Three go glamping in Scotland

Situated around a green with other pods all strategically placed so that everyone had their own view of the waves, we stepped onto the decking, past the personal hot tub and firepit and through the bifold doors into our home for the week.

It was glorious. With all the kitchen stuff ranged along one wall, a dining table by the bifold doors and a comfy modular sofa facing the wall-hung TV, it was the epitome of “John Lewis” style holiday living. Exploring further led to a large and well-equipped shower room, leading onto a comfortably sized and airy double bedroom with plenty of mood lighting, a dressing table and a wardrobe.

Situated in the tiny fishing village of Crail on the Firth of Forth (and how excited was I crossing the Forth Bridge), Sauchope Links Park is in the East Neuk of Fife, famous for quaint, old-fashioned fishing villages with their cobbled streets, working harbours, rock pools and, of course, sandy beaches. And some glorious pottery shops (be warned – not cheap).

Stretched out on the comfortable sofa with a welcome Scotch and ice (would normally be a G&T, but when in Scotland…….), the sun shone down on the Isle of May, which is inhabited only by birds and definitely not dog friendly for a visit (by boat only). It was a seven or so-hour drive from Junction 8 of the M11, so organised, I had cooked a lasagne to happily defrost in the cool box on the journey – for supper accompanied by garlic bread and another Scotch! Rollo snored gently as we slumped over the dining table, mesmerised by the sound of the waves. An early night beckoned. And Oh, what a comfortable bed. With music playing softly, an exhausted Rollo tucked up at the end of the bed – knowing he likes to sleep on the bed with us, we always bring along a “gravity blanket”, and if you haven’t tried one, I can really recommend this for getting off to sleep, and with a seagull dancing on the roof, we drifted off to the sound of the waves.

The next morning we decided to explore on foot, and there was a lovely well-trodden path from the reception leading right into Crail village. There’s plenty of spots for elevenses – which, of course, we had in a Bny cottage garden leading down to the beach – a terrific butcher where of course, we’d been ordered to bring back a haggis. We booked a table for dinner that evening in the local pub, where Rollo was welcomed in with a bowl of water and some dog biscuits.

The food was terrific and not pricey – just under £50 for two courses and soft drinks. The whole site is part of the Largo Links company, which has a collection of four parks dotted across Fife and Perth – all of which are in spectacular locations and cater for everyone with camping, caravans, glamping and luxury pods and lodges.

Sauchope is set at the end of the Fife Coastal Walking Route, so we took Rollo and followed the path. Yes, there are lots of owner-owned holiday lodges, all of which are positioned perfectly so that they are not too close to one another and all of which have a perfect view of the waves. There are also owner-owned lodges and pods along the route, which from Reception, takes about 20/30 minutes to wander down to the end.

Sauchope Links is about twenty minutes from St. Andrews with its famous Cathedral, Castle, University and, of course, golf courses. Whilst my husband explored the ruins of the old cathedral, I was happy to wander around the town and in and out of the shops – and discovered a lovely independent bookshop which kept me occupied for quite a while. There are plenty of charity shops to browse in too.