Cowdenbeath is a small town in between Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy and is the Mecca of Stock Car fans everywhere. If you haven't experienced the Wall, you haven't lived.
So a town not too far away from the capital Edinburgh, the shipyards of Rosyth and local towns of Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline, in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife.
So the track shares its space with Cowdenbeath FC, they call it Central Park. The name the Racewall was monikered by the then promoter Gordon MacDougall, who bought the football club to stop the stock car going out of business!. He built a solid concrete wall around the track, and used to have a pair of his boots cemented in by the pit gate.
It was featured on the ITV show Saint and Greavsie in the early 90's and had one of the worse losing streaks of all professional football leagues. Last time I was there I witnessed a Cowdenbeath game, a historic one, as it was Annan Athletic's first game in the league following the demise of Gretna earlier that year. Cowdie lost 3-1!
LOCAL FAMOUS FOLK
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| Gordon found heat 2 at a domestic Cowdie more riveting than fiscal policy. |
It's MP (well at least until 2015) is former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, James Gordon Brown. However, he's not a fan of the mighty Blue Brazil, with Kirkcaldy's Raith Rovers being his fitba team.
Crime writer Ian Rankin, went to the local school Beath school. The author of Rebus and the like, must have been inspired by some of the criminal decisions made by Racewall staff over the years....
CULINARY DELIGHTS
The Scots love their deep friedness. First came the marsbar, then the cream egg, and now the pizza. In an unrelated matter, Scotland has the highest rate of corany disease in Europe :p
The Scottish have made some cracking inventions. Television, penicillin, the phone, but truly the greatest invention a Scot, the square (or lorne) sausage. A sausage, flat and ready for the sandwich, lob some sauce and boom. Instant sausagey gratification.
Then you have Edinburgh Rock. A kind of sugary version of crack, and just as addictive, its basically so sickly sweet and impossible to eat without you getting the white residue all over you. A similar substance and recipe to that of Walter White on Breaking Bad.
Then there is the Haggis. Kill a sheep, rip out its stomach and take the rest of its organs, mince it, shove some barley and spice and put the mix in said stomach, then boil til its mush!
MEDIA.....
Now the television being invented by a Scotsman, when the rUK watched Neighbours, "that's not for viewers in Scotland". It had its own programmes, indeed, instead of Loose Women in the STV region you get some kind of One Show lite hosted by Scotland's very own Michelle McManus!
Now musically they have given us the Proclaimers. Kinda like Jedward, but less annoying . Then you have Runrig. Which no-one understands....
However the most cultural musical offering from our Caledonian cousins is.....the bagpipe. A bag of wind held and looks and sounds like a comotosed sheep.
MADE IN SCOTLAND FROM GIRDERS
A regular pub quiz question is the following.
"In which Western country, is Coca Cola not the best selling fizzy beverage"
The answer is Scotland, as this weird luminous drink called Irn-Bru outsells both Coke and Pepsi. With a fraction of actual iron in it, it's mainly made up of weird colourings and e numbers, and contains caffeine and quinine, to really give you a buzz and banned in some countries!
However, the best kept secret is the adverts - why don't we get them down here!!!
However, despite your tramp's favourite Tennent's being freely available, it's Buckfast Tonic Wine which is the Scottish alcoholic beverage of choice. However it is as Scottish as Wembley Stadium, St George and Bobby Moore, as Buckfast comes from Buckfast, which is in, err, Devon. Just down the road from Rich Thomas (756)...
THE FUTURE
Now there is the small matter of a vote on Scottish independence coming up on the Thursday after the World Final. Now some years, Scotland could have benefitted from an international entry or two, but that could be what happens in the future....Row 3 could be the territory of S100 and S7 for years to come! Barford will have be part of the border patrol, no asylum seekers here! Whether it does or doesn't, next time the World Final goes to Scotland, we might need our passports.
So what can you expect from your trip to Cowdenbeath? To come back a stone heavier, your life shortened by about 3 years and a memory you'll never forget of a cauldron of an atmosphere in one of the places to race. If the Buckie and Irn Bru chasers don't get it first...
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