Park in the large lay-by off the A985 just outside Crombie. There is usually a snack van in operation here. Perfect for a post-ramble munch. Across the fields you can see Pitfirrane Castle, easy to pick out due to its yellow lime wash. It is a classic example of a 16th-century tower house and is now the 19th hole at Dunfermline Golf Club. Cross the main road with care and follow the pavement as it curves downhill. Just after the junction for Charlestown, a sign points to Pitliver on the opposite side. Cross again and follow the tarred access road past a few cottages towards the estate gates, which appear after 700 yards.
Pitliver is not accessible to the public but you can take the core path to the right as you reach the lodge. This takes you along the estate boundary. A private gold course was laid out within the grounds at the turn of the century. Pitliver was the wartime home of Prince George (son of King George V and the present queen's uncle) in the early 1940s, prior to the prince losing his life in an air crash. Polo was played here in those days!
The core path goes over the railway and emerges on Waggon Road, by Crossford. Turn right and walk for 200 yards with care along the road until meeting another rail bridge. Head left up a signed cycle track and proceed 130 yards to the point where a heavily overgrown railway crosses on the level. This is the old line to the MOD base at Crombie. Previously you could simply follow the old tracks but you'd probably need a machete nowadays. Instead skirt the grassy verge of a field on the far side of the line and cross over the railway at a break in the embankment. A narrow trail disappears into the trees parallel to the line. Take this route.
Pheasant feeding stations line the path and it's obviously used by some type of vehicle. The woodland track deviates from the railway before rejoining close to the bridge over the A985. A wider, moss-covered concrete road takes you down to the A985. Cross with extreme care and pass under the railway bridge. After a short distance, turn right into the Broomhall Estate. Ignore a minor junction on your right and continue straight on to meet another road. Bear right and soon the enormous Broomhall House comes into view.
Dating from 1702 with modifications continuing well into the Victorian era, this A-listed property has been home to the Bruce Family (whose head is known as Lord Elgin) for over 300 years. The Bruces' are descended directly from King Robert who was victorious at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. There is a fenced privacy zone around the house but you follow a core path around it. Turn right at the next junction, angling back towards the A985. Ignore the turn-off for the estate office and you reach a fork in the road. Both branches bring you back to the main road and you can make your way back to Crombie.
