Day 5, last day!

Not sure where I left off, so I'll start with the morning. It was bright and sunny so I was thinking this was going to be a great finish... I couldn't have been more wrong haha. I went around the University, saw the castle ruins, the golf course of course and the old cathedral and abbey.

I headed out along the coast, following a route I had mapped out with the tourist office. I had a good breakfast of fried eggs in me and I was feeling good. I got over to Anstruther on the coast in about half an hour, and I watched the clouds slowly roll in from the west and bolt out the sun. The town was nice, just a little fishing village, and after a quick stop I headed down the coast to Pittenweem.

Pittenweem was picturesque, with the houses all painted different colors and the harbor full of fishermen. I stopped there to go to Fillians Cave, where a saint lived while doing mission work to convert the Picts.

I kept going through coastal towns all down towards the bridge. In Pittenweem the wind picked up so I was heading right into the worst of it, and then it started to rain. The road wasn't too bad, it did get busy around 2 for some reason. I stopped to see if the rain would let up and grabbed a bowl of soup. I got talking to a guy who did some business in Dubuque, and he bought my meal for me! He also did a little biking so he gave me some advice for the route, which boiled down to BE CAREFUL, which I did!

Kirkcaldy was the next stop, named after the general who watched over the castle for Queen Anne when she was a little girl. I stopped along the path under a little overhang and waited out even more rain. Somewhere along the way I lost the signposts so I asked the absolute scruffiest looking sea dog I could find for directions. He turned out to be super helpful and got me back on the path in no time.

I got turned around in a neighborhood before crossing the Forth River, a finger of the Alantic. Did I mention that this whole time I can see Edinburgh across the bay, taunting me?? I made it back on the trail again, I luckily got turned around in the only place with signs that said 'this way to the National Route.'

The bridge was not fun. A stiff crosswind swirled around the two towers of the suspension bridge. I'm sure that if I had looked up it would have been a good view, but I was a little too focused on the road for that. At least the bikes had their own lane separate from the highway. Despite the weather there were a ton of bikes out!!

From there it was 10 miles or so to Edinburgh. I really have no idea because one sign would say 'City Center, 5 miles' and the next would say 1.5 and the next 7. The entrance was anti climatic, no band or trumpets or anything, just me riding down the center of town in the pouring rain. Despite the less than favorable weather it has been a good week! Great ride, great scenery, and met some great people along the way.

When I got to the hostel, my backpack was there waiting for me! With a snack too!