The Fife Coastal Path is a Scottish long-distance footpath that runs from Kincardine to Newburgh along the coastline of Fife. The 183 km footpath links the Forth and Tay estuaries and runs through some of Scotland’s most scenic villages. This post covers the Burntisland to Aberdour section.
FIFE COASTAL PATH | SCOTLAND
The Fife Coastal Path has a bit of everything: golden beaches, picturesque fishing hamlets, ruined castles, and historic artefacts in the form of Pictish and prehistoric carvings in the Wemyss caves. It runs from Kincardine to Newburgh via St. Andrews and the charming hamlets of the East Neuk. Because I love coastal trails and Fife is just across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, we decided to start walking it in sections (in no particular order) and we took the train to Burntisland one winter morning and walked to Aberdour.
The path starts right outside the Burntisland railway station. We were disoriented for a while (for no reason really) and wandered through the car park before finding our bearings. If you are coming from Edinburgh, cross the footbridge at the station and take Hill Street and the steps that lead to Harbour Place. Continue north till you find the entrance to the Fife Coastal Trail across the street from Broomhill Avenue Playground.
‘Burntisland’ is pronounced like the two words, ‘burnt’ and ‘island’, together, with the emphasis on the middle syllable but no one knows for sure how the town got its name. Formerly a royal burgh, Burntisland was earlier known as Wester Kinghorn or Little Kinghorn. Today, it is known for its sandy beach and Highland Games which take place in July. If you want to read more about the history of this town, head over to Electric Scotland.
The path runs along the railway tracks for a while and there is no view of the water. After a few minutes of walking past residential areas, we found ourselves walking down a path that snaked between stone walls and worn fences overgrown with vegetation. Even in winter, the foliage was lush with trailing vines clinging to fences and walls. Clumps of bright yellow gorse broke the continuity of greens and browns. In places, the path was muddy. We crossed the Starley Burn waterfall over a footbridge. We spotted very few people, mostly dog walkers and runners on their morning loops, on this end of the path.
Also read: Moving to Scotland? Check our tips on Moving to Scotland, UK: A Complete Guide.
Not long after we could see Arthur’s Seat across the waters. We went through an underpass next and we were right next to the coast with views of the iconic Firth of Forth bridges. Then the best thing happened! We spotted a pair of seals, thanks to a family who pointed them out to us. They said that the seals are often there, basking in the sun. There used to be just one, then one fine day another fella joined and now the pair just laze around on the rocks together. We watched them for a while before pressing on and soon we could see the lovely crescent beach of Aberdour ahead.
Closer to Aberdour, the muddy path gets a nice tarmac makeover. There were more people walking towards Burntisland and suddenly the path felt busy. We strayed from the path that bypasses the beach and heads straight to town and walked towards Silver Sand Beach. It being winter, there were few people on the beach. The cafe was open but we decided to continue towards Ha Lighthouse which offers gorgeous views of the Forth bridges.
We continued uphill past more coconut-scented gorse blooms and stopped to enjoy the scenic views along the way of the village and harbour with its jangling boats. There wasn’t anyone on this section of the path. We climbed down the headland via a steep set of stony steps, then stepped across some massive puddles, and walked towards Aberdour harbour. Behind us was the Forth View Hotel, the white lettering still visible on its weather-worn walls.
Aberdour, ‘at the mouth of the Dour’, was originally two villages, Wester Aberdour and Easter Aberdour, one on either side of the Dour Burn which enters the Forth at the harbour. Aberdour Castle has over 500 years of history that you can read about in Historic Scotland. Much like today, the silver sands of Aberdour drew the Victorians who called the town the “Jewel of the Fife Riviera”.
Also read: Read about one of our favourite walks in Scotland, the Loch Àrd and Lochan a’Ghleannain Walk.
The footbridge over the Dour was broken (January 2023), so we had to retrace our steps and enter the town via Hawkcraig Road. The castle was closed for masonry work so we had a pint at Forester’s Arms instead, then walked around town briefly. It being winter, most of the shops were closed but Aberdour has some charity shops and gift shops selling the cutest of items. Window-shopping done, it was back on the train to Edinburgh.
DISTANCE: 6.1 km / 3.8 miles linear
TIME TAKEN: 1.5 hours
NEAREST PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO START/FINISH: Trains at Aberdour and Burntisland. Stagecoach buses are also available.
Burntisland to Aberdour Walk: Route & Elevation
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