Fife Coastal Path

The Fife Coastal Path

The Fife Coastal path is a way-marked route along the coast of Fife from The Forth Estuary in the south to the Tay Estuary in the north. It is 116 miles long and for those who walk its entire length it takes a week to 10 days to complete although it has been run in relay by a team of 6 runners from Carnethy Hill Running Club in 15 hours and 10 minutes.

About half a million people use bits of the path annually of whom about 35,000 walk the entire route. I’ve cycled the parts from Kincardine to Kirkcaldy and St Andrews to Newburgh.

The section beyond St Andrews through Tentsmuir is particularly pleasant but the interest in the sections past and beyond the Forth Bridges is mainly in the history of the industry associated with towns like Kirkcaldy rather than in idyllic coastal scenery. That is reserved for the sections between Elie and St Andrews which I have walked in different stages at different times. The path was created in 2002. The sections through the former fishing villages of Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Crail is my favourite part of the route. The path hugs the sea on a mainly sandy path and strolling along on a sunny day with the sound and sight of the sea for company gives a feeling of great contentment.

The villages themselves are all fun to spend time in. Elie beach is particularly attractive and the town has shops, bars and restaurants as well as one of the best golf courses in Fife. You can choose to traverse a section just to the south of Elie using the “chain walk” which was originally put in place in 1920 and renewed in 2010. This is like a “via ferrata” with chains fixed to the cliffs. The main path sticks to the cliff top.

St Monans has a very distinctive little church which the path passes right alongside and you are made very welcome to go in and enjoy the solitude. Pittenweem is the only village that still has a working fishing fleet and also has an annual art festival that attracts hordes of people. The subject matter for much of the art on display are scenes of whitewashed houses with red tile roofs on the edge of harbours.

The next village northwards is Anstruther which is always bustling with people. As you approach Anstruther from the south the path runs alongside the town’s 9 hole golf course which is perched up on the headland but one devilish little par 3 takes golfers down onto a green right beside the sea and the path. Anstruther itself is very picturesque with brightly painted shops and houses gathered around the harbour. A ferry runs from here to theIsle of May.

Further north again, you reach Crail which is yet another pretty village with a couple of very good golf courses which have sadly become popular with golfers from the USA which pushes the green fees up for the rest of us. A regular bus service runs along this section of the path to St Andrews making it easy to do bits of it and get the bus back to your start point. Northwards from here to St Andrews, the path passes alongside Kingsbarns golf course, The Torrance and Kittocks courses and The Castle course and is nearly all very pleasant walking on paths or the beach with the exception of a section near Kingsbarns where it loops inland to cross a river.