Durham and Hull. This was shortly after 8 am and the first race was due to start at 8.30 am. It was already pretty warm! 

The local clubs included Bradford Grammar School's enthusiastic rowers whom I've seen practising here a few times. 

The races were due to start some 600m upstream and finish in front of the clubhouse. The line of flags marks the boundary beyond which the boats must not go, as they'd risk being swept down the weir, currently not full and a very rocky incline indeed. 

These regattas must take a huge amount of organising; the Risk Assessments alone must be colossal. It was lovely to see the anticipatory buzz around the clubhouse. I hope it all passed off smoothly. 

Walking further on, to Roberts Park, there was a buzz around there too, as volunteers were getting ready for the weekly Saturday morning 5km park run (or walk or jog). It was a very hot morning for running but on my way home I passed lots of people making their way down to the park to join in. Often there are over 500 runners taking part! This is another event that needs masses of volunteers to organise and manage safely. They run throughout the year, winter and summer, never mind the weather (unless the course is flooded.) Hats off to them. 

It's the first time I've seen it since I'm not usually up and out before they've finished and had their coffee! 

Our last evening

Fife holiday 2026 #15

So we came to our last evening on the Fife coast - fitter, perhaps fatter (good food and plenty of coffee and cake!) and I think all of us very happy with our holiday and the lovely group we were privileged to share it with. We enjoyed dinner together in the Golf Hotel in Crail and then most of us went for a final walk around the village.

We were intrigued by the beam of sunshine finding its way through a hole in the cloud. It neatly illuminated some of the wind turbines out in the Firth of Forth. As we watched, we were suddenly treated to a fleeting burst of rainbow colours - though you couldn't really call it a rainbow and it didn't seem to have the full spectrum of colours. I've never seen this phenomenon before and I'm not sure if it has a proper title. It was really beautiful and exciting to see. 

It was a final, ephemeral gift from the Scottish coast that had provided us with a wonderful and memorable holiday - and perhaps a blessing for us too. 

Many, many thanks to all my fellow travellers, who were truly wonderful, each in their own way. Together we made a community and to be part of it was a joy.   

(Readers, if you're thinking that's the last of my holiday photos - maybe thinking 'hurrah' or maybe even thinking that's sad - be assured there are some more to come, as I extended my time away with a short trip to Dundee. I'll post those images in a while. I've a few more thematic photos to share too... so you're not yet off the hook! I'll spread them out.) 

Around St Andrews

Fife holiday 2026 #14

I really enjoyed wandering around St Andrews, fairly aimlessly really, just seeing what I could discover.

There's been a settlement here since the Iron Age but the town really began as an ecclesiastical centre in the 8th century when a monastery was established, holding some relics associated with St Andrew. Construction of the present town began in the 1100s and it became a place of pilgrimage. The university was founded in 1413 and is now ranked consistently among the top five UK universities. The town declined steadily throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and even the university, the third oldest in the UK, was considering relocating. In the mid-19th century, Hugh Lyon Playfair, provost of St. Andrews, was credited with improving the burgh, the University and the Golf Club. Today, St Andrews is served by education, golf, tourism and the conference industry.

The centre is a wonderful mix of old (very Scottish in style) buildings and more modern inserts. It has, effectively, four main streets in parallel, which hold some of the university buildings, the shops, numerous cafés and civic buildings. Many of the university buildings have been renovated, extended or built as new in a pleasingly sympathetic way. I think initially it was a collegiate university like Oxford and Cambridge but now it seems to be managed as one entity, with all its various schools of study. 

It was one of those places where it was worth ambling up little alleyways and through gates; you never knew what you'd find. I discovered this fairly well-hidden quadrangle, St Mary's Quad, with some magnificent trees including the Great Holm Oak, planted in 1740. It's surrounded by lovely old buildings, one of which houses the St James Library. 

There's a statue of Bishop Henry Wardlaw, a founder of the university, beside a ruined arch which was once a boundary gateway c1420.   

Along South Street, I popped in to Holy Trinity Church, some of which dates back to 1412 but most of it rebuilt in 1907. It was a beautiful space, enhanced by the wonderful flower arrangements courtesy of a wedding that had been held that day. The volunteers on duty were very kind and helpful too, so I really enjoyed my visit.

As with most university towns, it has several bookshops, including the magnificent 'Toppings', where I could happily have spent all day browsing. With so many tourists and students, it's not surprising that there are also a huge number of cafés and bars.

Northpoint Café, at the east end of North Street, proudly proclaims that it is 'where Kate met Wills (for coffee)', which presumably is a good recommendation. 

I visited the university museum, the Wardlaw Museum, which has a lot of interesting information about the history of the university, the University's extraordinary art, history, science and natural history collections and the research and inventions that have had an impact on the world. It was modern, well curated and displayed. I enjoyed browsing. Outside there's a statue of St Andrew, attributed to Sir John Steell (1804-1891) and apparently a copy of one in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

It's easy to forget that this is a seaside town but the coastal vista from the viewing terrace at the museum was stunning. 

St Andrews - St Salvators

Fife holiday 2026 #13

The unexpected gem of my perambulation of St Andrews was the beautiful college chapel of St Salvator, dating back to 1450 but much changed since then (largely due to the Protestant Reformation when it was stripped of most of its iconography). What we see now owes much to the Gothic Revivalist style popular in Victorian times, and some sympathetic modern additions, but the chapel retains a dignity and serenity that I found most appealing. 

Behind it is a quadrangle of university buildings. I gather that the Prince and Princess of Wales resided in St Salvator's Hall during their first year at St Andrew's University (which is famously where they met) but the buildings behind the chapel are not the student halls of residence, which lie beyond. 

As I was nearing the Chapel, a large tour bus stopped outside to deposit its passengers. I upped my pace in order to get inside before they did! So I at least had a few peaceful moments to myself, and took all the interior shots with my phone in order to speed up the process. I am quite pleased with how they turned out.  

As I left the Chapel, I noted a man in a full Scottish kilt outfit entering. I then realised that there was about to be a wedding. Guests were gathering outside the main entrance on the street side of the Chapel and there was a bagpiper who began to play, so I was delighted to see that. It was an unexpected bonus, since if I'd arrived a few minutes later I would not have been able to go inside. Serendipity. 

St Andrews - Golf

Fife holiday 2026 #12

Amongst its many claims to fame, St Andrews prides itself as 'the home of golf'. Golf has been played here since at least the 15th century. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club was formed in 1754 and its iconic clubhouse (the rear of which you can see in my photo above) was built in the mid-1800s. It is the ruling authority for golf in every country in the world other than the USA and Mexico. Beyond the clubhouse, the famous Old Course regularly hosts major championships. In the foreground of the photo above, the grassy area is known as the Bow Butts and was used for archery. 

I couldn't get a good shot of the clubhouse frontage as there were hospitality tents in the way. It's on the left (below) and the other lovely building is the Hamilton Grand, formerly a hotel, then halls of residence for the university and now luxury apartments.  It featured in the film 'Chariots of Fire', as did the West End beach in the distance in my last photo. 

People come from all over the world to play golf here. There was some serious equipment on show, and if you forget anything there are plenty of shops selling all the clothes and gear.

There are of course, monuments and plaques commemorating famous golfers. This one is Tom Morris (1821-1908) 'The Grand Old Man of Golf', who was born and died in St Andrews. 

As I mentioned earlier, the long sweep of sand beyond the golf courses is known as the West Sands. The two mile long beach was the iconic filming location for the legendary opening running scene of the 1981 Oscar-winning film 'Chariots of Fire'.

St Andrews - Historical sites

Fife holiday 2026 #11

The plan for the final day of our holiday was to walk from St Andrews to Kingsbarns, a distance of some 7 miles across quite remote country (lots of golf courses again!). I and a couple of friends decided we'd rather spend the day in St Andrews, a university town with a wealth of interesting sights. So we hopped on the bus. I still walked more than 5 miles around the town, so I did get a good workout albeit at a slower pace, with more coffee! 

The bus station was near to the West Port, a gate into the town built in 1589, designed to impress visitors, which it still does I guess. 

My first port of call was the ancient cathedral, now a ruin. I was rather disappointed in it, to be honest, mainly because the grounds were covered in temporary and unsightly metal fences. These have been erected around gravestones and monuments that are judged to be unstable (most of them, in fact!). It seems they are waiting for the relevant families to pay for repairs... but I guess in many cases there is no family left. The dominant structure is St Rule's Tower, part of the original St Rule's Church that preceded the cathedral. Built in the 1100s, it drew pilgrims to the shrine of St Andrew. The Cathedral, consecrated in 1318, was the most important church in medieval Scotland. Part of the grand west entrance still survives. 

There's the foundations of a Cloister and a Chapter House, where the canons would meet to do church business. Several of the priors were buried under its floor and today you can see some of the medieval, stone coffins.

Next stop for me was the harbour, not large by the standards of some we'd already visited but an important presence to the south west of the town. 

Then I meandered along the seafront, passing St Andrews Castle. Destroyed and rebuilt several times during wars between the Scots and the English, it was rebuilt by Bishop Walter Trail in 1400 and became the main residence of the bishops and archbishops of St Andrews and the administrative centre of the Church of Scotland. It was also a notorious prison. It went through many turbulent times, including a siege in the mid 1500s, as a result of the entwining of church and national politics. It was abandoned and finally fell into ruin in the late 1600s. 

Beyond the castle, the seafront road (The Scores) is where many of the university buildings are situated so I wandered along enjoying the grand old buildings and the more modern structures that have been shoehorned in among them.