Danny Campbell, architect and presenter
Where is it?
The bench at the end of the garden, Lower Largo, Fife. A bench doesn’t sound very exciting I know, and it’s not a very exciting bench; it’s actually just a normal, bog-standard wooden garden bench. But like lots of very special places, it’s not necessarily about what it is, it’s about where it is.
Lower Largo is a village at the start of the East Neuk, positioned just far enough away from the tourism hotbeds of Pittenweem, Elie and St Andrews. It sits on the right side of quiet and it is idyllic.
In the village, the only brown tourist sign points to the Robinson Crusoe Statue, an architectural monument embedded into the facade of an 1800s terrace.
Opposite the statue is a bright yellow, limewashed cottage, which is believed to be the original home of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer, who inspired the Robinson Crusoe classic by Daniel Defoe.
Why do you go there?
My parents bought the yellow cottage before it was yellow, nearly 15 years ago, and have painstakingly restored it. Behind the yellow cottage is where you will find the bench, my favourite place.
Before you can sit on the bench, you will walk down a perfectly rectangular lawn, edged by beautiful beds of lavender, wildflowers and palms, and past a 400-year-old Weavers Studio which was my first architectural project (now a super-hosted Airbnb Plus).
At the end of the lawn there is a hardstanding space with a low retaining wall: this is where the bench is.
Unusually, the bench faces away from the perfect yellow cottage, the rustic Weavers Studio and the immaculate garden. The bench faces south, directly over a beautiful sandy beach and towards an uninterrupted expanse of the Firth of Forth.
I have been here for a number of reasons, occasions and festivities. My wedding was held here. It is also where I spend every Hogmanay with my family.
I spent early lockdown mornings sipping coffee with my little brother and my boys here, not to mention the countless glasses of wine and intimate conversations with loved ones.
How often do you go?
Usually every other weekend, and for special occasions.
How did you discover it?
I sat on it.
What’s your favourite memory?
Watching the sunrise during lockdown. With my younger brother and my boys, with blankets and instant coffee, planning our dreams and laughing.
Who do you take?
The most important people in my life. Sometimes they take me there too.
What do you take?
Sometimes a glass of wine, sometimes a snack, sometimes binoculars.
What do you leave behind?
A warm seat.
Sum it up in five words.
Reliable. Timeless. Familiar. Safe. Wooden.
What other travel spot is on your wish list?
The Amazon Rainforest.
Danny Campbell is a judge for Scotland’s Christmas Home of the Year on BBC One Scotland, Monday, 8pm. This festive special will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer
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