CELEBRATING FIFE 2012…

Woodland Awakenings – a Celebration of Snowdrops

West Fife Woodlands is pleased to once again be able to join forces with other partners to host this year’s Fife Snowdrops Spectacular. This follows several years of having offered Valleyfield Woodland Park and its wonderful displays of snowdrops as a participating venue in Visit Scotland’s annual Scottish Snowdrop Festival.

This year there are even more participating venues. In addition to Cambo Gardens, Falkland Centre for Stewardship and Valleyfield Woodland Park, founders of the Fife Snowdrops Spectacular, there are wonderful displays at Hill of Tarvit (NTS), Kellie Gardens (NTS), Balmerino Abbey and Lawton House. Details of each location and contact details can be found at www.visitscotland.com/snowdrops as well as at the end of this article. Not listed on the Visit Scotland website, but also worth visiting is Beech Avenue, Aberdour.

Working with our partners we are able to offer visitors walks through Fife’s most enchanting landscapes and hidden trails which take in historic estates and their designed landscapes along with magical ancient woodlands.

The Scottish Snowdrop Festival this year is from 4th February to 18th March, with events widely dispersed across the country.

Organised events at Valleyfield Woodland Park are from 4th February to 11th March - these are FREE but donations will be gratefully received.

Guided walks

These follow a carefully chosen trail through carpets of naturalised snowdrops and remnants of a Humphry Repton designed landscape, his only work in Scotland. Join experienced guides who will tell you about the former Valleyfield Estate and life in Georgian times.

The walks will take place on the weekends 4th/5th, 11th/12th, 18th/19th, 25th/26th February and 3rd/4th, 10th/11th March, starting at 2pm from the Shiresmill entrance to the wood (the car park next to the Riding for the Disabled Association centre).

Volunteers from the RDA will be on hand to offer visitors a welcome hot drink on returning from their walk.

Snowdrops by Starlight

Following the well-received starlight guided walks first introduced last year, this event will be repeated with walks on 11th/19th February, starting from the car park at 7pm. The guides will have high-powered searchlights to pick out the features of interest. Participants are asked to bring a torch so they can see where they are walking (please tilt head torches downwards so as not to dazzle other people).

Afterwards hot soup will be available at the RDA centre.

A large scale map of the snowdrop trail will be on display at the car park, along with a supply of helpful leaflets, for anyone wishing to enjoy the walk at other times.

Contact Details

Valleyfield Woodland Park, near Shiresmill, West Fife, KY12 8ER. This Fife Council woodland is a public place and visitors are free to explore its delights at all times throughout the year.

Event details and any necessary changes to the arrangements (such as curtailment due to adverse weather) will be posted on this website. Alternatively contact the Dunfermline tourist information centre on 01383 720999.

Contact details of our Fife partners are as follows:

Cambo Gardens: Cambo Estate, Kingsbarns, KY16 8QD, tel: 01333 450054.

www.camboestate.com.

Falkland Centre for Stewardship: The Stables, Falkland Estate, Falkland, KY15 7AF, Tel: 01337 858838.

www.centreforstewardship.org.uk.

Hill of Tarvit (NTS): By Cupar, KY15 5PB, Tel: 01334 653672.

Kellie Gardens (NTS): Kellie Castle, Pittenweem, KY10 2RF, Tel: 01333 720271.

Balmerino Abbey: Balmerino, Newport on Tay, DD6 8SB, Tel: 01334 653127.

Lawton House: Inverkeilor, by Arbroath, DD1 4RU, Tel: 01241 830217.

The Beech Avenue, Aberdour: Contact the Dunfermline TIC for directions, Tel: 01383 720999.

Google Map of Valleyfield Woodland Park