The Fife Coastal Path is a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 long distance footpath that runs from North Queensferry

North Queensferry

North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, and from Edinburgh. According to the 2008 population estimate, the village has a population of 1,150. It is the southernmost settlement in Fife.The Scottish Gaelic name...

 to Newport-on-Tay

Newport-on-Tay

Newport-on-Tay is a small town in the north east of Fife in Scotland, acting as a commuter suburb for Dundee. The Fife Coastal Path passes through Newport.-History:...

, near the Tay Bridge

Tay Road Bridge

The Tay Road Bridge is a bridge across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland. At around , it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and slopes gradually downward towards Dundee...

. The path was created in 2002 and runs for 82 miles (132km) along the coastline of Fife

Fife

Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

. It passes through many seaside villages and takes around six days to complete.

Places of historic interest along the route include Aberdour Castle

Aberdour

Aberdour is a scenic and historic village on the south coast of Fife, Scotland. It is on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, looking south to the island of Inchcolm and its Abbey, and to Leith and Edinburgh beyond. According to the 2006 population estimate, the village has a population of...

, Macduff's Castle

Macduff's Castle

MacDuff's Castle is a ruined castle near East Wemyss, in Fife, Scotland. The site is associated with the MacDuff Earls of Fife, the most powerful family in Fife in the middle ages, although nothing survives from this period...

 near East Wemyss

East Wemyss

East Wemyss is a village situated on the south coast of the Kingdom of Fife, Scotland. In the United Kingdom Census 2001 the population was recorded as 1841.- History :...

, Wemyss Castle

Wemyss Castle

Wemyss Castle is situated on the cliffs between the villages of East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, Scotland.- History :Accounts date the construction of the castle to the year 1421 when Sir John Wemyss decided to build a fortified castle to replace one destroyed by the Duke of Rothesay at...

, and Pitmilly

Pitmilly

Pitmilly is the site of a former estate located five miles south-east of St Andrews, Scotland. Its historical significance is threefold. It has been inhabited from ancient times; artifacts continue to be recovered from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages and a well-known barrow Tumulus from the...

, a former estate associated with the Moneypenny family; a range of diverse wildlife such as porpoise

Porpoise

Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...

s and puffin

Puffin

Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...

s may also be seen. The Fife Coastal Path is managed and maintained by Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, which is a registered environmental charity.

The focal point of the Fife Coastal Path is the Harbourmaster's House

Harbourmaster's House, Dysart

The Harbourmaster's House is a B-listed 18th-century building located by Dysart Harbour, near Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. It houses the first coastal centre in Fife, which was opened by Gordon Brown in 2006....

, in Dysart

Dysart

Dysart is a former town and royal burgh located on the south-east coast between Kirkcaldy and West Wemyss in Fife. The town is now considered to be a suburb of Kirkcaldy. Dysart was once part of a wider estate owned by the St Clair or Sinclair family...

.

The path includes a short but difficult optional section known as the Chain Walk, between Kincraig Point and Earlsferry on the Firth of Forth. Apparently created in the 1920s, and best accessed at low tide, this route has chains fixed to the cliffs and rocks of the shore to assist progress. At times, short vertical climbs are necessary, although most of the chains are positioned to provide support while walking. The chains were renewed in 2007. An alternative, more straightforward route runs along the clifftop above.

External links

• Official Fife Coastal Path Web Site
• Route and description of Fife Coastal Path
• Fife Coastal Path description and mapping on Walkhighlands