The Fife Coastal Path

North Queensferry to Dalgety Bay (About 4 miles).

The walk starts underneath the Forth Rail Bridge (there's a free car park here & a space loo). From the car park, walk back to the Ferry Bridge Hotel. Here you'll see a stone monument (Waterloo Well), the path starts here and heads round the coast towards Inverkeithing. It takes you past a quarry and a scrap yard into town. Follow the signs through Inverkeithing which will take you back to the shore. From here it is a short walk to Dalgety Bay West (St. David's harbour). There is limited parking here.

Dalgety Bay to Burntisland (About 4 miles).

From St. David's Harbour, follow the signs through Dalgety Bay. This takes you through nice residential streets and wooded areas.  Pass the yacht club and you will come to a very old church (St. Bridget's).

Follow the signs to Aberdour. You could veer right here (through the woods) to Braefoot point to get a view of the Forth Bridges, but you would have to come back to get to Aberdour as the Braefoot gas terminal would block your way.

The path to Aberdour crosses a field at some point here (on your left) and then through an underpass (underneath the road to Braefoot gas terminal). Then passed St.Colme house and on alongside the Golf Course into Aberdour.

On leaving the Golf Course, you pass through large gates and you are now on the main drag. Take a right and walk for about 100 yards.

You should now see a brown information sign pointing to the Golf Course. Follow this (into Shore Road) which will take you to the Harbour. From the Harbour, follow the FCP signs to the 'Silver Sands' beach.

From the Silver Sands follow the path to Burntisland. Note:- Dogs aren't allowed on the Silver Sands (between May & September (inclusive)), but you don't have to go on the Silver Sands in order to use the path.

The path follows the railway line along the shore through woodland. You will pass a small waterfall and then, you will pass the Aluminium works (this was in a state of demolition, I don't know if they are knocking it all down). Before you reach the end of the Aluminium works, the path goes through a tunnel, underneath the railway line. From here follow the signs through the streets of Burntisland.

Burntisland  to Kirkcaldy (About 4 miles).

In Burntisland you can find a spot to park on Kinghorn Road (A921) or the Beach car park (swimming pool).

You can walk from Burntisland to Kinghorn along the beach (not at high tide), but as there are no dogs allowed on Burntisland (award winning) beach I had to walk along the main road (I had my dog Suzie with me). No problem with this however. In both cases, follow the signs (it's well signposted in Kinghorn) which will take you through Kinghorn harbour then a short walk through town and back onto the path towards Kirkcaldy.. You should be able to pick-up the path to Kirkcaldy from here.

The walk from Kinghorn to Kirkcaldy is not difficult but it is not flat ground.   It is a bit up and down.   Just before you come into Kirkcaldy you will come to an F.C.P. car park (free).  From here take a short walk away from the shore (to avoid crossing a small burn) passed the bus garage and on to Kirkcaldy prom.

Kirkcaldy to Buckhaven (About 9 Miles)

You can park at the west end of Kirkcaldy prom (near the bus garage) and walk along the prom to the harbour.   Alternatively, if the tide is out, you can walk along the sandy beach.  From the harbour follow the road up the hill (The Path) on to Ravenscraig Park (free parking & toilets).

Visit The ruin of  Ravenscraig Castle (free), then head East (away from Kirkcaldy Harbour), along the FCP to Dysart Harbour.  There are quite a few paths in Ravenscraig Park, but if you keep as close to the shore as possible, you won't go Wrong. Almost as soon as you get near the shore, you will see a rocky outcrop, about 2oo yards from shore (if the tide is out). On the rocks, you will probably see a small colony of seals basking.

There are toilets at Dysart Harbour. From Dysart Harbour the path follows the shore for a short time, then through the streets and up the hill. You will see the now redundant Frances pit winding tower, head for that, and then follow the path passed a row of warehouses, on to West Wemyss Harbour.

There is parking at West Wemyss Harbour (free). From here follow the path along the nice new mini prom.  Soon after leaving West Wemyss you will pass West Wemyss Castle. This is a residential Castle with no visiting.

Carry on to East Wemyss.   East Wemyss has a very nice new mini prom too now. At the East end of the shore, you will come to the Wemyss Caves (see Links). Just at the start of the caves the path takes you up the hill towards the ruin of  Macduff's Castle.  First, visit the caves, ( Please do not enter any of the caves, as they are unstable) then come back and go up the hill.. Don't be tempted to walk along the beach to Buckhaven. Although possible, it is a very stony beach and very difficult.

Once at Macduff's Castle (again please don't enter it's not safe),  follow the path along an old railway line into Buckhaven. From the path above Buckhaven you will see what looks a bit like a shanty town. It's not. It's home to the Buckhaven Sea Angling Club. Pay no attention to the 'Members Only' sign and go in and have a chat with the locals.

The path really stops at Buckhaven. If you're interested in Local history you could walk through the streets of Buckhaven, Denbeath, & Lower Methil, to Leven. Which is about 2 miles. There is a museum in Buckhaven Library and there is the Methil Heritage Centre to visit.

If you don't fancy street walking, pick up the walk from Leven Prom.

Leven to Earlsferry & Elie (About 8 miles)

At the West end of Leven prom there is free parking. Walk along either the prom or the beach to the East end of the prom.

There is free parking here also, and toilets. From here you have the choice to walk along the road to the caravan park and pick up the path on the left-hand side of the park. The path takes you along the perimeter of a couple of golf courses and is mainly on sand dunes. The alternative is simply to walk along the beach to Lower Largo. If you choose to walk on the beach, there are a couple of small streams to cross (any problems, head up to the sand dunes and use the path).

Just before you reach Lower Largo, take the path up to the road, in order to cross a river. Once over the bridge, you can either head back on to the beach or walk through the village. Walking through the village you will pass a monument to Alexander Selkirk (the real Robinson Crusoe), and find a free car park with toilets.

From here to Shell Bay you again have a choice of two routes. Either, just walk along the beach to Shell Bay (a bit rocky at the start), or from the car park head up a short flight of steps on to the F.C.P. (an old railway line). I would recommend the railway line to start with.

About a mile or so along the railway line you will come to a break in the path, where a bridge used to be. From here the path continues along the sand dunes to Shell Bay. From here I would recommend just walking along the beach. The path doesn't seem to be used very much, and as a result, it is not very well defined. I presume that most people just take the beach route. To the East you will see a line of trees with a distinct break in them, Shell Bay Caravan Park lies just behind the trees. You can park in the caravan park for £1 per day and presumably use their toilet facilities too.

Assuming you are at the car park, head down the left-hand side of the road to the shore. Here you will pick-up the path to Earlsferry and Elie. The path follows the shore for a short while and then heads up the side of the cliffs, over the top, then back down the other side to the golf course. At the foot of the hill there is a sign for an alternative route, which follows the perimeter of the golf course (I don't recommend this route). Take the F.C.P. Route (it appears to head away from Earlsferry, but don't worry), which will take you down a few wooden steps to the beach and just walk along the beach. Head up to the path when the beach starts to get too rocky.

Follow the path into Earlsferry and follow the signs through the streets towards Elie Harbour (about a mile).

A note for the curious: From Shell Bay there is a route round the foot of the cliffs. This route is NOT meant for walkers. It is more akin to rock climbing. It involves using chains attached to the cliff face. It can only be done at low tide and is quite hazardous. I certainly DON'T recommend it.

 Elie to Crail (About 12 miles)

This is a bit long, so you'll probably want to break it up a bit.

In Elie, just before you come to the harbour there is a sign on your left for parking. This one-way street will take you to a car park near the lighthouse. Parking is £1 per day, toilets here.

Follow the path along the shore to St. Monans (plain sailing), walk through the village, at the east end of St. Monans there is a sign for 'The Windmill'. Take this route (ignore the F.C.P. sign that points up the hill).  Walk past the windmill & salt pans on towards Pittenweem harbour. From the harbour walk up the hill to a point near the top, where you will see (on your right-hand side) a children's play area. Go in here and follow the path. The path takes you alongside some wooden garages and then over the top of a small cliff and down towards Anstruther Golf course.

From the clubhouse, follow the signs through the streets of Anstruther (wester) to the harbour (parking & toilets). This is a good place to park (30p per day (I think)) if you intend taking a bus to or from Anstruther.

Continuing East, walk through the streets of Anstruther (Easter) to Cellardyke. At the East end of Cellardyke there is a small F.C.P. car park (free). Continue along the shore, past the caravan park & pig farm, on to Crail. About halfway between Cellardyke and Crail, you will probably encounter cattle on the shore. No problem though, just take care. Reaching Crail, the path takes you up a short hill. There is a small lane here which offers a great view of Crail Harbour (see pics).

Follow the signs through Crail and look-out for the Marine Hotel. At the hotel the path heads down a narrow lane to the shore. Follow the path along the shore, over the top of a small cliff and down to Sauchope Caravan Park. A nice lady at reception let me park here once, Ta!

From the Forth Rail Bridge to here (Crail), it's been a relative 'walk in the park'. Things are about to change!

Crail to Kingsbarns to St. Andrews (About 12 miles). Updated - 5/06/04.

According to Fife Council ,The Fife Coastal Path from Crail to St. Andrews is 'under construction'.  When I walked it (summer, 2003),  the path  wasn't very good and where there wasn't a path it was worse. However, since then, there have been substantial improvements between Crail to St. Andrews.  I personally still don't like the walk from Crail to Kingsbarns. Kingsbarns to St. Andrews is much better.

If you DO decide to give it a try, don't try it at high tide. The part from Crail to Kingsbarnes can't be done at high tide.

Either park somewhere in Crail or ask if you can park in the Sauchope Caravan Park.

Walk through the caravan park where you will pick up the path on the shore. The path follows the shore more or less all the way to Kingsbarns. There are parts of this walk where there is no path and you have to walk on the beach. Some times soft sand, sometimes hard rock and sometimes loose rocks. At some point you will come to Crail golf course. Here you will see a couple of signs pointing out the local history. I lost the path altogether here. There is a road leading up to the clubhouse. Don't take this road, it doesn't get you on the path. Keep to the shore and with luck you might find it.

Walk round the perimeter of the golf course and on around the shore. The path does however improve as you get nearer to Kingsbarns. You will walk round another golf course here (Kingsbarns Golf Course). About half-way through Kingsbarns golf course lies Cambo Beach. There is a free F.C.P. car park here. This is a nice place to stop the walk and have a break. I walked the half mile or so into Kingsbarnes and got the bus back to Crail.

A couple of days later I drove to Kingsbarns to continue the walk. Driving from Crail to Kingsbarnes, the road down to Cambo beach is situated just as soon as you hit Kingsbarns. Look for a brown road sign saying 'Seaside Award Beach'. This will take you down a single track road (with passing places) to Cambo Beach.

From here (Kingsbarns) to St. Andrews signposting and added stepping stones have made this walk much better.

The walk continues (north) along the side of Kingsbarnes Golf Course to St. Andrews (7 and a half miles (see pics)). This makes it a 15 mile round trip which is just a tad too long for me and Suzie. I walked about 4 miles out and back, then picked up the path another day (this time from St. Andrews, back). Continuing along the shore, you will come to a river. Follow the signs (this takes you away from the shore). The path now takes you through a wooded area following the river, upstream to a steel bridge. Crossing the bridge, follow the signs along farm tractor track roads. Walk through a farm (Boarhills)  then back down to the beach. Just before you reach the beach you will pass through a field. In this field is a very interesting rock (see Pics). I have called the pic 'Monster Rock'. It's proper name is 'Buddo Rock'. If you use your imagination you should be able to see monster like features in the rock.

The path from here to St. Andrews get a bit tricky. Particularly the nearer you get to St. Andrews. The path becomes slippy and overgrown in parts, but worse than that, I saw NO signposts whatsoever. To be fair there was evidence of stones being lain on muddy parts, but signpost would have saved me losing the path and stumbling around a rocky beach.

There is a point where the path leaves the shore and goes up steep wooden stairs to the top of the cliffs, keep a look out for these. You don't want to be on the beach at this point.

Eventually, you'll pass a caravan park and head down to St. Andrews Harbour. Just before the harbour, lies the East Sands. There is a small car park here (free). There is also a limited amount of free parking at the harbour.

St. Andrews to Newport-on Tay (Tay Road Bridge) (about 11 miles)

This part is a bit tricky for a different reason. The 'official' Fife Coastal Path, seems to end in St. Andrews.

If your still with me though, read on.

From St. Andrews East Sands, follow the short path to the harbour. At the harbour go up the steep hill, passed the Castle, and Cathedral and when you reach the Aquarium (on your right) go down the path to the car park (not free).

From here head north to the West Sands. There is a large car park here (not free).

Take a walk along to Outhead. Please note that dogs are not allowed on the West Sands. You can however take your dog down to the beach after a walk of about 1 mile. At the third roundabout, according to the signs. This is not a problem though, as the walk along the road-side is quite pleasant and there are plenty of dog waste bins.

At Outhead, there is a Coastguard sign warning of the possibility of being stranded by the in-coming tide. I tried to walk along the beach to Cobble Shore but couldn't manage it. I was there at low tide, but still no go. Please don't try this, as it is VERY possible to get stranded by the tide. This is the end of the walk for the moment.

Note:- There is a cycle path starting at the North end of St. Andrews and heading to Guardbridge. I haven't tried this as yet, as it looked like it just ran parallel the main road. On closer inspection of the Ordnance Survey Map it looks like being far enough from the main road to make walking pleasant. I'll give it a try some time.

The river Eden estuary is a major stumbling block in the attempt to walk a true coastal path. In order to walk to Tayport I decided to miss out Guardbridge and Leuchars (it would involve a lot of street walking) and headed for Tentsmuir Forrest and Sands.

Update 22/08/04 I've just finished the walk from St. Andrews (North) to Leuchars following the cycle path and street walking. As I expected the cycle path was too close to the busy main road most of the time. It wasn't very pleasant for me nor Suzie. If you don't have a dog, it might be O.K. though.  I couldn't see any FCP signposts on this walk at all.

Leuchars to Tentsmuir Forest (about 4 miles).

This part of the F.C.P. is BRAND NEW. Many thanks to the car park attendant at Tents Muir Forrest for getting me started.

The start of this path is pretty difficult to find, but here goes. Driving from Guardbridge to Leuchars, take the second right (not counting the entrance to the Air Base) into Wessex Avenue. Drive up to the next right, which should be Earlshall Road. Drive up a single track road for a couple of hundred yards to Earlshall Castle and Gardens (on your right).   It should be O.K. to park here.

From here walk up the road to a gate. Go through the gate and follow the path. There is no signpost informing you of the start of this new path (at either the Leuchars end or the Tentsmuir Forest end) but later on it is well signposted. The path consists of walking along farm tractor tracks, marshland (You'll need good footwear for this), Several boardwalks (built by the Fife Council) and Forestry commission tracks. The end of the path meets up with the road to Tentsmuir Forest car park. There is a gate here with a sign reading 'Canal Loch Road'.  From here to the car park is just over a mile. Turn right here and head for the car park (towards the beach). You will pass Riding Stables on your right.  Note:- you might find it easier to do this walk in reverse, i.e. Tentsmuir Forest to Leuchars. Remember that the start of this path is not yet signposted, so look for the 'Canal Loch Road' sign.

Drive to Leuchars and look for a sign for Tentsmuir Forrest and Sands or Kinshaldy Beach (it's a single lane road (about 3 miles long) with passing places). There is a car park here(£1 per day) but no toilets. Tentsmuir forest is owned and run by The Forestry Commission and not part of the Fife Coastal Path. There is a cycle path which goes all the way round the forest.

This path is perfect for a walk to Tayport. Pretty straight forward just head north and follow the signs.

The cycle path takes you through the forest, please be aware that in the summer time the flies can be a real pest.

If you don't fancy walking through the forest, try walking to Tayport along the beach. This is possible, but you will come to a rather marshy bit at Tentsmuir Point (nature reserve). No problem for the keen walker with the proper footwear. Unfortunately, I'm a tea-shirt, jeans and trainer man myself, Suzie (my dog) had no trouble whatsoever.

Once in Tay port, follow the signs to the harbour. There's parking (free) at the harbour. From here follow the signs for a short spell through Tayport and you will come to a cycle path which parallels the main road to Newport-on-Tay. For the most part the cycle path is far enough away from the road to make walking pleasant. Just before you reach Newport-on Tay, the path ends. By now you will be at the base of the Tay Road Bridge. Head up the slope to the car park (free) there are toilets here.

That's it. If you have stuck with this article, then you must at least be thinking about trying parts of the walk. Please do.

Any Questions, comments etc.. please e-mail me at:-  billfcp@yahoo.co.uk           

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