Cambo Heritage Trust News

Thursday, 3 July 2014

Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival

Friday 18^th & Saturday 19^th July 2014

With the exception of Alice in Wonderland workshop & performance on Friday 18^th July ALL activities are 100% FREE!!

The festival also has on offer lots of self-directed activities and drop-in sessions so even if you don't book in for a time-set offering you won't be at a loss for things to do!

At the Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival we very much have families in mind so we have aimed to make this programme as convenient as possible for you to spot what you might be looking for. Put simply, we have listed the activities in an age-orientated way then by date and time of day.

Please note – we strongly advise you to arrive at least 20 minutes in advance of any events and activities you book. This is to allow you plenty of time to park, discover the location of your event on the estate and make your way there in a leisurely way

The festival events & activities will be happening in locations across the estate and in Kingsbarns Village Hall. Please allow a good 20 minutes walking time between Cambo House & the village.

A Commonwealth Art Exhibition will be on display in Kingsbarns Village Hall from 6.30pm Friday 18^th through to 5pm Saturday 19^th July. The exhibition has been created by and from the art work of children from Kingsbarns Primary School and Kilmaron School

Bringing teenies? (3 – 6 year olds)

Strength, Speed & Stamina Show Fri 18^th 10am & 12.15pm

No booking required

All ages Duration: 30mins

Have you got what it takes? During this energetic show you will explore how top athletes prepare for the challenges of a lifetime! How fast is the fastest human? What does a marathon and a mountain have in common? Can you guess what a weight lifter eats for breakfast? Discover all this and more through Dundee Science Centre's exciting interactive show!

Storytelling Explorer Family Workshop Fri 18^th 12 – 1.30pm

Booking required

For 5 – 10 year olds and their adult/s. Duration: 1hour 30mins

Did you know ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.Tolkien started life as a made up story that he told his children, before it became a best-selling book?!

This storytelling workshop for families will explore techniques adults can use in order to discover their inner storyteller. We will learn to tell a traditional story, make up some mini-tales, pick up some pro-tips and have lots of fun in the process

Alice in Wonderland Workshop Fri 18^th 1pm

Booking required

Aimed at 5 – 10 years

A fantastic, fun workshop for 5 – 10 year olds prior to the performance of Alice in Wonderland. Come and have some fun with the actors as we tumble down the rabbit hole & explore Wonderland through drama, movement & song. The workshop lasts 45 minutes. This event is likely to sell out fast so to avoid disappointment we encourage you to book online or by telephone to Cambo swiftly!

Alice in Wonderland – Cambridge Touring Theatre Fri 18^th 2.30 – 4.30pm

Tickets – Ad £12, Conc £7.50 & Family £35

This open air family performance invites you to come and have a joyful, fun-filled time with you friends and family while you watch this hilarious musical show. Boys and girls are invited and encouraged to come along dressed in their best Wonderland fashion.

"Has families rolling around with laughter" – The Guardian

'Lapin wants Breakfast' – Le Petit Monde Puppet Theatre Sat 19^th 10am & 2pm

No booking required Duration 40mins

Aimed at 3 – 5 yrs

Tania is just back from Paris. In her suitcase, she has brought her tiny French garden, where Lapin, the French rabbit lives. He really wants his breakfast, but will only eat ONE THING. What could it be . . .? Le Petit Monde brings you this engaging puppet performance for 3 – 5 year olds. This show was rated 4* in The Herald – "The simple theme of trying to feed a fussy rabbi had the target audience fully engaged with Lapin & his friends" www.lepetitmonde.co.uk

Le Petit Monde Fruit & Vegetable Necklace workshop Sat 19^th 11.15am & 3.15pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

Aimed at 3 – 7 yrs (Accompanying adults required for those under 5)

Come to Tania's little French Den and make your own 'Pomme' necklace. Or will it be a 'Carotte' one? Or even a beautiful 'Brocoli' one? Using various materials, we'll decorate simple necklaces to wear & have fun . . .in French! Tania is qualified in Childcare & Education & has been running French creative workshops & classes for pre-school children since 2008.

Mad Hat Campfire Sat 19^th 11.45 – 12.45pm

Booking required

Aimed at 4 – 12 yrs – under 6 must have accompanying adult

'Said the Hatter. "You might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same thing as 'I eat what I see'!"

Come around the Haba Fire BBQ for a Mad Hatter's Tea Party inspired session to learn to see what we eat. We will learn how to set and light a fire without matches and how to create some Mad Hat rosemary damper bread using giant bamboo. While waiting for it to cook we will make some wild-garlic butter and, time permitting, some stick men sculptures, before tucking in. The session will be run by a Primary-trained ForestSchool teacher.

Miniature Mops & Super-Sized Shelters Sat 19^th 2.30 – 3.30pm

Booking required

Aimed at 4 – 12 yrs – under 6 must have accompanying adult

'If seven maids with seven mops, Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose', the Walrus said, 'That they could get it clear?'

Come into the woods to create some miniature twig brooms using basic tools and learn some simple lashing and whittling techniques. Then join us in creating dens using Forest School techniques and knots to shelter a-whateversize-Alice required. The session will be run by a Primary-trained Forest School Teacher.

Bringing tweenies? (7 – 12 year olds)

Strength, Speed & Stamina Show Fri 18^th 10am & 12.15pm

No booking required

All ages Duration: 30mins

Beginner's Yoga Fri 18^th & Sat 19^th 10.45am & 3.30pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

For 12yrs – adult

Explore the wonders and benefits of yoga with Lori. This Ashtanga-flow based class is suitable for everybody & every body! Emphasis will be on the breath and mind-body awareness. Geared with beginners in mind the session will not incorporate head stands, hand stands or shoulder stands. Give it a go, just go with the flow! www.matsyyoga.com

Minecraft Workshop – Commonwealth Games Eco-Village!

Fri 18^th& Sat 19^th 11am – 12.30pm & 2.30 – 4pm

Booking required

The Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival invites you to Cambo Stables to join the Festival Minecraft Team, using this popular, immersive computer game, to create a Commonwealth Games Eco-village.

Aimed at 8 – 12 year olds, accompanying adults are fully encouraged to join the young Festival Minecraft Team or to create the 'Mine-ders' collaboration

All of this virtual building will happen under the professional guidance and support of Digital Artist and Creative Producer, Stephen Reid, winner of Mojam 2014!

Please note– you must bring your own device

Storytelling Explorer Family Workshop Fri 18^th 12 – 1.30pm

Booking required

For 5 – 10 year olds and their adult/s. Duration: 1hour 30mins

Did you know ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.Tolkien started life as a made up story that he told his children, before it became a best-selling book?!

Alice in Wonderland Workshop Fri 18^th 1pm

Booking required

Aimed at 5 – 10 years

Alice in Wonderland – Cambridge Touring Theatre Fri 18^th 2.30 – 4.30pm

Tickets – Ad £12, Conc £7.50 & Family £35

This open air family performance invites you to come and have a joyful, fun-filled time with your friends and family while you watch this hilarious musical show. Boys and girls are invited and encouraged to come along dressed in their best Wonderland fashion.

"Has families rolling around with laughter" – The Guardian

Le Petit Monde Fruit & Vegetable Necklace workshop Sat 19^th 11.15am & 3.15pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

Aimed at 3 – 7 yrs (Accompanying adults required for those under 5)

Mad Hat Campfire Sat 19^th 11.45am – 12.45pm

Booking required

Aimed at 4 – 12 yrs – under 6 must have accompanying adult

'Said the Hatter. "You might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same thing as 'I eat what I see'!"

Miniature Mops & Super-Sized Shelters Sat 19^th 2.30 – 3.30pm

Booking required

Aimed at 4 – 12 yrs – under 6 must have accompanying adult

'If seven maids with seven mops, Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose', the Walrus said, 'That they could get it clear?'

Bringing teens? (13 – 17 year olds)

Sound Journey Workshop Fri 18^th 10am – 11am

Booking required

Aimed at 10 – 16 year olds Duration: 1 hour

An interactive sound journey, this workshop lead by musician & meditation teacher, Daniel Allison, will guide young people in the co-creation of a journey through sound. Tibetan singing bowls, ethnic percussive instruments, drums & chimes will all be available, while Daniel will lead the journey with his native American flute and didgeridoo!

Strength, Speed & Stamina Show Fri 18^th 10am & 12.15pm

All ages Duration: 30mins

Beginner's Yoga Fri 18^th & Sat 19^th both days 10.45am & 3.30pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

For 12yrs – adult

Café Chatter 'Insights from Jabberwocky! : How we learn language' Fri 18^th 11am

Booking required Duration 45mins

Talk & discussion lead by:

Dr Lynne Duncan, Director of Language & Learning Lab, School of Psychology, Dundee University

Can nonsense verse tell us something about how we learn to speak and read? Although at first everything may appear "jabberwocky", infants rapidly begin to crack the code to understand the sounds that they hear when adults speak. As they get older, children learn to decipher the letter symbols that they see as they come across written words in storybooks. What are the tools that children use to do this, how can we best help them to learn and why does this learning process occasionally break down?

Alice in Wonderland – Cambridge Touring Theatre Fri 18^th 2.30 – 4.30pm

Tickets – Ad £12, Conc £7.50 & Family £35

"Has families rolling around with laughter" – The Guardian

Commonwealth Cookery Demo & Supper Fri 18^th 7pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Cullen Skink

Tanzanian Coconut Black-eyed Pea Soup

Canadian Strawberry Soup

Bread & Shortbread

Please note - Donations welcome to Kingsbarns Village Hall

Commonwealth Cookery Demonstration – Sat 19^th 11am Kingsbarns Village Hall

Drop-in event – no booking required

Commonwealth Cookery Workshop – Sat 19^th 11.45am Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Commonwealth Café – 11am – 4pm

Commonwealth soups and bread

Coffee & teas

Shortbread

Strawberries & Cream

Commonwealth Cookery Demonstration – Sat 19^th 2pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Drop-in event – no booking required

Commonwealth Cookery Workshop – Sat 19^th 2.45pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Café Chatter 1 – Why do we love making music? Sat 19^th 3pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

Talk & discussion lead by:

Dr Ines Jentzsch, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, St Andrews University

Music is something that many of us could not live without. Active music making in particular is extremely enjoyable but more importantly, can powerfully affect our long-term physical & mental wellbeing. When we learn to play an instrument, a number of complex tasks combine. These tasks require an immense amount of motivation, concentration & discipline involving different parts of or brains. Neuroscientists have found strong evidence for both structural and functional changes in the brains of musically active people. What exactly are these brain changes and can we acquire them even later in life? Can they positively affect us cognitively & emotionally? Or is music nothing more than just an auditory cheesecake (S.Pinker)?

Just yourself and some curious friends?

Strength, Speed & Stamina Show Fri 18^th 10-10.30am & 12.15 – 12.45pm

No booking required

All ages Duration: 30mins

Beginner's Yoga Fri 18^th & Sat 19^thboth days 10.45am & 3.30pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

For 12yrs – adult

Alice in Wonderland – Cambridge Touring Theatre Fri 18^th 2.30 – 4.30pm

Tickets – Ad £12, Conc £7.50 & Family £35

"Has families rolling around with laughter" – The Guardian

Café Chatter- 'Insights from Jabberwocky! : How we learn language' Fri 18^th 11am

Booking required.

Talk & discussion lead by:

Dr Lynne Duncan, Director of Language & Learning Lab, School of Psychology, Dundee University

Commonwealth Cookery Demo & Supper Fri 18^th 7pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Cullen Skink

Tanzanian Coconut Black-eyed Pea Soup

Canadian Strawberry Soup

Bread & Shortbread

Please note - Donations welcome to Kingsbarns Village Hall

Commonwealth Cookery Demonstration – Sat 19^th 11am Kingsbarns Village Hall

Drop-in event – no booking required

Commonwealth Cookery Workshop – Sat 19^th 11.45am Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Commonwealth Café Sat 19^th 11am – 4pm

Commonwealth soups and bread

Coffee & teas

Shortbread

Strawberries & Cream

Commonwealth Cookery Demonstration – Sat 19^th 2pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Drop-in event – no booking required

Commonwealth Cookery Workshop – Sat 19^th 2.45pm Kingsbarns Village Hall

Booking required

Café Chatter 1 – Why do we love making music? Sat 19^th 3pm

Booking required Duration 45mins

Talk & discussion lead by:

Dr Ines Jentzsch, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, St Andrews University

Drop – in & D.I.Y @ the Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival
Beastly Brains Fri 18^th 10.30 – 4pm
Drop-in activities run by Dr Nicola Stock and her team of scientists from Roslin Insitute that will have visitors of all ages engaged and intrigued.
How do animal brains compare to ours? Play with beanbag brains, discover some amazing animal facts and find out how a brain disease in sheep is helping scientists to understand human diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Better Connected Brains Work Better! Fri 18^th 10.30 – 4pm

The better connected your brain, the better it works. To do something well, different parts of the brain need to talk to each other along connections.

When someone gets older some of those connections get broken and certain kinds of thinking, like memory, becomes more difficult and reaction times get slower. You will learn how the brain receives information and the building blocks (neurones and connections) of the brain. You’ll look at how different parts of the brain and body connect and how scientists measure the brain using tests of thinking ability and brain imaging equipment.

Discover how scientists at the University of Edinburgh use the latest techniques in brain imaging and psychology to investigate the brain from youth to old age. You’ll get to see how CCACE measures the brain, look at real brain scans and test each other’s brains by testing reaction time.”

‘Clock around the Rock’ & Festival Games Challenges!           Sat 19^th 10.30 – 4pm
We’re super excited that Scotland is hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and so, we decided we would bring a little of the Games fun – with a twist – to Cambo. Under the careful referee and supervision of the Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Games Organising Committee, set your personal time record in ‘Clock around the Rock’ and challenge friends and family at a range of other challenges.

Reading Roots                                                                  Fri 18^th & Sat 19^th 10am – 4pm
In partnership with the fabaulous Barnardo's Bookshop in St Andrews, you will find across the Cambo Estate the festival Reading Roots Trees – look out for the signs and rugs, encouraging you to pop under the shade of these natural canopies and 'leaf through', read and share a bit of the magic to be found from a small selection of books provided by Caitlin and her team at Barnardo's.

Barnardo's Books @ Cambo Stables                             Fri 18^th & Sat 19^th 10am – 4pm
Barnardo's bookshop comes to the Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival. If you like your books pre-loved and your purchases in support of a good cause then make your way to the Stables and see if anything captures your interests and imagination.

The Tail Trail                                                                   Fri 18^th & Sat 19^th 10am – 4pm
On arrival to Cambo, all visitors will get the ‘Tail Trail’. Inspired by the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, the trail will send you off to track down the white tails located across the estate. You will need all your wits and observational abilities in tip-top form. Bonker’s Gift Shop, St Andrews, have kindly sponsored the prizes for those who succeed in this challenge.

Commonwealth Art Exhibition –  On display from Fri 18th 6pm – Sat 19^th 5pm
Kingsbarns Village Hall
The Commonwealth Art Exhibition will be on display in Kingsbarns Village Hall from 6.30pm Friday 18^th through to 5pm Saturday 19^th July. The exhibition has been created by  and from the art work of children from Kingsbarns Primary School and Kilmaron School

Festival Opening Hours 2014

· Cambo Estate opens 9.30am Friday 18^th July

· Cambo Estate opens 9.30am Saturday 19^th July

· Kingsbarns Village Hall opens 6pm Friday 18^th July

· Kingsbarns Vllage Hall opens 10.30am Saturday 19^th July

Food and Drink

We have the Cambo Tearoom at the House and the Commonwealth Café will be running in Kingsbarns village hall, just a gentle 20 minute walk from the Cambo car park.

With the whole of the estate to explore and enjoy, we warmly invite you to bring picnics with you but do ask you keep all litter from you picnics and deposit in any of the many bins and recycling options available.

Disabled facilities
We make it as easy as we can for disabled visitors to Cambo Estate. Disabled parking is available and this is situated next to the house, toilet block and café & shop.

Our volunteers will be on hand but please do not hesitate to contact us in advance to discuss any concerns you may have about your visit with us.

Be part of the chatter before, during and after

· Follow the Mad Hatter, Grey Matter Festival on

Twitter @MadHatterGreyMatter

· Follow Cambo on

Facebook Twitter Youtube Flickr RSS

Contacting Us

By email                     cambo@camboestate.com
By telephone              +44 (0) 1333450054
Address                      Cambo House, Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8QD

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

Mindfulness for Depression: Theory and Practice

Thursday 17 July Mindfulness for Depression: Theory and Practice
Join us for a series of talks experts looking at the range of psychological treatments available, including the use of ACT and other Mindfulness types of therapy, their use and possible benefits.
With Prof Stephen Lawrie, Head of Psychiatry & Beltane Public Engagement Fellow, Edinburgh University and Prof Stewart Mercer, Professor of Primary Care Research, Glasgow University & Trustee, Mindfulness Scotland
6.30pm
Accompanying Art Exhibit Paintings on easels from Eileen Hall will be exhibited alongside the talks - they are her response to the use of mindfulness therapy.
Advance booking required.
FREE EVENT

Depression is surprisingly common, affecting about one in 20 of us at any point in time, and as many as one-half of humanity over the average lifetime. Major life changes and stressors can bring about depression, which we may feel we have little or no control over. People with depression are often unable to see that they do have choices and can bring about change in a variety of ways. Several studies have demonstrated that a variety of psychological methods can be effective in treating the symptoms experienced, reducing the chances they return and may also help prevent a person with mild depression from becoming more severely depressed. Some of the more common psychological methods used are those such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT (said as one word rather than three letters) is a modern form of cognitive behavioural therapy that emphasises a behavioural approach to living with depression. In common with other mindfulness therapies, ACT shares an emphasis on compassion, kindness and common humanity. The goal of the therapy is to use acceptance and mindfulness in the service of taking steps closer to what is important in life, rather than follow a strategy of ‘once I control my depression; then I will start doing the things I used to do’.

Join us for a series of talks experts looking at the range of psychological treatments available, including the use of ACT and other Mindfulness types of therapy, their use and possible benefits.

Accompanying Art Exhibit
Paintings on easels from Eileen Hall (mail@eileen-hall.com) will be exhibited alongside the talks - they are her response to the use of mindfulness therapy. They will be assembled about 1 hour before the talk and removed once talk has finished and people have left. Should be in reasonable proximity to talk venue so people arriving and departing will see them and have an opportunity to talk to the artist.

Monday, 12 May 2014

American and Canadian basket weavers

A long way to come! We had a visit from American and Canadian basket weavers. In the morning we looked at willow structures on site and in the afternoon we made living willow huts to join the ones that have been made for the Badger Trail.

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Birds at Cambo

Cambo Estate is a good place to go bird watching. The estate firstly has a wide range of bird species that can be easily seen in its parkland, woodland and adjacent farmland. The estate has a wide range of habitats and works closely to enhance these to strike a balance between conserving bird biodiversity within the context of a working estate and farm. The species list for Cambo is well over 200 species, including most of the commonly breeding bird species to be found in wooded agricultural land in east Scotland. But Cambo also has a coastal location next to the Firth of Forth, so is good site for observing seabirds from the nearby colonies on the Isle of May and Bass Rock. Cambo is also adjacent to Fife Ness, a well know site for rare migrant birds and so during spring and autumn Cambo can play host to a wide range of scarce European migrants such as red-backed shrikes and wrynecks, as well as potentially much greater rarities from further afield (Pallas’s warblers are regulars!). Cambo Estate can therefore provide interest to the novice bird watcher who needs to see common birds easily in beautiful surroundings to become enthused, right through to the more experienced birder who might want to see a range of interesting species to maintain their interest. Most importantly, Cambo Estate provides an excellent venue for helping people appreciate how birds fit into a human landscape, and what we can do to promote the environment both for human quality of life and well as biodiversity.

Cambo is an island of woodland and mixed farming, surrounded on one side by the sea and the other by much more intensive arable farmland with few remaining trees. As a result it has a lot to offer both as a relic of more favourable wooded habitats in the area and because of its position on the North Sea, stuck out at the eastern edge of Fife.

Cambo has many resident bird species typical of mixed Scottish woodland and farmland. The commonest birds are probably the wrens, along with blackbirds, chaffinches, dunnocks, robins, blue tits and great tits. The woods are alive with these common birds’ songs all spring and summer. In the parkland there are many greenfinches, goldfinches and still a good number of tree sparrows, which have declined in many other areas recently. The hedgerows have many yellowhammers and reed buntings and there are a few corn buntings in the more open fields around the estate. In winter there may sometimes be large mixed flocks of these three buntings with many skylarks and tree sparrows in the stubble fields around Kingsbarns. Birds of prey include a few sparrowhawk and buzzard pairs and at least one kestrel pair. Barn owls are breeding near the estate but are strictly nocturnal: there also a few tawny owls. Jackdaws and carrion crows are common and Cambo has a large and noisy rookery in the sycamores at the mouth of the burn, but jays and magpies which are common almost everywhere else in the UK are very scarce. There are a few great spotted woodpeckers, although treecreepers are common (but difficult to see). Long-tailed tits, bullfinches and mistle thrushes are to be found on the estate but are never common. Woodpigeons and stock doves are common, particularly around the large trees in the parkland.

In the summer several species of migrants arrive to breed at Cambo after spending the winter in Africa. Barn swallows and house martins breed in and around the buildings of the estate and there is small sand martin colony on a sandy bank behind the beach just to the south of the estate. Willow warblers, chiff-chaffs, whitethroats, sedge warblers and blackcaps are common breeders in the woodland and in the scrubby edges to the fields and golf course. At migration time, in spring and autumn, and particularly after an easterly wind, rarer migrants such as pied flycatchers, whinchats, northern wheatears, spotted flycatchers, ring ouzels, common redstarts and cuckoos can be found, although one of any of these species in a day would be a good find.

The water available at nearby Kingsbarns Beach, the mouth of the Burn and the sea itself add hugely to the bird diversity at Cambo. Most common waders can be found on the shore in winter: redshanks, ringed plovers, sanderling, bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, knot, purple sandpiper, curlew and oystercatchers. Snipe are found in the damp field edges and lapwing and golden plover in the open fields as well as the shore. Rarer waders such as whimbrels, spotted redshank, jack snipe, curlew sandpiper, green sandpiper and black-tailed godwit may stop over, particularly on thundery days in July and August. At sea in winter there are always many eiders, and on a good day they will be joined by long-tailed ducks, common scoters, red-breasted mergansers, wigeon and red-throated divers. In July and August there is usually a flock of 20-30 moulting goosander along the shore. Further out hundreds of gannets will be passing every day on their way out from and back to the Bass Rock where they breed, just around the corner in the Firth of Forth. Gannets can always be seen diving when looking out to sea from the estate, except in December and January when nearly all head off to the waters around Spain. Other seabirds such as guillemots, puffins and razorbills are seen daily, although they are best seen, like the gannets, in the summer when they are breeding nearby. The same applies to sandwich, arctic and common terns. In late summer there may hundreds of terns of all three species around the rocky shore. Fulmars are common too. In autumn, with onshore winds, manx shearwaters with the occasional sooty shearwater, and arctic and great skuas can be seen hourly passing the estate.

In the spring and particularly late autumn, easterly winds bring in rarer birds. Yellow-browed warblers, lapland buntings, red-backed shrikes, black redstart, red-breasted flycatcher, barred warblers and icterine warblers are annual or near annual vagrants. Over the last ten years, there has also been a collared flycatcher, desert wheatear, pied wheatear, Sardinian warbler, radde’s warbler, greenish warbler, red-flanked bluetail, Siberian chiff-chaff, eastern olivaceous warbler and Pallas’s warbler all found within 5km of the estate. With the right winds, the Cambo Estate is a good hunting ground for the next big rarity!

Saturday, 5 April 2014

The Fife Challenge Begins

The first of our Fife Challenge events couldn't have got off to a better start! Lots of events to come..... and they are all FREE! http://www.thefifechallenge.co.uk/events/

The Thomson family from Newburgh did really well with den making today. Campfires coming up soon!

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Reinventing Valentine’s Day

VALENTINE’S Day costs the earth. A single red rose can cost up to £20, a whole bunch up to £70, and that is just the damage to your bank balance. Most Valentine’s Day roses we see in the UK come from Kenya where fresh water supplies are being drained to water flower farms, fish stocks are plummeting due to the sheer quantity of chemicals leached into lakes and rivers, and workers are paid as little as £1 per day. Add to that a healthy dose of carbon emissions from flying the flowers to these shores and suddenly a single red rose no longer seems like such a romantic Valentine’s Day gift.

With the UK’s population starting to wake up to the environmental and social damage caused by the imported flower market, could the rose’s days be numbered as the Valentine’s Day flower of choice? A quick internet search yields a plethora of eco-friendly alternatives; locally grown flowers from companies such as Wiggly Wigglers (www.wigglywigglers.co.uk) through to an acre of Brazilian rainforest for your loved one from the World Land Trust (www.worldlandtrust.org). But it seems we are still very attached to the red rose. Even the Organic Flower Company (www.tofc.com.uk), despite all their environmental rhetoric, offers imported roses for Valentine’s Day… no pesticides but plenty of air miles. With snowdrops being one of the few flowers in bloom in the UK on Valentine’s Day our interest was piqued: ‘What did we give on Valentine’s Day before roses were available?’ Roses on February 14th are actually a relatively recent phenomenon. In the cut flower industry, speed is everything, so importing out of season flowers from warmer climes has only been possible as airfreight has become more affordable. However Valentine’s Day has long been celebrated in the UK, coming second only to Christmas in the number of cards we purchase and send.

The flower industry has done such an effective job of equating red roses to February 14th that it is hard to imagine a world where roses weren’t in abundance until blooming naturally several months after the lovers’ day. The Valentine’s Day tradition of exchanging small gifts or love tokens between lovers has been around for a very long time and was well established in England by the late 17th century. These tokens would often take the form of a written note on coloured paper. The tradition grew among the burgeoning middle class in the early 19th century with the notes becoming ever more ornate, often decorated with lace, silk flowers and pictures… and so the Valentine’s Day card was born. When uniform postal rates were introduced in 1840 the Valentine’s Day card tradition really took off and, not surprisingly, business was very quick to catch on. By 1870 the tradition of homemade Valentine’s Day cards had almost completely disappeared to be replaced by mass-produced cards.

These printed Valentine’s Day cards provide a fascinating insight into the changing imagery of Valentine’s Day. Although roses feature sporadically on these early cards the overwhelming majority of floral imagery is of seasonal flowers, flowers that would have been in bloom on 14th February. Primroses, snowflakes and, overwhelmingly, snowdrops are the flower of choice and remained so right up until roses became widely available.

So with an increasingly environmentally conscious market demanding guilt free seasonal gifts, is the time ripe for the humble snowdrop, the traditional Valentine’s flower, to make a comeback? It certainly is if Catherine Erskine of Cambo Snowdrops has anything to do with it. The newly launched Cambo Snowdrop bouquets have impeccable environmental credentials. The snowdrops are farmed from Scottish woodlands where they propagate naturally without requiring any pesticides or herbicides. They are sorted and shipped within five days of leaving the earth avoiding the need for the chemicals or refrigeration required for preserving imported flowers. Further to that they are complete plants, with the bulbs wrapped in damp moss, so after Valentine’s Day they can be planted in the garden where they will flower every February for years to come.
And the snowdrop-carpeted woodlands from which the bouquets are farmed are proving to be a big hit as a romantic destination for the environmentally conscious. Right at the heart of Cambo Snowdrops sits Cambo House, undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most romantic Bed and Breakfasts (www.camboestate.com). The seventy acres of snowdrop-carpeted woodland have to be seen to be believed. What’s more the snowdrops are obligingly at their most glorious in the middle of February to coincide with Valentine’s Day. Within half an hour of Leuchars on the London to Aberdeen mainline and only forty minutes from Rosyth ferry port, a romantic break at Cambo is within easy reach of the south of England or even mainland Europe without clocking up a single air mile.

So, with an increasingly environmentally aware consumer on the look out for simple changes to reduce their environmental impact, perhaps the days are indeed numbered for the imported red rose. Watch out Valentine’s Day. Watch out roses. The snowdrops are coming!

Buy your Snowdrop posy for your Valentine - click here to order or call 01333 450054

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

Badger Trail and Hide

Badger Trail and Hide

A woodland walk round the estate (forming a loop off the fife coastal path), taking about 45 minutes to complete, is a popular walk with visitors and locals.

Cambo Institute has created a badger trail and disabled access to the woodlands by making new paths that will allow wheelchairs and access to a badger watching area where benches will be provided. This has been possible thanks to support and funding from Fife Environment Trust, Leader in Fife and Awards for All.

The estate has several badger setts but one in particular is especially suited for badger watching. It is large and quite close to the main driveway but at a distance from the main road which is an advantage as it is unlikely to become the target for unscrupulous people who may dig out the badgers for baiting.

The badger hide is now complete and operational. If you are interested in using the badger hide simply get in touch with us or Scottish Badgers. www.scottishbadgers.org.uk