Around 2 miles outside Kirkcaldy lie the ruins of Balwearie Castle, which sits on the site of the former home of Sir Michael Scott, the Great Wizard of the North.
Sir Michael was said to possess great power, which was largely used for good, although it brought him into dispute with the Devil himself. He was reputed to ride a huge black horse, on which he could travel great distances, leading to rumours that it was, in fact, demonic. On one occasion, it is said he was sent to Paris to command the King of France to intervene in response to an increase in pirate attacks on Scottish ships. The King refused, and Sir Michael warned him that his horse would stamp three times, and on the third, Paris would fall. The King did not take the threat seriously, and so the horse was instructed to stamp its hoof. As it did, the earth shook. Still not taking the warning seriously, the King maintained his refusal. The horse stamped for a second time, and the walls shook. After a short period, the horse raised its leg once more, and the King agreed to order the piracy to cease.
One of the sources of Sir Michael's power was said to be a mystical cave close to his castle. Known as Bel Crag, legend tells that it would intermittently blast air from heaven and hell, and that to inhale the different airs in the correct quantities would give you the ability to see into the future. It was from this cave that Sir Michael was rumoured to summon his horse and where he gained the ability to foretell his own death.
Such was the superstition around the area that it was avoided long after Sir Michael's passing, yet an incident in the early 1800s led to tales that it had became haunted. A piper was said to have left a fair in nearby Lochgelly to make his way back to Kirkcaldy—a route that would take him past Bel Crag if he was not careful. However, he had been drinking heavily and so had little concern. As night fell, a storm blew in, yet the sound of pipes echoed from the vicinity of Bel Crag, drowning out the wind. The music continued until dawn in what was reported to have been in a wild and unearthly manner. A farm labourer later found the body of the piper close to cave, with his lips still clasped tightly around the mouthpiece of his pipes.
Rumours began to spread that the piper had been overcome by a blast of air from the cave and was unable to stop playing his pipes. He had frantically tried to be heard over the storm in the hope that someone would come and help, before succumbing to exhaustion. It is said to this day that on stormy nights, the sound of the pipes can still be heard over the winds.
Based on historical maps, Bel Crag was lost due to quarrying, and it would be interesting to know if any of the stone was used in construction, and if so, whether the alleged energy of the land has any effect on the properties.
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