We welcomed local botanist Jim Robertson as speaker to our club meeting of 4th /December and were treated to a fascinating talk about the stretch of coast from Shell Bay to Ardross.

His talk encompassed the botany and geology to be found on a walk along this picturesque part of Fife - with information and detail, much of which was a surprise even to those with long knowledge of the area.

We heard of ancient raised beaches, of ‘The Deil’ and ‘The Doo’ caves, of columnar basalt formations, of limestone outcrops rich in fossils and of the garnets to be found at Ruby Bay.

There was too ‘MacDuff’s Cave’ - reputed to be the place where the Thane of Fife hid from MacBeth - and the more modern and sometime hazardous ‘Chain Walk’.

It was interesting to be reminded of the ruins of WW2 naval defence batteries and the training here of Polish paratroops (and of the story that when they left, their surplus ammunition was buried in a hole at Shell Bay!).

We were able to handle a collection of fossils from the limestone cliffs and garnets from the beach. Some of these latter were of considerable size and it was interesting to learn of the history of jewellery made using garnets from Fife - with examples preserved in Edinburgh’s Chamber Street Museum.

Altogether a fascinating insight to a short stretch of coastline that was, in ancient times, part of a Christian ‘pilgrims way’. An appreciative vote of thanks was proposed by Bill Batchelor.