AFTER a year without a Visitor Centre everything is starting to look really good for staff at Lochore Meadows Country Park with the Willie Clarke Centre open to the public, the golf and football facility in business and Lochore Castle's floodlights about to be set.

Park manager Ian Laing got good news at the end of last week when news arrived that despite the problems that had to be tackled as the new facilities were being built the park still attracted over 600,000 visitors in 2017.

So with new facilities in place Ian and his team have been steadily taking bookings for the 2018 season, but what he stressed was that Lochore Meadows is a 52 weeks a year facility!

He said: "I must say that the Water Sports base stood in as well, if not better, than we could have expected while the Willie Clarke Centre was being built and everyone is looking ahead and very excited about the coming 12 months.

"Indeed, with already the number of events we have booked in things are looking very promising indeed for 2018.

"But the great thing is, no matter what the time of year, Lochore Meadows Country Park is a place people can enjoy being in.

"The new Visitor Centre has an excellent cafeteria which can sit 100 people with a menu folk will like, looking out on to the loch, a really nice view.

"But the great thing about the spacious area is that it can be sectioned off to give two sizeable rooms that local groups can use and indeed, any organisation that needs an appropriate meeting place.

"The toilet facilities, including a modern area for people with special needs, are top class and everyone is looking forward to a busy year."

Ian said that the construction of the Fife Cycle facility next door means that the Lochore Meadows Complex is an ideal outdoor pursuits facility.

There are water sports aplenty on the loch ranging from canoeing to swimming to rowing along with angling, while the new Fife Cycle track brings the speed side of the sport to add to the excellent Mountain biking tracks that have been developed in recent years at the Meedies, and there is also excellent walking paths and an Equestrian Centre. Add to that the golf course and Crosshill Park football pitch and it is a sports haven.

Added the park boss: "There are a number of sporting events booked in to the park already for 2018 including Cycling Sportive, sponsored by Maserati, in June, and there are a host of triathlon events planned.

"One of the most testing events will be the Ultra Marathon, which is all about the contestants starting at the park, running over Bishop Hill and around Loch Leven and into the Lomonds and back. I believe it is about 40 miles in length which is really quite something.

"Away from sport the park will again house the Rockore music festival and the Benarty Pipe Band Contest so we want the park to have something for everyone. A real country park experience."

The final part of the rehabilitation of the 900 year-old Lochore Castle project, guided by the Living Lomonds Partnership, will see the floodlights properly calibrated before the official opening of the Willie Clarke Centre by the man himself in March.

But as Ian Laing stressed: "Yes there are many activities ongoing but the Meedies is there for every age group and members of the family to have a great day out."