Planning Tips: Fife Coastal Path

Traveling to Scotland and looking for hiking recommendations? The Isle of Skye and the Scottish Highlands tend to get all the glory. Yes, those rugged mountain peaks and bizarre formations rightfully deserve the praise and should be explored.

But…what if you’re in the mood for a more leisurely pace? Perhaps an inn-to-inn trail along a scenic sea coast that passes through tiny fishing villages, rocky cliffs, flower meadows, wildlife reserves and castle ruins? With diversions like farmer’s markets, ancient sites or caves along the way?

Sound appealing? Then jaunt across the opposite side of Scotland’s Highlands to the lovely Kingdom of Fife— where the Fife Coastal Path awaits.

 

Fife Coastal Path

Located 45 miles north of Edinburgh along the North Sea, the Fife Coastal Path winds up the eastern coast. The trail extends 117 miles from Kincardine up to Newburgh (across the bridge from Dundee). The entire trek passes through 29 towns or villages and takes ten days to complete at a brisk pace.

But what’s fun about that? Slow dowwwn… Break up the hiking with tea & warm scones. Sample organic produce. Or freshly caught fish. Browse handicrafts. Admire art galleries. Pop into cultural museums and explore the many historical sites. Interact with locals as you wander aimlessly through their tiny villages. Soak up smaller sections of the trail!

The beauty of this Fife Coastal Path is that you can customize your hiking adventure from a single day ramble to a multi-day trek. The route has built-in flexibility and transportation options.  Spent too much time in a village and now it’s dark? Or simply tired to hike back? Just catch the next bus in town back to your inn.

 

ITINERARY PLANNING TIPS for Hiking the Fife Coastal Path

Best Guidebook & Map Resources:

I used the awesome spiral-clad guidebook Fife Coastal Path to plan our journey. Written by two Scottish long-distance walkers, this handy guide breaks down each section with maps, mileage and detailed hiking information. They also throw in historical context about the ruins, notes about wildlife or recommended places to see or eat along the way. Reading this book in its entirety will help narrow down which of the nine sections appeal most to you.

There’s also a waterproof map on the entire trail that is good to stash in your backpack. Part of the proceeds go toward maintenance of the Fife Coastal Path.

 

Transportation:

Public bus transportation makes it possible to hop and skip along sections of the trail. Stagecoach double decker buses travel up and down the coast. Efficient, affordable, clean, & safe. Easy to use. Drivers are friendly, give change if paying in cash, and will remember where you’re going. Plus it’s a great way to meet locals and listen to the Scottish dialect which sounds different, and stronger, up here in the East.

Plan to explore the entire east coast? Stagecoach Bus has a £30 East Scotland 7 day MegaRider ticket that allows unlimited travel throughout Fife, plus Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and even up to Aberdeen. Otherwise Lines 7 (south) and 95 (north) service the Fife Coastal path. Purchase affordable tickets in advance by the day or week, download their app or buy in person for unlimited travel within those zones.

(Greenies take note—Stagecoach recently invested £3.5million in a new fleet of innovative double deck buses for service 7. According to their website they “offer greenhouse gas reductions by 30% and are 10-20% more fuel efficient compared to conventional vehicles, are significantly lighter and quieter than previous models, and have an engine stop-start system which allows the engine to turn off and be driven in electric mode.”) 

Be aware that taxis are very limited in Fife. There are only 3 family run companies along the Fife coast. Most have to be reserved days to weeks in advance as they don’t stay local. One company answered my call and replied they weren’t available as they were currently driving a passenger to Glasgow. Rates are crazy expensive. The taxi company in St. Andrews charges a £50 surcharge leave town to drive 10 miles to Crail before the regular rates of £20 per 6 miles apply.

Uber is nonexistent.

 

Lodging:

Select a few choice spots to base yourself on the trail. Travel between villages by bus with your luggage. Hike segments in either direction of your base, and use the bus to begin or end different parts of the trail. Stay in an inn, B&B, hostel or private rental. Camping also an option in numerous caravan parks. Scroll down below to see lodging possibilities in Fife on Booking.com’s handy map. We stayed in a lovely beachside inn, a hostel with a private room, and a castle dorm at St. Andrews University…all recommended!

Best Time to Go:

• May to September for best weather. Winter brings poor visibiilty and muddy, slippery trails.
• Check the current tide schedule. Trail north of St. Andrews & the Elie Chainwalk can only be attempted at low tide. Other segments of the trail usually have an alternative route for high tide.

 

SECTION HIGHLIGHTS on the Fife Coastal Path:

There are 117 miles between the villages on this long distance trail. Not all sections are scenic. Some no resources between long sections of the trail. East Nuek tends to be everyone’s favorite —and for good reason! Short hikes between quaint fishing villages that have plenty of places to linger, eat and explore.

Culross

If you’re an Outlander fan, perhaps you’re keen on staying overnight in the adorable Culross village— where you can walk the cobblestone streets of fictional Cranesmuir. You’ll easily recognize Gellis Duncan’s blue home, her herb gardens and Mercat Cross square. Step inside Culross’s Town House– once a real-life prison for witches awaiting trial on the Firth of Forth – where Gellis and Claire were tried in court. Then wander through the 16th c mustard-yellow Palace to see the walled gardens still using historical techniques that was used as the filming location for Castle Leoch. Culross village is a 4 mile hike north from Kincardine, the beginning of the Fife Coastal Path.

Transportation tip: Accessing Culross on the Fife Coastal Path is a bit trickier by public transport. My daughter and I visited Culross on a full day Outlander tour that departed from Glasgow. Since this was the last stop, we asked to be dropped off here with our luggage at the end. Little did we realize that Uber doesn’t exist in Fife! Frequent buses travel between Culross and Dumferline (16 miles north, inland) where we were luckily headed next, but bus travel to reach the northern sections of the Fife Coastal Path requires 1-2 connections and extra time. Good to know!

(Itinerary idea: visit Dunfermline, Scotland’s ancient capitol first. Worth an overnight. Take a 30 min Stagecoach bus (£3) from Dunfermline to Culross or anywhere you want to be based on the coast to begin hiking the Fife Coastal Path.)

East Wemyss

Further north at the 41 mile point, you can see Pictish, Viking and early Christian carvings in the Wemyss Caves. Just beyond is a steep climb to see the ruins of Macduff’s Castle (of Shakespeare’s MacBeth fame).

Transportation: Stagecoach Line 7 services the southern end of the Fife Coastal Path and includes transportation between Dunfermline, Rosyth, Dalgety Bay, Burntisland, Kirkcaldy, & Leven (just south of Elie.) Buses travel every 30 minutes. Except from Culross– it’s a 2 hour journey with one or two connections. Or a 37 mile hike ;). From East Wemuss it’s a 1 hr bus ride north to Elie.

 

East Nuek

The five fishing villages of Elie, St. Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther & Crail comprise East Nuek. Hiking between these 5 inviting villages is like Scotland’s version of Italy’s Cinque Terre–without the terraced vineyards!

Transportation: Stagecoach Line 95 services the northern end of the Fife Coastal Path and includes transportation between Leven, Elie, St. Monans, Anstruther, Crail and St. Andrews.

 

Elie, the southern fishing village of East Nuek at milemarker 55, makes a fine base for a night or two. Expansive sandy shores extend both directions from Elie. Diversions from the trail include Lady’s Tower ruins & a Lewis Chessmen lighthouse to the north and the wonderful Ardoss Organic Farm shop beyond the crumbling stone ruins of Ardoss castle. In the southern direction is Scotland’s via ferrata, the fantastic Elie Chainwalk.

Elie Chainwalk is an optional route along the Fife Coastal Path. Grip a series of 8 chainlinks as you scramble across the cliffs over a 500 meter section of the trail.

 

St. Monans (milemarker 58) has a quaint harbor, a zigzag pier, a welly garden, Newark Castle remains, Scotland’s oldest windmill and an old 1360’s stone church right on the trail.  (Don’t freak–this pier is not part of the trail!)

 

Pittenweem (milemarker 60) the tinest fishing village with 1700 residents, has excellent tea shops, and a chocolate shop where you can get a key to unlock the cave hermitage of monk St. Fillians.

Anstruther (milemarker 62) is the largest and busiest town in East Nuek–but still small with a population of 3,800 residents. Chow down at the famous fish ‘n chips bar plastered with pics of recognizable celebrities who’ve eaten here too. Check out the Fisheries Museum in the harbor. From here, on calm days, bird lovers can take a full day boat trip out to the Isle of May.

 

Crail (milemarker 66) has a Heritage Centre in town and unusual Caiplie Caves on the trail. Inland, only 6 miles away, you can visist an underground nuclear Secret Bunker from the Cold War.  Open 10-6pm. But only if you have a car. Neither buses nor taxis are available.

St. Andrews

This bustling college town (milemarker 80) is a must for anyone interested in history or golf. Watch players on the famed Old Course where the game was invented and visit the golf museum. Wander through the prestigious St. Andrews University where Willam met Kate, and have coffee at their favorite hang out. Go kite surfing on the expansive West Sand beach where Chariots of Fire was filmed–you know the slow mo running scene! And of course tour the traditional sites– the 12th c Cathedral and castle ruins. Plentiful pubs, shops and lodging options–including an adorable castle dorm on campus where we stayed!

Transportation: Stagecoach Line 95 services East Nuek villages to St. Andrews. From Anstruther (most lodging options) it’s a pleasant 35 minute ride. Sit on the right side of the top deck on the double decker bus for the best views!

 

Overview of Our Adventure along the Fife Coastal Path

My teenage daughter and I spent 4 nights on this delightful coast in early June. We chose to hike the section between the five fishing villages of East Nuek, from Elie to Crail. From there, we took the bus–instead of hiking 13 miles–to the appealing college town of St. Andrews for a night. My next post is chock full of photos from our hiking adventure–with details about where we stayed, what we did, the coastal path, and our diversions.

But here’s a quick overview:

Day One Elie (1 night)
Total hike: 12 miles. Hiked 6.5 miles from Shell Bay Park north to Elie where the awesome Chainwalk is located; and Elie village to St. Monans village. Then hiked 3.5 miles back to Elie in pouring rain because we couldn’t find the bus stop. Hiked 3 miles traipsing around Lady Tower and the lighthouse later that night.

Day Two Anstruther (2 n)
Total 5 miles. Explored Elie a little bit more before checking out. Then took bus from Elie to Anstruther to check in and drop off luggage. Bus to Crail so we could hike back the 5 mi to Anstruther.

Day Three Anstruther
Total 8 miles. Walked 4.5 miles on trail + 3.5 miles in Dundee. Took bus back to St Monans to pick up the Fife Coastal Path where we left off on day one. Hiked 1.5 mi to Pittenweem for breakfast (scones and tea) and hiked 2 mi back to Anstruther.  Couldn’t get a taxi to the Secret Bunker nuclear site (not all villages have taxis–only 3 in the whole area and must be reserved far in advance) So! We took the bus to Dundee for the day to visit Shakelton’s ship and the contemporary art center, walked around town and caught a movie before busing back home.

Day Four St. Andrews (1 n)
Total 11.5 miles. Walked around town to tour the historic ruin sites, visit the University grounds, the famed golf course and walk along the West Sand beach. (Almost the same distance as hiking the 13 miles between Crail and St. Andrews on the Fife Coastal Path!)

 

Planning YOUR hiking adventure

• Read the Fife Coastal Path guide book
• Select which sections of the trail you want to hike
• Choose where to stay…so many cute villages!
• Include extra days for exploring
• Hire taxi service in advance if needed
• Choose your Stagecoach bus tickets based on zone & duration
• Check tide schedule if planning on doing the Chainwalk
• Stash a rain jacket in a small nylon backpack
• Take a bus to the beginning trailhead for the day instead of the busing home

 

Lodging Options along the Fife Coastal Path

East Nuek villages stretch on the map between Elie (look for Earlsferry on the map) up to Crail. Scroll out to see all the options.

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