Read more about Emma Brown's delightful stay at Sauchope Links Holiday Lodge and Caravan Park, operated by Largo Leisure, during the August bank holiday. Emma, along with her husband Phil and their goldador Daisy, explored the scenic East Neuk of Fife and enjoyed the comfort of a retreat lodge. Below is Emma's full review of her stay;
During the August bank holiday, my husband Phil and I, accompanied by goldador Daisy, enjoyed a fantastic stay at Sauchope Links Holiday Lodge and Caravan Park in Crail, a quaint harbour town in the East Neuk of Fife. We stayed in a one-bedroom retreat lodge called ‘The Bay,’ complete with a hot tub and a huge balcony overlooking the sea. When I say overlooking…we were just about on the beach!
On arrival, we unpacked; we were ready to relax! We had an early evening walk around the park to explore before making the most of the hot tub and relaxing with a book. Having the sliding doors open meant Daisy could potter in and out onto the balcony as she pleased, wagging her tail at the passersby, and we enjoyed listening to the sound of the waves.
On making dinner, we discovered all the pots and utensils seemed quite new, and the kitchen had a perfectly placed worktop so we could prepare dinner without missing a moment of our gorgeous view!
On Saturday we tackled some of the Fife Coastal Path, which runs through the holiday park. The path stretches for 117 miles up the East coast, and we had selected a walk focussing on the nearby harbour towns, starting in St Monans, and heading to Pittenweem.
We started at the beautiful St Monans Church - allegedly the closest church to the sea in Scotland. The area we walked had good paths, and Daisy was off lead the whole time. We passed various interesting landmarks such as a windmill, and two natural swimming pools built into the rocks, which were surprisingly busy, as I’m sure the water wasn’t warm!
We stopped at our first village Pittenweem and had a mid morning snack at the Cocoa Tree cafe. Dogs are welcome at their discretion, but given it was a sunny day we sat outside in the courtyard. We then walked back the way we came to collect the car, and drove to the next village Anstruther. There is a bus route which could be used to get from the accommodation to the starting point, to avoid retracing your steps.
In Anstruther, we visited Aeble - Scotland’s first cider shop. It also has a few tables, so Daisy made the most of the chilled vibe to catch up on a few Z’s, whilst Phil and I enjoyed a drink and the relaxed atmosphere.
The towns and villages along this section of the coastal path were so pretty, with beautifully kept and decorated houses, and twisting lanes leading to the sea, accompanied by the backing track of the waves. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of houses along the coastal path who had left dog bowls filled with water out for four-legged passers-by, which was really thoughtful.
In the afternoon, we headed back to the accommodation, and I tested out Sauchope Links’ outdoor swimming pool, which for me was a novelty in Scotland. Thankfully, unlike the natural pools we had passed earlier on our walk, this one was heated! (The pool is open July and August, and no dogs allowed in the pool area.)
Having stayed in a few holiday parks, I enjoyed how peaceful and calm it was here. However, there’s still plenty to keep people busy between the pool and games room, and it’s only a short walk into Crail, which is where we went for dinner on the Saturday, to The Golf Inn. The staff here offered Daisy a dog biscuit, after which she had a good sleep on the tartan carpet after a busy day. I had the fish and chips, given the area is known for it, which was delicious.
Sunday saw us up bright and early. After a morning hot tub session, we headed onto the coastal path straight from our accommodation, turning the opposite way from all the villages we’d already visited. This section had much more uneven paths, however had the same handy features such as posts with numbers on it, and ‘What Three Words’ on each post to use in an emergency.
We then jumped in the car (which we were able to keep parked right outside our accommodation for the duration of our stay), and headed to Craigtoun Country Park, where staff pointed out that dogs were welcome on everything that humans could go on. So Daisy joined us all on the park train as well as walking around with us.
The weather had pleasantly surprised us for our trip until this point, with spells of sunshine and only a little rain, however Storm Lillian was getting into full swing by the Sunday afternoon, so on return to our accommodation, I went to the on-site shop which sells basic supplies, importantly - firelighters and kindling! I hadn’t expected being able to use the wood burner in August, but the storm gave us a good excuse to coorie in with our books.
We were sad to leave on the Monday, Crail and the East Neuk of Fife has so much to offer in terms of walks, dog friendly eateries, and also plenty we hadn’t managed to explore. It’s also a real ‘foodie’ area. For those who need an enclosed space, there’s Kilrenny Kanines dog run close by, although we didn’t try it.
The park is owned by Largo Leisure, who operate six parks across Scotland, in stunning locations. Their booking process is slick, with reminder emails in the lead up to the holiday including links to handy information. Dogs must be kept on a lead on site, and not left in the accommodation unaccompanied. There’s a range of accommodation types, from bringing your own caravan, glamping and the retreat lodges, so something to suit every budget. And if you like the park so much, there are some holiday homes there for sale!
Published 06/09/2024, 13:45