A Dog-Friendly Adventure at Cambo Gardens: Exploring Fife's Hidden Paradise
- Wee Walking Tours
- 16 hours ago
- 4 min read
Looking for a chance to get away from it all, all while enjoying a breath of fresh air? If so, you’re in luck because this week we’re bringing you on an adventure to a beautiful slice of paradise in the Kingdom of Fife. Best of all, our Golden Retriever explorers, Walter and Arthur, will escort you on this wee journey. So, put on some comfortable shoes and join us as we head to Cambo Gardens and Estate!
Before we set out on a tour of the estate, let’s cover a little context. Cambo Estate is situated in the East Neuk of Fife, about 2 miles north of Crail. The Erskine family has managed the estate since the 1670s. According to the Cambo Estate, the original house burnt down in 1878 “after a particularly raucous staff party when the family was away”. Historic Environment Scotland details how Sir Thomas Erskine commissioned a new house to be built by Wardrop and Reid. It is “classical in style with a Doric columned porch and a Roman Ionic tripartite above which form the main, west, entrance front”. Cambo House remains a home for the Erskine family to this day.
The Erskines turned over governance and decision making at Cambo Estate to the Cambo Trust in 2021. However, the family are active with the Trust. According to the Cambo Estate, the “objectives of the Trust are to maintain an estate that is open to all and to do this in a way that prioritises community, sustainability and fun”. In addition to holiday accommodation, Cambo Estate also runs a popular wedding business. In fact, we could see that they were setting up for a wedding as we walked by the house on our woodland stroll.
The Gardens were opened to the public in 1985 and are now managed by the Cambo Heritage Trust. If you are looking for a fantastic, dog friendly place where you can explore historic gardens, woodlands, and a nearby picturesque beach, Cambo Gardens is the perfect stop to add to your Fife itinerary. Dogs are allowed in all areas, and this was music to our Golden boys’ ears. They were thrilled to accompany us throughout the day’s exploration, and, boy, what an adventure it was!
You can purchase your tickets for the Gardens at the Tack Room Shop inside the Stables Visitor Centre. The Centre was opened in 2017 after extensive restorations. The Tack Room Shop also sells crafts and gifts by local makers as well as Cambo grown flowers, plants and produce.
We decided to start the day with a walk in the woodlands along the Cambo Burn (‘burn’ is the Scots word for stream or brook). Walter and Arthur love walks through the forest, and this one was lovely.
We saw some fascinating trees along the way, including the one pictured below.
We were also amused by a lone pigeon perched precariously at the very end of a branch.
As we emerged from the woods, we were greeted by something that we knew existed but might surprise unsuspecting visitors- a golf course! Kingsbarns Golf Links’ history dates to the late 1700s, but the current course was opened in 2000. To get to the beach, you must walk on paths that take you through the course, so we made our way quietly out of respect for those on the Links.
It isn’t too far of a walk, and we eventually made our way to Kingsbarns Beach. The expansive stretch of golden sands was a perfect playground for our energetic Golden boys. With their fur wet and sandy, Walter and Arthur bounded across the beach, chasing waves, and exploring the rocks.
After a delightful play session, we decided to make our way back to the gardens.
The 2.5-acre walled garden welcomed us with its stunning botanical displays. Unlike the snowdrop-covered winter landscape for which Cambo is famous, September offered a different kind of beauty – late summer blooms, rich greens, and the subtle beginnings of the impending autumn season.
Walter enjoyed posing among the wedding decorations. It appears the service was to be held in the Walled Garden and the reception at the house. What an exquisite backdrop for a wedding ceremony.
Cambo is also home to a rather unique garden that makes it truly special - a North American Prairie Garden. All the plants were grown from seed in 2008.
There is also an Edible Garden. Arthur seemed quite disappointed to find out that the food grown there wasn’t for him but rather for the café and shop. This area is known as the ‘Old Garden’ and possibly dates to the 17th century. Cambo Edible Garden is based on ‘no dig’ principles. This means that instead of digging it over every year, they continually use compost as a mulch and to feed the soil.
We needed a rest after our day’s explorations and decided to check out the Cambo Gardens Café located in the carriage house and Stables. The original stable building was built in the 1760s. However, the early 1900s ushered in the age of motorcars, and, by 1906, the Erskines owned several, including a fleet of Alvis Saloons that they housed in the Stables. The carriage house (which now hosts the café) was turned into a garage where the family’s chauffeur regularly maintained and repaired their vehicles. By the 1960s, the Stables no longer housed horses or cars, and the building was abandoned. Therefore, we think it is wonderful to see how they’ve brought the Stables back to life as it makes for a cosy visitor centre.
Well, we hope you have thoroughly enjoyed yourselves as much as we did on this adventure to Fife! Walter and Arthur sure did- as you can tell by the joyous smiles on their faces. We highly recommend you visit Cambo Gardens in person. It’s the perfect place for a day out with the family- canine members included! Visit their website for more information.
If you’ve enjoyed this wee outing, be sure to check out our other articles on Dawyck Botanic Garden, Logan Botanic Garden, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
