When I shared this photo on Instagram, I asked: where is this? Is it France… or Fife? Anyone who knows me would know the answer pretty easily, but while this is indeed Fife – Cambo Gardens within Cambo Estate, which is one of our favourite places to visit – it could as easily be a wonderful old farmhouse in France.
There’s a lot to appreciate about spring, obviously, but, for me, these moments are the ones that shift the whole feel of a week: when it’s light enough to head down the coast on a Wednesday evening and walk at John Muir as the sun is setting. That break in the week, shaking off the sluggishness that comes with hours spent at a desk. It doesn’t have to be a midweek walk: if I could drive, this would be my default walk any day. Getting in the car, driving for half an hour, and just being here. If I could drive, I wouldn’t be at my desk this evening writing this post. I’d be back here with the lads.
Every so often we’ll have a beach walk where the light just surprises us. ‘Surprise’ isn’t really a strong enough word. Astounds us is probably a better description. Indeed, this has happened a lot recently with some incredible sunsets. But I’m really referring to those days when the skies are gloomy; those ‘nothing-y’ days with low cloud cover, when you don’t expect any light drama, and then suddenly, there it is.
I don’t tend to share many throwbacks on Instagram, but this one was an exception – and it’s also encouraged me to dig back into the archives from the last few years and revisit (and share) some older photos with a fresh edit. This was John Muir Country Park on March 8 2020, and I hadn’t shared this photo at the time as the highlights were so fierce. It was one of those photos you take in the moment, and the light isn’t right, but you can’t resist capturing it anyway.
I’ve been wondering about trying something different here. One of the reasons I like Instagram is that you can let one photo tell a story. One photo that holds a memory or a moment. And that isn’t really reflected on a blog post with multiple images. So what about sharing some of those moments here too? It loosens up the format with short, loosely structured posts. And maybe it’s more personal. Why that photo? Why that moment? I thought I’d call this series #TakeOne.
I was unsure of whether to share this post directly after my previous one, as it’s the same walk, leading to the same beach, but the light was incredible and I couldn’t resist sharing this place again so soon. It’s funny as in my bio at the bottom of the home page I’ve written: ‘this is my blog about coastal living and exploring Scotland,’ and yet, really, it’s become my blog about walks in East Lothian. We haven’t explored much beyond our local area since 2020 – and I’m sure we’re not alone in this.
Hello and welcome to Copperline. My name is Fiona Reid and this is my blog about coastal living and exploring Scotland.