Coltsfoot

Another playday as it's Friday and back to Fife, not far from our Loch Fitty trip, this time Dunfermline Townhill Country Park to see the Town Loch. All the publicity seems to focus on the watersports but there are several walks in the area and, as the loch appears as such on the early C19 maps, I assume it to be natural.


Parking at the Town Loch carpark we enjoyed a nice lunch in the cafe, which also serves the Waterski Centre and, seated by the window, we had a good view over the area marked out with buoys for the sport and the island that splits the loch into two halves.


Then we took an anticlockwise walk round the loch; the shore nearest the cars is populated with hopeful waterfowl, see extra (left) a Canada goose who became almost threatening and (bottom) mallard, in their glowing spring plumage. Sadly, my supply of suitable food was at home.


The E-W path follows an old tramway route, the eastern end follows a N-S part of the Townhill Colliery railway line. At the north eastern corner we pottered awhile on a derelict site, where I found a few coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), main photo, which thrive on wasteland. Returning to the lochside path we were struck (almost literally) by robins, losing count of their number - extra (top) is from Mr Flum's camera, who had a better view and zoom. We also saw tree sparrows but they declined a close-up, and blue tits. Of flowers we saw a single dandelion bloom and a clump of primrose in bud, ready to burst open.


A walkway at the western end separates the large loch from a small pond area of nature reserve, where a pair of mute swans hid beneath overhanging trees - here the chilling wind was at its most felt - before we crossed the sluice and returned to the car for the drive home.