The kestrel hovers just feet above us, its wings a blur of motion while its head moves barely a millimetre, eyes scanning the long grass. It angles its wings a fraction and allows itself to sail on the wind towards a new spot a few metres along, where it brakes and resumes its search.
A few moments pass then the kestrel tucks its wings and dives into the grass. In an instant it is up and away, a prize grasped in its claws. Watching the kestrel is to watch the most incredible feat of natural engineering.
Millions of years of evolution have brought the kestrel to this quiet corner on the North Sea coastline, a reliable hunting ground that teems with wildlife.
We are at Sauchope Links, an exclusive holiday park on the edge of Crail on the beautiful East Neuk of Fife. Luxury lodges here – and they truly are luxurious – can cost up to a whopping £250,000, but getting a sample of that exclusivity can be had for a fraction of the price in the form of one of its stunning rental cabins.
And, just like the kestrel, we are one of the few to have discovered this little corner of serenity.
Our cabin, a beach-hut-style wooden lodge perched on the bank in front of the sea, has two bedrooms, a pretty kitchen-living room area and a hot tub. It is from the sofa here that we watch the kestrel. Scanning out to sea, we can see the Isle of May glittering in the sunlight. Behind that, the beaches of Dunbar and waterfront of Edinburgh are wreathed in cloud.
As we sit, we allow the waves to roll in, washing away our stresses and worries. Not a soul walks by on the coastal pathway running in front of the cabin. It is, in a word, serenity.
Like the kestrel, it is time for us to catch our food, albeit our lumbering, lolling dismount from the couch is a lot less graceful. From Sauchope we are just a short drive from St Andrews to the north and the manicured fairways that make the area such a popular destination with golfers. To the south lies Crail, Anstruther, home of the famous fish and chips, and pretty Pittenweem.
We drive back out of Sauchope Links, past the park’s open-air swimming pool and into Crail, which is just two minutes away by car.
The fresh North Sea breeze carves a chill through the air but, among the narrow, twisting streets that drop down towards the harbour, the bright sun in the deep blue sky warms our skin. Crail is an archetypal Scottish fishing village, all red clay roof tiles and white-washed stone.
© SYSTEMCrail Harbour Gallery & Tearoom is packed but we manage to find a table in the outdoor area that looks out onto the picture-perfect seafront, where lobster creels wrestle for space along harbour wall and working fishing boats steam in and out with their fresh catch.
On the far side of the harbour wall, a mini golden horseshoe of sand dissolves into the green water. We strip off and allow the sand to squidge between our toes before stepping into the sea for what is a ritual of holidaying in Scotland. Something we’ve all done since we were little kids.
Billy Connolly put it best when he spoke of swimming in the North Sea. “I ran down and put my foot in, and my heart stopped. I’d never felt cold like that before, and I heard this weird noise: ‘Whooouuuiiiiiiii. Whooooouuuuuaaaaiiiiii’. What the hell was that? It was me! It’s something you’re not in control of. It’s something deeply primal, something from when we lived up trees, it’s stamped in your DNA or something.”
Indeed, that cold does bring out a primal urge to get straight back out – but then something amazing happens. That impulse to run passes and another, deeper instinct takes over, sending waves of calm throughout your body and flooding your brain with endorphins.
We are on a natural high as we dry off on the beach and walk to the little wooden shack where Reilly Shellfish sell their daily catch straight from the boat.
We collect fresh lobster and dressed crab, along with some chips from the Crail Fish Bar & Café on the village high street and take it back to our Sauchope cabin.
Incredible seafood and great chips on the deck as the sun sets over the flat Fife farmland behind us… Scottish seaside holiday? Completed it, mate.
But Sauchope has more in store for us. We change back into clean bathing costumes and plunge into the steaming hot tub and enjoy drinks as the day turns to night. One by one, the stars blink into life in the inky dark sky above our heads.
We notice a faint glow in the starfield and, before we know it, we are treated to a purply aurora stretching across the northern horizon.
We have to laugh at how fortunate we are to be here in this stunningly tranquil location enjoying a rarely seen natural phenomenon from the comfort of a hot tub. But, of course, it is not by chance because Sauchope is a holiday park engineered to perfection.
P.S. With a whopping 35-year lease, the top-end lodges at Sauchope Links offer a long-term option for those who want an ultra-exclusive slice of Scotland’s East Neuk. With championship golf courses like Kingsbarns, The Torrance at Fairmont and the most prestigious of them all, St Andrews Old Course, within driving distance, the lodges are attractive to golfers who enjoy the best.
Factfile
Largo Leisure are a collection of award-winning holiday parks set amidst some of Scotland’s most stunning scenery. Offering a range of self-catering accommodation, from touring and camping to glamping, lodges and large exclusive properties, they guarantee an unforgettable holiday. And for those who fall in love, there is a wide selection of new and used holiday home properties at each park. Spread from the mountains to the coast, they have something for everyone and were proudly awarded the Best Company for UK Parks and Lodge Holidays (small park category) in the 2023 British Travel Awards. www.largoleisure.co.uk
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